This is my newsletter #23: Allison Nguyen | The Snoozeletter
Hello there! My name is Allison, I live in Chicago, IL, and I run a sleep & wellness newsletter, through which I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Rohini and the honor of filling in the space for today. I’m less a creator/writer and more a curator, but like so many, this last year has abruptly pushed me out of the box (among other things). So let’s get started 😊
3 … 2 … 1 …
Cheers of ‘Happy New Year!!!’ blared through the television speakers accompanied by the familiar trumpet rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ Luminescent visions of Time Square flashed from the ball drop to shimmering confetti littering the sky to hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper celebrating in their bright-spirited stupor. Across the room, my family reflected the same brilliant optimism, toasting to champagne promises for the hope of anything better than the trial by fire that has been this past year.
Meanwhile, I breathed relief that I imagined joining a chorus of sighs around the world. As much as I shared in their sentiment, 2020 stayed with me in that moment and probably will for a bit longer. Afterall, how could anyone expect a simple crossover in time to be a panacea after enduring a global pandemic, countless loss and grief, a tumultuous election year, reckoning with racism, murder hornets, and more? Echoing Time Magazine’s declaration that 2020 was indeed ‘The Worst Year Ever,’ we’re certainly due for extra care and time to heal. How else will we embrace and fully appreciate when good things happen again?
This is why setting New Year’s resolutions didn’t feel sufficient this year either. Letting go of 2020 for an attempt at a better 2021 seemed more like, well, rebounding right after a break-up. A [insert every synonym for ‘bad’] break-up. Like any bad break-up, moving on is a process. Like any decent curator, I looked up a list to help come down from the roller coaster ride that we never thought to buy a ticket for. How fitting it was to find ‘7 Rules of Getting Over a Break-up’ that applies surprisingly well to our current state of being as much as it does romantically. It’s a list that, while cheeky, helps make peace with last year through reflection of how we made it and how to keep going. One that I hope you’ll find helpful for your own clean break from 2020 too:
1. CUT TIES WITH YOUR “EX” ✂️
With vaccine distributions underway and a new president in transition, we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s still some ways to go to return to normality, but we have that day to look forward to now. Until then, there’s still something to be owed to 2020 for learning through pressure, growing through pain, and finding joy in unlikely places. Carry those lessons forward and count onward from 0 to 1 at last.
2. DON’T STALK YOUR “EX” ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES 🙅♀️
If I didn’t mention before, my little platform is a nightly newsletter that I created to reconcile with my insomnia. As a night owl through and through, I’ve spent countless nights awake until 4am on social media and down Wikipedia rabbit holes. 2020 just happened to give it a trendy name: doomscrolling.
Put it this way, “When we read upsetting news, the threat response is activated.” There’s a difference between staying informed and being ‘always on’ as I’m learning and making strides to stop the habit to boost mental health, ditch Facebook, and clean up my Instagram feed. On that last note, today mine overflows with the graceful watercolor brushstrokes of @kendallkyra, cartoon food re-creations by @mellyeatsworld, scenic views of travel I long for from @explorista, and daily musings from @wearenotreallystrangers. And yes, I’m finally getting enough sleep now.
3. SPEND PLENTY OF TIME WITH FRIENDS 👯♀️
After graduation, my friends moved everywhere across the country from Atlanta to the Bay Area. Yet we’ve never been closer than during the pandemic. It’s true – people overcome adversity together, even when our time is merely spent over group texts of frivolous memes and doodling over Skribbl.io. Friendships have become the centerpiece of my sanity, even more so highlighted by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman's Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Closeand Dollface, a show that aptly covers one woman’s journey back to her female friendships after ending a long-term relationship (sound familiar?).
So thank those who’ve helped you get through last year and continue to be there for them going into this year.
4. DON’T TELL YOURSELF YOU’LL BE ALONE FOREVER 🥰
After nine months mostly in quarantine, at least I can say that I’ve learned how to be alone comfortably. A yoga mat has transformed my living room into a home gym. An impulsive laptop desk purchased from Amazon has turned my bed into a nearly functional office. My playlist fills the void with the presence of Joji’s ‘Run,’The Neighbourhood’s ‘Stargazing,’ eclectic lyrics of Tom Rosenthal, and of course, both of Taylor Swift’s new albums.
The pandemic won’t last forever. But “you’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company,” as designer Diane Von Furstenberg touts.
5. STAY BUSY 🧶
The best part of moving on, really – in lists:
What I’ve made
Places I’ve “visited”
Train ride from Switzerland to Italy
Well-intentioned walk across Wales
Best things I’ve watched
The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix: For some time-travelling through a gameful masterpiece
Taskmasteron YouTube:For a peek into the creative mind under pressure and endless belly laughs
Soulon Disney+: For a gentle reminder that living your life is already enough
6. FACE UP TO YOUR FEELINGS 👐
Let’s cry, scream, sleep in, or do whatever else we need one last time to acknowledge what we just went through. Leaning on this piece around letting go and honoring the new year for inspiration.
7. START “DATING” ✨
2021, I have a good feeling about you.
Happy New Year,
Allison