Alright, friends. It’s the end of the year: Time to take a big breath. Do it with me now. Don’t cheat.
I don’t know what your year was like for you, but for me? Personally? 2022 will go down in the Alanna Bennett archives as one of the hardest years of my life. A lot of good happened. A lot of great, actually — in career, in love, in apartments. But it walloped me mentally. If you’d like a recap you can read my essay on it in The Cut.
The TLDR: I burned out hard. I ran away to Italy. I came back refreshed…but broke. I got to work on trying to heal — and I’ve made progress! I feel a lot better, I really do.
But publishing that essay taught me a lot. For example: I learned that when people call an essay “so honest,” it often translates directly to “Oh! You really told the internet you wanted to die, huh?” The most important lesson, though, was that way too many people I know are absolutely burnt to a crisp. Just really struggling. I have gotten more emails and DMs about this piece than ever before in my career — and I used to work at BuzzFeed, so I am no stranger to strangers commenting on my work.
Everyone is overwhelmed. Some who reached out knew their plan to escape burnout — others knew theirs was here to stay, at least for a while. It hurt my heart, seeing how many people are struggling every day. In a strange way, though, it also helped. We’re not alone. Remember that old adage about how if everyone in a class fails a test, it’s the teacher’s fault, not the students’? That’s how I feel about the fact that so many of us are strained on the inside. It’s not our fault.
But that does bring me here, quite literally.
I’ve had an idea for a while, and the reaction to my burnout essay felt like it finally gave me permission. I unfortunately do not have real, tangible solutions to burnout and the big-badness of the world. I am not a mental health professional. I do not even feel confident saying that I can help you with your self-care. BUT…there’s something much more my speed that I’ve seen in my time as an entertainment journalist - turned - screenwriter. I’ve seen it one million times, every time I’ve tweeted or written about a rewatch of Hart Of Dixie, Grey’s Anatomy, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and so many other movies / shows / albums / etc that people turn to to feel a little bit better inside.
All our hearts are ragged, and we can all use an excuse to wrap ourselves up in something that makes us feel good.
I’m not a therapist. I am, however, a culture writer and screenwriter who literally makes it her business to create and write about things that make people feel cozy inside. It’s not a big service. Maybe it’s not even a service at all. It does, though, feel like as good an excuse as any to create a space that is just a reprieve from all the harsh shit outside these digital walls. A place for recommendations and musings about the stuff that makes us feel warm and/or cozy deep in our bellies.
GETTING COZY will have all of the above — plus playlists, interviews, and hopefully podcast episodes someday soon.
So come along for the ride. Please, I beg you.
I am excited about making use of this space. For full transparency: There’s also a (much-needed) writers strike coming our way fast, and my quest to heal my burnt-our brain has left me more than a little on the broke side. Subscribing to this newsletter means you’re supporting a queer Black artist who is trying her hardest to push the needle forward in Hollywood.
Congrats on the new Substack! For your second time watching "Sense & Sensibility," give yourself the gift of the Emma Thompson-Lindsay Doran audio commentary.
I feel all the more cozier after reading this post. Thanks!