JUST THE FACTS, JACK
Dear Jack,
I’ve been feeling really flat lately. What I mean by
that is that I don’t feel particularly sad or bummed out, but I also am not able to feel a lot of joy lately either. It’s really making me feel defeated and my cravings seem higher. While I know that alcohol won’t truly improve my mood, it really feels like it can’t hurt sometimes. I don’t like feeling so blah. Any advice?
Dear Human,
First let me say that I’m not a doctor, so there’s that. Of course as a cat I am superior in all ways to all beings, but still. If this feeling is really persistent talk to your doctor or therapist to make sure your health is on point.
There is a word for this - it’s called anhedonia, or the feeling of a lack of pleasure. It can sometimes happen for an underlying reason, but sometimes it just happens situationally. Collectively we all have a lot on our minds lately - things like the effects of the pandemic, social unrest across the world, and of course individual challenges like my mom not giving me treats every single minute of the day - the stress is real!
When I feel like this, when even licking my haunches isn’t bringing me joy, I try to remember that I do have some control and that I can change my strategy, my story, or my state. Sometimes I change strategy, like I get more exercise by zooming around the house after I poop. Sometimes I change my story from “I am the best cat ever” to “I AM THE BEST CAT EVER!” And sometimes I change my state by napping, or napping in a different spot. All this is to say that it happens, don’t be too scared of it and embrace the things you can change.
So basically, as always, just know that you’ll never be as good as a cat. BUT, you are pretty good just as you are, even when times feel kind of blah. If you need to talk, don’t call me because I’m a cat, and I am always losing my cell phone. Do talk to family or friends if you feel flat and you want to move forward. If you don't want to talk to those folks, consider a therapist, doctor or my mom the coach (or all three!)
Again, while you will never reach the level of cat excellence, please know that you are worthy in your own delightfully human way (man, I love watching human videos on the internet!).