Crucial Minutiae

As many of you know, I’ve spent years researching, talking about, writing about the pervasive force of food and fitness obsession in young women’s lives, the hazards of perfectionism etc. It had been and continues to be incredibly rewarding. When I visit a college campus and have the opportunity to look into a young woman’s eyes right at that moment when I see her vulnerable and inspired to change, I feel like I have the best job on earth.

But let me be honest, it hasn’t exactly been rainbows and sunshine for these few years. My life has been characterized by a lot of sadness and outrage and dealing with the difficult subjects of life. I’m pretty comfortable here. I sort of like dealing with hard shit. But recently, my life has taken this giant turn. I accepted a book deal to write about amazing young people making the world a better place and so now, instead of spending my days researching and writing about sad things, I spend my day reading and writing about the happiest thing imaginable. I watch YouTube videos about amazing young people. I get emails about amazing young people. I read mission statements and watch amazing documentaries and generally immerse myself in youthful, altruistic energy.

When I took the book deal, I didn’t for one second think about the fact that I was making a positive choice for my psychological health. As usual, I was focused on the mission I would be able to carry out and the artful way I would be able to do it. I was thinking about my passion for the topic. But I never realized I was also buying into a healthier lifestyle.

This isn’t to say that I won’t write really sad things again, or that I think every author should go for the rainbows and sunshine; it’s just to point out that our psychological health is dependent on what we consume every day. And sometimes, in the hub bub of just trying to survive as a writer and an activist and do important work, I’ve forgotten how important this insight is.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 at 2:31 pm and is filed under General, Generation Overwhelmed. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.