Shrink

On a record of fully produced and fleshed out tracks (thanks to the magic of Daniel Grimsland, Tyler Grinham and Omar Leyva), I'm releasing this stripped down, one-take acoustic song because, frankly, I'm feeling it the most these days, and figured that you might be feeling these things, too.

"Shrink" is about how hard it is to be nice to oneself. In a year that left so many of us alone with our thoughts, I think many of us saw firsthand how much our thoughts impacted our desire and motivation to work, call up loved ones, or simply, to exist. "Shrink" was the realization of this phenomenon in my own life, particularly as I've come to terms with my own anxiety and depression.

If you're like me, you've spent most of your life thinking that self-criticism is simply self-accountability. We're afraid to be nice to ourselves because we think it'll mean that we'll lose motivation to achieve, perform or be responsible. In the last few years, however, I've found it to be quite the opposite. The harder I am on myself, the more that I feel the need to avoid, numb out or hide.

It's not our fault for being hard on ourselves, either. Most things in this world tell us not to be satisfied with ourselves or our lives. We're always hearing how there are better ways to live, work, have relationships, eat, exercise, look, etc. But what if there aren't? What if everything you're doing is fine, no matter what your brain might be telling you right now?

You may think you need to do more, be more or have more, and I want you to know that I think you're doing great as you already are.

Have a good weekend, and if you can, try to be nice to yourself (whatever that means to you). Know that I'll be tryin', too! ❤️