Are you anxious? All the time?
It’s cool, so am I. I’m a writer with panic disorder, looking for examples of how anxiety manifests all around me: in pop culture, everyday life, and beyond.
If you’re anxious too, you’re in good company. 18.1% of the U.S. adult population at any given time also struggle with clinical anxiety and/or depression, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Regardless of whether you are clinically diagnosed or just dealing with mundane stress and worry, this newsletter is for you.
Ok, so what is Nervous Wreckage?
My project here at NW (and in all of my writing) is to consider the myriad of ways that anxiety knowingly or unknowingly effects the way we take in the world around us. I want us all to use our own anxiety as a lens to understand our reactions to our surroundings, particularly pop culture and current events, so that we can better articulate our neuroses, worries, nerves, fears, phobias, desires, frustrations, apprehensions, uneasiness—the list goes on.
Clinical diagnoses are of course useful, but I believe that thinking critically about how we describe our anxiety (through language, silences, memes, music, decisions/indecisions, actions, etc) can help us better understand each other, and maybe—just maybe—become more empathetic on the whole.
From horror movies to unsettling memes to trips to the dentist’s office: if you’re worried about it, we’re all probably worried about it. Let’s talk.
Why should I subscribe?
NW readers tend to come for the anxiety and stay for the storytelling, voice, and community.
I publish NW in “seasons.” This means that every few months, you’ll get one mini-essay each week that is part cultural critique and part reflection on something that’s making us (or, honestly, just me) anxious right now. Seasons typically last anywhere from 4-6 weeks at a time. Big picture: you’ll receive approximately 15-18ish essays per year, all delivered straight to your inbox (free subscribers will have full access to about half of those essays; paid subscribers will have full access to all essays).
If you’d like to get a taste of what NW is all about, check out the following posts:
Can’t Wait To Unpack That With You Later: in praise of Ted Lasso’s depictions of panic attacks.
How Your Life Would(n’t Have) Changed: a reflection and extended writing exercise for anyone who can impregnate another person, written in the aftermath of Roe v Wade’s dismantling.
Welcoming Our Artificial Intelligence Overlords: all about A.I. anxiety, sensationalism, technological revolutions, and, of course, the iconic camp-horror movie M3gan.
Against Consistency: exploring the question: when do our so-called “good” or “healthy” habits work against us? Featuring: my inability to read books during the pandemic.
10 Things in My Daily Life More Dangerous than a Drag Show: on protecting queer and trans people, the weaponization of drag, and the dangerous bullshit in our daily lives that is actually worth worrying about.
A free subscription gives you full access to about half of all NW posts, as well as the website. Paid subscriptions give you these same benefits, plus full access to all free and paid posts.
Are you a trained mental health professional?
Nope. Just someone who has always been anxious and loves to read/write about it.
This particular newsletter examines anxiety from a personal and cultural perspective, and while my work is science-backed and evidence-based, it is by no means a substitute for professional care.
There’s a myriad of websites, blogs, newsletters, social media content creators, services, and apps aimed at helping you live with and manage anxiety, but it is important to note that that is not what NW is meant to do.
If you’re in need, I strongly recommend checking out the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) for resources. Take care of yourself: you deserve professional mental healthcare, now and always.
So who exactly is writing this thing?
My name is Sarah Rosenthal. I’m currently in the midst of writing an essay collection about anxiety and language; I’m also writing a novel. I earned my MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and you can find my work in Bitch Magazine, GEN Magazine, Gay Magazine, Creative Nonfiction Magazine, LitHub, Electric Lit, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere.
When I’m not writing, I teach NYU. You can learn more about my writing at www.sarahrosenthalwrites.com or follow me on Instagram @sarahmrosenthal.
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