Welcome to Joy Ride, a monthly dose of joy, good things, creativity prompts, and gratitude by writer Jennifer Chen. If you like it, please share this newsletter with someone who might like it too.
Your Pep Talk 🥰
I suffer from panic attacks. My most recent one happened in a parking garage. My husband was by my side so he was able to help me breathe again and drove me home.
I realized then I needed to make some changes to dial down my anxiety. I made the switch from an anti-depressant to anti-anxiety medication after consulting with my doctor. I decided to focus my time on whatever brought me joy, whatever calmed me. I added more cuddle sessions with my pets, more rest, and more self pep-talks. I’ve been taking out the “I should do this” from my vocabulary.
I used to ignore the signs that my body gave me to rest. But that day in the parking lot, my body said NO.
I’m sharing this because I hope you can listen to your body and your gut instincts. This time of year can be overwhelming. Take a minute to ask yourself what you want and do that. You deserve rest, joy, love, and peace. And cuddles with pets, if that’s your thing!
My Latest News 📚
Congrats to Brittnay in Georgia who won a signed copy of Artifacts of an Ex, stickers, and a bookmark from last month’s gratitude giveaway!
December 16 at 3pm: I’m excited to partner with WriteGirl for a fun event tomorrow at North Figueroa Bookshop in Highland Park. A WriteGirl teaching artist will lead a creative writing activity inspired by my book. I'll be signing books too.
January 6 at 3pm: I’m teaching a free Teen Writing Workshop at Burbank Public Library (open to grades 6-12). I’ll share fun creative writing activities and talk about book publishing. If you know a creative kid who would love to join, please pass along the registration info.
A few months ago, I filmed a question to ask parenting expert Dr. Shefali, author of The Parenting Map: Step-by-Step Solutions to Consciously Create the Ultimate Parent-Child Relationship, for Oprah’s Super Soul podcast. (You can watch the full interview on YouTube too.)
I woke up Saturday morning and discovered that Oprah’s Book Club posted my essay on writing Artifacts of an Ex on their Instagram and ran around the house screaming, “My name is under Oprah’s Book Club!” (Illustration by ShinYeon Moon)
Check Out This... 🤣
COMEDY SPECIAL: Mike Birbiglia’s The Old Man and the Pool (Netflix). His comedic storytelling is so unique and this special is both emotional and hilarious.
MOVIE: Renaissance is Beyonce’s concert film and an eye-opening look into how she creates the show from start to finish with insights into her life as a working mom. I’m ready to see it again.
BOOK: Survival of the Thickest by Michelle Buteau is a fantastic collection of essays in her sassy New Jersey voice.
ORGANIZATIONS: I chose a few LA-based organizations to highlight this month.
Crop Swap Los Angeles proudly feeds over 200 people a week and grows more than 25,000 pounds of produce every year using solar power and minimal water.
WriteGirl is a creative writing mentoring nonprofit and proceeds from the sale of their creative writing journal, What’s Behind the Blue Door?, benefits the org.
One in four people in Los Angeles County experiences food insecurity and the LA Food Bank serves hundreds of thousands of individuals every month.
I'm Grateful For... 😻
Kittens. My family and I recently went to Kitten Movie Night at Best Friends Los Angeles and snuggled some four-week-old baby kitties. The one I’m holding fell asleep in my arms. Over the holidays, we’re going to foster two six-week-old kitties for eight days and the joy is real.