Advice from the Cheerbrarian

[EPISODE 43] - Cheerbrarian Presents - Anna Przy, mental health advocate, on taking risks, doing less, and loving yourself and the journey

Today I am delighted to be speaking with Anna Przy hilarious elder millennial content creator who tells us all to "keep it up cutie!" as she advocates for mental health and choosing happiness in your daily life.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - I got to be the advice receiver from a content creator I truly adore. She has really cracked the code on being herself, and doing what makes her happy, rather than living according to anyone else’s standards, or to meet societal standards of productivity. A lot about today's episode resonated with me, but in particular the lines: "there is no glory in burning yourself out" and "What's wrong with taking the easier route" are now etched in my brain.

Unrequired Reading -  Anna Recommended two books for us to check out, firstly, her motivational book, Keep It Up Cuties: A Not-Quite Self-Help Book and Laziness Does Not Exist by Dr Devon Price. For Anna, she’s into historical and romance, so I recommended “A Thousand Splendid Ships” by Natalie Haynes and “The Queer Principles of Kit Webb” by Cat Sebastian.

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It's a new year which makes it a nice time time for a fresh clean start, but often you bite off more than we can chew, and by mid January you feel like you're already off track. I'm here to help kick that attitude to the curb and share a few new ways to think about your new year. 

ALSO I dropped the SUPER exciting news that next week’s guest is the hilarious and amazing Anna Przy, known on TikTok and Instagram for her engaging content  about mental health. You don’t want to miss our convo!

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - Ease into the new year. Use January to give your space to try new things and see what works. Trial and error is part of the process. Looking for a framework? Come up with what YOU want more and less of in 2025. And remember, fight perfectionistic thinking by reminding yourself in the moment that if something is not ideal, that is just fine.

Unrequired Reading -  Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman is a book I read at the end of last year, and I’m reading again!

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Hello dear listeners,

I'm wrapping up my restful break but in the meantime, wanted to send something your way. I've had this episode in the can for a few months now and thought the new year was the perfect time to share it with you!! I hope you enjoy!

A few months back, I guested on another pod and had a great conversation about Digital Detox, aka, the idea of taking a moment to examine your relationship with your phone/ social media to see if your habits align with your values, or if maybe some adjustments are warranted. Merchon and I had a great conversation

🎧 Key Takeaways:

High Vibe Table Talks is the podcast to help the cautiously ambitious woman remove mental barriers and take action now so that you can achieve your high vibe desires. Hosted by Merchon Hargrave, your high vibe curator, cheerleader and accountability partner.

Here at the High Vibe Table we take big dreams and break them into small action steps that can transform your life.

New Episodes every Wednesday!

Enjoy a wee bonus moment with me, which I called "two minute moment," but actually is only one minute long. EFFICIENCY IN THE NEW YEAR.

XOXO,

Your Cheerbrarian

This episode is going to be lighter on the advice and heavier on the books. As this is my last episode of 2024, I wanted to spend time with a year in review of the best books I read in 2024! I give MY top 5 list, as well as award some superlatives, and I even got all my co-hosts to tell me what they read that they loved. So get a pen and paper (or open your Notes app) because I've got some great ideas for your 2025 read list.

Also, this is farewell (for now) as I’m going to be taking a long holiday break, but I’ll be back with new episodes in mid-January. I do have a few bonus things up my sleeve for you between now and then...so keep a look out. (Or ear out rather).

THE SUPERLATIVES:

Most likely to restore your faith in humanity - The Long Way Home to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Most likely to make me cry more than is appropriate when reading a book - The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

Most likely to have to read passages out loud to other people - We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Mostly likely to give you both the jeebies and the jeebies - My Friend Dahmer by Derk Backderf

Mostly likely to fill you with lightness and make you regret you waited so long to read it - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Most likely to change your life - Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Most likely to change your perspective - While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger

Most likely to fill you with feminist rage - Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Most likely to men your heart happy - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by  Sangu Mandanna

THE COHOSTS BEST BOOK(S) OF 2024:

Latoya - The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (and it’s also a series on Hulu)

Lea -  Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Moorings of a Mackerel Sky by MZ, and Sabriel by Garth Nix

Zoe - Homegoing by Yaa Gaasi as her number one and she gave nods to both Wellness by Nathan Hill, and Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (Advice from the Cheerbrarian guested author)

Charles - Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and as his number one, Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

Amelia - Untamed by Glenn Doyle as her number one and Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid for the superlative of “best example of how white people don’t get it”

CHEERBRARIAN TOP FIVE BOOKS READ IN 2024:

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The holidays are here, and maybe that brings you great cheer, but maybe it brings you a great headache, because it can be a lot, too much even! Myself and returning co-host Amelia are going to share some of our fave holiday traditions and give tips for managing holiday stress, and retiring tired traditions.

P.S. This is my second to last episode of the year, and then I’m taking a nice long break to relax, recharge, and come back with fresh new episodes mid-January

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - Amelia and I talked about how you can manage your holiday stress and expectations. We emphasized the importance pf identifying what is really important to YOU and not overcorrecting on doing what you think other people want. Amelia gave you her seal of approval to say "I don't want to go" to any and all holiday events, and we shared tips for gift giving, including checking in with those on your list to see if you might be able to skip it altogether, if you're not feeling it.

THE BOOKS:

Amelia is Liking -  Wicked by Gregory Maguire and it lives up to the hype.

Recommended for Amelia - The Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo

Unrequired Reading - I recommended The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney and that Christmas Classic "A Christmas Carol" both the Muppet Movie and the original Dickens novel. Reading them together and following along to see how much Dickens is in the movie is one of my new favorite traditions.

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This week I close out my "Power of Yes" series and tell you one more thing you should say yes to: meditation! I'm going to share why I think meditation gets a bum wrap, and why you should consider giving it a try.

Meditation has helped me by giving me a way to reframe my brain noise and refocus my energy. Yes, even I, the chattiest person I know, now find value in sitting quietly by myself. And if it worked for me, maybe it can work for you!

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - Meditation has a LOT of great benefits: it’s been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and improve overall mental health. And despite what you may have heard, it doesn’t take fancy equipment or a brain that’s been scrubbed clean. Even one minute a day of connecting with your body, and choosing to let your thoughts drift, can be beneficial. So give it a try. What have you got to lose? 

Unrequired Reading - Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics (A 10% Happier How to Book) by Dan Harris is a great book to start or assist you on a meditation journey, and the Happier app has guided meditations of a lot of the content in the book.

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Today I'm here to air out my grievances toward frustrating food rules and the ever-changing landscape of nutrition: it feels impossible to figure out what to eat and what's good for you. It's enough to make anyone scream (and not for ice cream). 

Myself and returning co-host Charles are going to talk about food and nutrition and try to make heads or tails of it.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - Charles and I talked about food and nutrition and the overwhelming frustration of trying to understand what healthy eating means. We talked about the hot mess that was 90s/2000s diet culture and that self awareness and giving yourself grace is the name of the game, especially over the holidays.

I also shared the concept of "emotionally nutritious" which helped me remember not to only count calories, but eat what nurtures my heart and happiness.

THE BOOKS:

Charles is Liking -  The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

Recommended for Charles - Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel, and Sea of Tranquility, all by Emily St John Mandel. And if you read them, be sure to read them in that order.

Unrequired Reading - Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, and Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

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This week I'm here to talk about how you can battle through a slump. You know, that thing where your brain is extra mean and you cry for no reason and have trouble getting anything done, and everything is the worst. And I'm speaking from personal and recent experience. Life is RUFF and heavy at the moment, and I have some ideas and books to help.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Unsolicited Advice - I got real about the slump that kicked me around and what I learned from being in that “everything is terrible” zone and getting to the other side. I talked about what didn't work (forcing it, and all my usual tricks) and what did (giving it time, and changing my relationship to time). Next time you're in a slump, try to remember that it will be okay. We all have lows, but the highs will come around again.

Also, I would l LOVE to hear your tips for getting out of a slump - message me on social media for what you do, or what you read.

Unrequired Reading - Check out “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna if you need a charming cozy read and Oliver Burkeman's “Meditation for Mortals: Four Week to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts” for daily bite size morsels to ponder.

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This week I needed a break...and wouldn't you know it, I had a previous episode about how to take a break, so I listened to it and it helped. I hope a revisit helps you too!

It's time to harness the power of Spring Break, a respite from responsibilities and an invitation to parrrrrtyyyyy. Except uh, as adults that's not a thing that exists (cue sad trombone).

Until we can implement Adult Spring Break (contact your representatives), we'll have to settle for shaking up the monotony on our own terms. Bikinis are optional.

IN THIS EPISODE:

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