Okay, so I kept seeing “recess mood ingredients” stuff floating around. Honestly? Sounded like fancy nonsense for chilling out. But last Thursday was rough – boss breathing down my neck, kids screaming – so I went “eff it, let’s try this junk.”
The Whole Hunt & Gather Thing
First step? Finding crap around my house they call “ingredients.” Grabbed my old Bluetooth speaker covered in dust. Dug up these three sad candles my sister gave me last Christmas. Raided the kitchen – dumped cinnamon sticks, half a lemon, and my plain-ass green tea bags on the counter. Found that weirdly soft blanket Aunt Karen knitted (scratchy as hell but whatever).
My Pathetic Setup
Cleared off the coffee table – shoved old pizza boxes onto the floor. Plonked down the candles, sniffed ’em to make sure they weren’t totally dead. Slapped that lemon in a chipped bowl with cinnamon sticks like some Instagram loser. Steeped the tea until it looked like dirty pond water.
- Cranked up “nature sounds” playlist – birds chirping, water flowing. Felt super fake but rolled with it.
- Turned off the nasty fluorescent lights, lit those candles. Almost set my curtain on fire – note to self: trim wicks next time.
- Wrapped up in Karen’s itchy blanket, spilled tea on my sweatpants. Obviously.
Actually Trying to Relax (Spoiler: Harder Than It Looks)
Closed my eyes pretending I was in a forest. Brain kept yelling “YOU FORGOT TO REPLY TO STEVE’S EMAIL!” Focused on breathing like that yoga lady on YouTube says – in through nose, out through mouth. Smelled the lemon and cinnamon mess – kinda nice actually. The bullshit bird noises drowned out my neighbor’s dog barking for five whole minutes. Felt my shoulders drop like two sandbags.
Sat there for maybe 20 minutes? Didn’t magically solve my life, BUT:
- My jaw unclenched for the first time since breakfast
- Stopped mentally writing angry texts to my coworker
- That tension headache? Gone.
Big Surprise: It Actually Kinda Works?
Look – it’s not a spa day. Karen’s blanket still itches. But throwing random cozy stuff together forces you to sit still. The candles/smells/noises trick your monkey brain into thinking you’re somewhere else. Did it again yesterday with just tea and a loud fan pretending it was ocean waves. Felt less like punching walls after. Give it a shot with whatever crap you’ve got lying around.
