I Took Unsolicited Advice (Part 2)
10 tiny tips that have changed my life, courtesy of my past guests
The last time I did a big Into the Fridge roundup was August — those dog days of summer when everything feels a little too quiet. Maybe we’re mourning our mental vacations. Or maybe it’s just too hot to speak.
This past weekend during the “unofficial start” to summer, I found myself in a similarly self-reflective mood. I indulged myself with a trip down memory lane, re-reading my Substacks and looking back fondly on the inner philosophies I’ve been able to articulate, the knowledge I’ve learned, and, most presciently, the incredible guests I’ve had the pleasure of featuring. So I figured, why not look back on some of these memories… together. Again.
As I said last time:
I, like many of you, read and watch a lot of “What’s in my Bag” / “5 Things ___ Can’t Live Without” / “___’s PM Skincare Routine”-type content as comfort viewing. However, it’s very rare that one of those celebrity wellness hacks actually finds a spot in my daily routine. Not the case with my Into the Fridge features!
Each time someone comes on Into the Fridge, at least one thing they say leaves a profound impact on my life. Today I’m reminiscing on some past features by sharing some small bits of wisdom that are here to stay (in my brain, that is). Some of these will be philosophical, some will be tangible, and all have been helpful to me personally. I’ll link the full feature below if you want to adopt a different habit of theirs.
Well, I think that just about covers it. So with that, let the Into the Fridge highlight reel commence:
Taking an Early Night like Anna
Let’s start off simple. Going to bed early is not necessarily a novel idea, especially for me, a person who has been lovingly referred to as a “grandmother.” Well guess what, even my grandmother goes to bed later than I do, so jokes on you.
In an ideal world, I’d be in bed by 10:30 (ok bedtime reveal!) every night, though it’s not always realistic with dinners or big work days or whatever other dumb excuse I have. But as
put it, “my word I am AWFUL, physically and mentally if I haven’t got enough sleep.” So I try to schedule a mandatory early-to-bed night at least once a week to give myself some sort of sleep insurance for whatever else the week may bring. I haven’t put it in my calendar yet, but come to think of it, that would be a pretty good accountability hack.
Courtney’s Daily Ritual: Wearing Perfume Everyday
I was never someone who thought about perfume too much until everyone else started to think about perfume too much. I’m by no means a “fraghead” (I feel like we could have come up with a better term for that community), but I do enjoy smelling things as a means of learning more about my innate, uninfluenced taste. Because I don’t drink, nor do I care about the specifics of my coffee, I allow myself fragrances as my one pretentious outlet, affording me the opportunity to say things like “I wish this led with orange blossom just a bit more.”
I loved Courtney’s idea of wearing fragrance everyday as a simple means of feeling more embodied and put-together. Plus, it’s another fun opportunity for me to smell things. I like to switch it up depending on my mood (and the weather, honestly) but my favorites are:
So I do have to mention that Courtney actually makes her own fragrance and it’s wonderful. Subtle, sensual, slightly feminine with notes of neroli water, crushed pomegranate seeds, and pearls. Beautiful inside and out.
Nobody does it like Byredo, and Bibliothèque is my favorite of their lineup. Plum, cinnamon, violet, leather accord, birch woods patchouli, and vanilla sounds like an insane combination of scent notes, but the whole is absolutely greater than the sum of its parts here.
My hand soap and lotion are Sidia’s Soaked, and every once in a while (read: when I’m too lazy to get a new body lotion) I use the latter on my whole body after a shower. The scent itself is luxurious and mysterious, but at this point, it also reminds me of home. I love bringing the solid scent trinket around with me as a multi-sensory comfort object.
My all time favorite is a combination of Abel’s Cyan Nori and Nurture. It’s unique in that I’ve never smelled a perfume like it, while still evoking the familiar saltiness of the ocean. Frances, the founder, is so lovely, and without gushing too much, I’m just obsessed with everything about this brand.
Disappearing like Heather
I have previously been a fan of going off the grid digitally when I’m in a bad headspace, but I never considered it as “disappearing” until
so astutely spelled it out for me.Disappearing: I love going to the movies, hiking, and camping (less frequently now in NY without a car). I only keep 8 apps on my home screen (no socials) and try to delete apps from my phone on weekends or leave it at home entirely. It’s greatly improved my memory and relationship with self-imposed immediacy.
I can’t say my memory has improved, but I love going social-free on weekends and seeing a movie in the theaters whenever I need a factory reset on my brain.
Rebecca and Kara’s Fridge Staple: Tart Vinegar
I’ve been seeing Tart Vinegar in my local shoppy shop for years now (duh), but it never fully entered my consciousness as a viable product for purchase until Rebecca gave it a thorough ode in her fridge feature. And then when Kara gave it a nod a couple weeks later, it must have been my seventh impression (shoutout to the marketing homies), because I had no choice but to make a purchase.
So yes, I did walk to Dimes (the establishment not the square, grow up) and spend upwards of $20 on a bottle of vinegar. I’m not going to apologize for stimulating the local economy. If anyone was curious, they had plenty of options in stock there, but the maple vinegar was speaking to me. I can now confirm it’s as delightful as it looks. I wouldn’t place the flavor profile as maple, per se, but there is something slightly sweet and nutty at play. It’s perfect with a glug of olive oil on my daily oversized salad.
Swimming like Viv
You could say
inspired me to start swimming. You could also say that a stress fracture and a brief stint in an orthopedic boot forced me to start swimming. Tomatoes tomahtoes. Regardless, I love the idea of exercise that feels more like an activity from youth and less like a $40 quote unquote sculpt class. Especially when it’s so good for you. I think swimming is going to be the next tennis (pop culturally relevant sporting trend) — you heard it here first.
Listening to Solange like Brendon
As a longtime fan of
’s writing, I was delighted to learn that our music listening habits intersected at one of the most important artists in my regular auditory intake. I believe Solange’s music has magical healing properties and therefore remains an integral part of my mental well-being regimen. Please find my dedicated playlist attached.
Long Stretches of Do Not Disturb like Kelsey
Like Kelsey, I’m chronically on DND because it’s the only way I’m able to get anything done. Plus, I find notifications in general to be rather assaulting to the senses.
Sometimes it’s not enough, and seeing the number of iMessages ticking up on my Dock (its government name) will drive me crazy on a particularly foggy-headed day. I think the next step is to simply remove messages from syncing to my computer. Ugh. But I love typing my text messages… It’s so difficult to exist as a productive member of society these days, isn’t it.
Eating Kiwis like Elissa
My kiwi intake skyrocketed as a direct result of
’s Into the Fridge feature. I am forever indebted to her for reminding me of this incredible and severely underrated fruit. When they’re ripe, they’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and they’re surprisingly inexpensive considering they feel somewhat exotic (?). I eat what can only be described as an absurd amount of fruit on a daily basis, and kiwis are officially a consistent character in the weekly rotation.
Sofie’s Underrated Wellness Tip: Confidence is Hot
The internet’s acne whisperer blessed us with so many things in her Into the Fridge, but the most impactful (to me at least) was her underrated wellness principle: confidence is hot.
The coolest part about confidence, in my opinion, is that it’s completely made up. There is literally no reason why anyone can’t be confident. Seriously. We’ve all heard the adage “fake it till you make it” but it’s pretty true. It’s so corny to tell yourself you’re awesome, but honestly, if corniness is the only thing stopping you, that’s pretty lame. Also, remember that no one has any idea what they’re doing, even the most confident people you know.
Nominal Vegetarianism like Nikita
As you might have guessed from the name of this newsletter, I am, in fact, plant based. That being said, plant based is a hilariously vague and completely made up term that doesn’t mean anything to me other than eating a preponderance of whole, unprocessed foods from the earth. I will spare you my diatribe about the perplexing way we brand our diets and lifestyles (perhaps I’ll get into it at a later date), but the point here is that I stand with Nikita’s “nominal vegetarianism” label as a way to encapsulate the way I cook and eat. Which, and I don’t think she’ll mind me extrapolating, would be pretty similar to Michael Pollan’s “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” line.*
*Current Plant Based Pollan Count: 3
That’s all for now. If there’s a topic you want to see covered, or if you just want to chat, reply to this email or leave a comment. :)
I also recently took the tart plunge. The founder would be an awesome future into the fridge
Weird that your takeaway from mine wasn’t that you need a half wheel of parm in your fridge 🤔