Don't fear me for fun, Reader, let me be the one, Reader

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Hey Reader,

I hope my email finds you well (and more than that, I hope you don't want it to not find you -- like the other 86 emails you got today from work.)

Procrastinatr is back. After three spectacularly successful issues, I shut the thing down and took a bit of time to think, re-position it, and decide where I want to take it. Still not sure, but, as someone smart once told me, it's always better to try things than to not try them.
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So, instead of the long-form piece no one reads, I'm coming before thee, Reader, with a short intro and a bunch of links I've been digesting for the past couple of weeks.

Let me know if you like this new format more, your feedback is more than welcome!

The human body harbors a lot of remarkable mechanisms — not the least of which is the pair of nerves known as the vagus nerve. This nerve travels from the brain to the gut and vice vers and it is quite well-known for its complexity and size.

The vagus nerve plays a pivotal role in regulating digestion, heart rate, and immune function. In other words, the vagus nerve is why we have a gut feeling about… anything.

When something isn’t right with your digestive system, for example, the vagus nerve will act as the high-speed motorway for the tiny messengers that will let your brain know the breaking news.

Another pretty big thing the vagus nerve has a huge involvement in?

Fear. In all its forms, including anxiety.

Also, shady "natural cures to everything." (but then again, everything under the Sun can lead to those, so it's not really specific to the vagus nerve.)

According to some theories, the vagus nerve mechanism has evolved from the good, ole' days of being chased by wild beasts like sabertooth ducks. The entire system that helps us be afraid (and thus, hide or run away from danger) allowed our ancestors survive the constant perils of not living in condos and residential areas.

Obviously, we don't need to run away from quacking beasts anymore.

But fight or flight mechanisms have stuck around -- because everyone knows the scariest thing next to a dire wolf is a Jira task you forgot about.

Joke aside, we have plenty of reasons to feel scared. The world out there isn't peaceful, healthy, or soothing -- so if your fear mechanisms are acting out, it's because there are a lot of perfectly viable triggers poking at you.

So, for this newsletter issue, I invite you to think of your most recent fears.

Is it the recession?

Read this New Yorker article from 2008 explaining how we all feel right now — in 2023.

Or, if you want to feed on your fear, this article on how whatever's waiting for us is worse than a recession -- multiple times over.​

Is it the AI?

I’d be more afraid of how humans will manipulate this already mushy situation. Like what this guy is saying about the letter that flooded everyone’s feeds last week.

Dying/ death?

​Read about Romania’s Merry Cemetery.​

Failing?

​The Origin Story of Jack Ma is one of my absolute favorites as far as entrepreneurs go. Made-up or not, you can’t deny “I’ve been turned down for working at KFC” makes for a pretty good “this was my rock-bottom” introduction to the story.

And if you don’t want to read about any of these, here’s three social media posts you can take a quick look at between two episodes of [insert here what you’re watching now, it’s The X Files in my case]

• ​This Dave Harland gem (all of his posts are, but this one’s the most recent one that got me cracking)
• ​This post from Louis Grenier (it will hit you right in the feels, sorry)
• Or if you’re a freelancer (or aspiring freelancer,) this post by Rachael Pilcher​

In the mood to watch something cute?

Watch this interview/ concert with George Ezra giving us glimpses into his creative process:

Or just ponder on why Boyzone’s Love Me for a Reason lyrics say

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