Hey there, friend!

I’ve written a handful of newsletters over the past few months, but nothing seemed truly authentic.

The past few months have been some of the worst of my life. I feel dramatic saying and writing that, but after weeks of thinking on it, I believe it’s true. So it felt wrong to send newsletters about time blocking, personal reflection, and letting yourself fair (although, to be clear, you will get these newsletters eventually).

So, while driving home one day after another rough week, the metaphor hit me. One of the best lessons my dad ingrained in me while teaching me to drive was that you don’t always need to be giving the car gas or braking. You can coast.

Not in the illegal-coasting-while-in-neutral way, but just letting up on the gas and breaks for a bit.

I always thought this was how everyone drove, until I was complaining about someone driving that way (gas, breaks, gas, breaks, no chill) and my friend said that’s how they drove as well. But doesn’t that sound exhausting?

We don’t always need to be giving life gas, or pushing the breaks. Sometimes, all we can do is coast.

More below about what that has looked like for me and what’s helped during this difficult time.

Sending love,

Emily

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The Recipe Breakdown

Lemon: Coasting. Doing the bare minimum required to keep moving forward, without pressing the gas pedal or slamming on the breaks.

Ingredient #1: Weekly plans. Once I realized I was in this coasting state, I knew I had to create some type of structure for my week that wasn’t work-related. I was already working extra hours and I knew if I didn’t set up some type of commitment away from my laptop, I would continue on a path of burnout. So during the worst of my grief, depression, and anxiety during late spring/early summer, I signed myself up for one class per day, Monday-Thursday. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I had 75 minute long Bodyshaping and Hatha Yoga classes, respectively. On Tuesdays I had my queer Spanish classes, and Thursdays my Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher training. Now, I know for some people this sounds like the opposite of coasting, but for me, knowing I had a built-in 60-75 minute break from thinking, worrying, or grieving was exactly what I needed. They were low-pressure commitments that let me be as social or as active as I wanted to, with the option to skip it if necessary, while creating some type of routine during the weeks.

Ingredient #2: Incorporating joy. I’m generally not someone who likes to re-watch or re-read the same content over and over. But during this rough time, I started listening to the Hunger Games audiobook. 1) It was so much better than I remembered, and 2) it gave me enough joy that I would do activities throughout my day so I could keep listening — usually going on a walk, taking a short break from work, or running errands. It made these tasks, that I was barely motivated to do, fun.

Ingredient #3: Daily responsibility. Although listening to the Hunger Games and my weekly classes were getting me out of the house and away from screens, I still struggled to do the basics necessary to make my depression and anxiety less severe. That’s where the plants come in. On a whim during an Aldi run, Noah decided we were going to start a small vegetable and herb garden. I loved it in theory, but I was very much not into using my limited energy to try and maintain a garden. However, I felt an obligation to keep the plants alive. This forced me to get up from my desk, go outside, and water the plants. Some days, that one minute spent watering the plants was the only time I went outside all day — but I did it, and that daily responsibility kept me going.

☕ If you’d like to support my work and Making Lemonade, consider buying me a coffee or sending a few dollars my way via Venmo: @emmyfromminny ☕

🍋 Lemon Zest 🍋

The Little Things that help make my days a bit brighter 💕

💪 This dumb little stair stepper has completely changed the way I work out at-home — cannot recommend enough if you’re someone who only goes to the gym for the StairMaster.

📝 The Talking Out Of Turn planners are still my ultimate fav, and they just released their newest academic planners. I haven’t bought one yet, but I don’t expect that to be the case by the time my next newsletter goes out…

☕ Copper Cow Coffee is my favorite Shark Tank product that didn’t get a deal. Their lavender and rose lattes make the mornings so much better. Here’s a promo code to get $20 off your first purchase!

💭 Ah, another Caroline Calloway long-read — now all is right with the world.

📚 The Newsette continues to be one of my favorite daily newsletters, which is saying something, because I get a lot.

Want to talk about your own lemons, ingredients, or lemonade recipes? Feel free to reply to this email!