Just Kacie Things

Illustration from Kevin McNamara Sometimes I think my brain missed its calling as a DJ because it insists on playing the same songs on repeat—except the “songs” are just all the ways I’ve been awkward, embarrassing, or catastrophic in the last 24 hours. Or the last 24 years. (Yes, I’m still haunted by middle and high school.) Anxiety really is the gift that keeps on giving. And giving. And giving. So today, I thought I’d share with you my personal Greatest Hits Album: Overthinking Edition. Maybe you’ll recognize a few of the tracks on your own playlist (because misery loves company, right?). Track 1: What Did They Really Mean By That Text? (Acoustic Version) 🎸 Ah yes, the timeless classic. Someone texts “k” and suddenly my brain is convinced I’ve ruined the friendship, disrespected their family, and possibly started an international incident. (All over one letter! Imagine the power I wield.) Clearly the only reasonable response is to analyze every possible tone behind that singl...

I've been in and out of therapy over the years and when I decided to start this blog, I combed through my box of endless notebooks that are barely full with years worth of therapy notes, quotes, etc. Each of them reflects a different point in my life, (and a reminder that I'm really bad about finishing notebooks!) but the overall theme has remained the same: How do I get through these rough patches? Of course, nothing I wrote is particularly groundbreaking, but I like to add some personal examples to each thought of things that have really helped me. For example, a thought from last year was: " With dealing with depression, joy can feel hard to find. On the toughest days, it might seem like happiness is out of reach, but small moments of light are still possible. " Underneath this thought, I wrote " Coffee, sunshine, laughter, community, cheering on friends." Most of these are small things we take for granted, while the community and friendship is something ...