It's my first post to Silver Bloggers. Thank you for mentioning it the other day, @lizelle ! Now I feel confident to jump in the community.
Last week, I found myself drained and frustrated after a dispute over a deposit refund for my office I had rented last year. While the financial loss was recoverable—200 euros—I couldn’t help but feel upset and physically worn out for several days after receiving a high-handed and one-sided email.
During this time, I started thinking about what helps me regain balance when life gets overwhelming. In the process, I discovered a few very personal ways to lift my spirits.
One of these was immersing myself in the world of books. I came across a mention on Instagram about a local book club discussing Butter by Asako Yuzuki at a bakery in town. Being a devoted butter enthusiast, I immediately bought the digital version of the book. As I read, memories of my time in Tokyo resurfaced—specifically, a day when my mother and I queued up at a newly opened French Échiré store. My grandma, mother, me and my daughter is a four generation butter fans.
Craving that buttery indulgence, I visited a local department store and a shop for culinary professionals to browse food and cookware. It felt uplifting just to be surrounded by items I love. Along with Échiré butter, I found discounted Staub cocotte dishes and some truffle-infused cheese—a current favorite of mine. Inspired by the book, I tried butter on freshly cooked rice with a dash of soy sauce, and it was utterly revitalizing.
Connecting briefly with a friend during an errand also helped. And riding my bike in the crisp, cold wind cleared my mind. The simple act of movement and feeling the wind on my face seemed to blow away the heaviness in my heart.
Reflecting on this experience, I decided to write down my go-to methods for lifting my spirits—a kind of personal guide or manual.
I have a notebook where I jot down things and have a kind of book mark in it. On the bookmark, there are lists of what I want to do at specific times: mornings, evenings, weekends, the end of the month, or even during new and full moons. Inspired by @calendulacraft's post, I've made it. To that, I’ve now added a list of “things to do when I feel down.” I believe having this list will help me take care of myself calmly and methodically the next time life throws a curveball.
Why not create your own guide too? Knowing what helps you recover can make all the difference when times get tough.
Have a nice week, everyone! I wish mine is calmer and relaxed 😅
先週、オフィスのデポジットの返金でトラブルがあり、高圧的で一方的なメールに腹が立つやら、もやもやするやら・・・。金銭的なダメージは200ユーロなので、クリティカルなものではなく、頭では大丈夫とわかっていても、数日間なんだか体が疲れていました。
こういう時に、何をすれば気持ちを立て直せるのか、自分なりに考えてみて、結果的にとても個人的な方法がいくつか見つかりました。
その一つは、本の世界に没頭すること。インスタグラムで市内のパン屋さんで柚木麻子さんの『Butter』について感想を語り合う会があると知り、無類のバター好きの私は早速購入してひたすら読み進めていました。この本には、東京に住んでいた頃、母と行列に並んで買いに行ったフランスのエシレバターが登場します。そのバターのことを思い出し、当時の楽しかった思い出が蘇ってきました。
エシレのバターを無性に食べたくなり、市内のデパートと食品業界のプロ向けの専門店に足を運んで、食器や食品を眺めていると、自然と心が軽くなっていきました。好きなものをひたすら眺めることで元気が出てくるのだと感じました。エシレのバターと合わせて、お値打ち価格で売られていたStaubのココット皿、今年はまりにはまっているトリュフの入ったチーズを買ってきました。本に出ていたように炊き立てのご飯にバターをのせて醤油をたらして食べたら生き返りました。
友人宅に用事があって、立ち話をできたのもよかったです。冷たい風を感じながら自転車に乗ったことも、大きな効果があったように思います。体を動かして風を切る感覚は、頭の中のモヤモヤを吹き飛ばしてくれました。
今回の体験を経て、元気を取り戻すための私なりの方法をリストアップしておこうと思いました。いわば自分の取扱説明書です。
普段使っているノートに朝、日中、夜、週末、月末、年末、新月、満月にしたいことを書いたしおりをはさんでいるのですが（@calendulacraft さんの投稿で学びました）、そこに「落ち込んだ時にしたいことのアイディア」を書き足しました。これで次に気分が落ち込んだ時に粛々と自分の手当てをしていけるはずです。
みなさんも、自分だけの「取扱説明書」を作ってみてはいかがでしょうか？
So sorry you had that experience with the office rental and glad that you found some ways to feel better.
Butter! That dish of rice and butter and soy sauce sounds wonderful!
Take good care of yourself x
Thank you for the kind comment, @shanibeer 😊 I appreciate Hive and like minded people here.
The butter rice is as good as butter on sourdough bread 😁
❤️
Hi @akipponn, it's so nice seeing you here <3
There are some unscrupulous landlords who will try to shift the blame for wear and tear and look for ways to hold onto deposits! Not nice at all!
I like your idea of jotting down things that help calm the stormy waters we all face from time to time!
Funny that you mention butter with rice, that's something I do enjoy at times, almost like having butter and freshly baked bread. I've not tried it with soy sauce though;)
I often forget what worked for me before ... 💦 It was nice to write them down.
I recommend you to add few drops of soy sauce 😁 We combine butter also with miso in Japan.
I love your list!! Just yesterday I was thinking that I need to refresh my daily schedule bookmark and also make more for specific situations ~ like one with tasks to do in the garden when I feel like being there but forget what to do. A list of things to do when your feeling down is so clever!!
Yes yes, interestingly we forget things and the lists help really a lot. I look forward to seeing your new list someday :) I like your hand writing and marking them nicely with small illustrations.
Hello @akipponn, A lovely post--not only had me (@agmoore) craving a buttered roll, but also reminded me that we have resources in ourselves for dealing with those dark moments.
Manually curated for the Inkwell community.
That's a good initiative