Full Coverage Friday #11: Slowing Down and Starting Over (Sort Of)
I finally stopped pushing through the burnout—and started noticing what helps.
For me, this week marked the official start of summer vacation.
Between my sister-in-law’s wedding, my birthday, and the Beautyfor sale, I hit a level of burnout that couldn’t be ignored—and for once, I didn’t try to push through it. I let myself fully slow down. I took morning walks instead of meetings. I dissociated into my skincare routine. I said “no” to plans that felt like too much. Mostly, I remembered what it’s like to be a person first, and a producer of things second.
Now, that rest is becoming my rhythm.
The “major step back” from work I’ve been talking about since I got out of rehab (and honestly, for like two years before that) is finally happening. The next eight-ish weeks are going to be filled with deep breaths, slow mornings, figuring out what comes next, and drafting my book at the beach. Also, I’m going to Greece—so you may want to mute me on Instagram.
Learning to slow down has been a huge part of my recent mental health work—right up there with unlearning perfectionism and giving up my toxic relationship with productivity. Getting the chance to actually live those lessons this summer feels like a gift I’m not taking lightly.
But don’t worry: Laugh Lines isn’t going anywhere. Having a space where I get to write whatever the fuck I want about the things I love (beauty! mental health! Luna the toy poodle!) has been a dream—and it’s slowly shifting from a side project into the thing. The thing I want to keep growing and building and showing up for.
I don’t know exactly what it will become. But I know I want to be here for it—writing more, sharing more, and building something that feels good for me, and hopefully for all of you.
So with that in mind, I’m trying something new.
Starting today, every Friday edition of Laugh Lines will follow a structure I’m calling The Laugh List: a little roundup of the things that made me laugh, think, spiral, survive, or just feel slightly more human. It’s part gratitude practice, part beauty edit, part serotonin scavenger hunt—and fully rooted in the belief that joy, like burnout, is cumulative.
Here’s what helped this week:
🧠 Three Good Things
This week, rest looked like reconnecting—with my people, my body, and the little things that made me feel good (and a little bit cute).
A low-key belated birthday celebration: My two best friends came over Wednesday night for a very mid-30s celebration, and I couldn’t have been happier. We ate meat and cheese on the roof, watched the sun set (at 9:30pm?!), and somehow perfectly balanced deep chats with laughing our asses off. When you find people you can be 100% real with, who give you tough love, even when you don’t want to hear them, *and* always agree to hang out at your apartment—hold onto them forever. (*Highly recommend buying their love with fancy charcuterie.)
My new favorite feel-good lip combo: Trinny London’s Just Joyous Lipstick (I’ve been wearing the shade “Jessica”—a hydrating, natural nude-pink that makes me feel like me, but better) topped with Glossier’s Birthday Cake Balm Dotcom. The balm adds the perfect sheer, glossy shimmer—and tastes like literal dessert. Instant serotonin.
I think I’m getting better at yoga???: When I started my 2-3x weekly yoga practice at the beginning of April, I could barely do a down dog, and very much couldn’t touch my toes. But lately, I’ve been moving through class with a little less chaos and a little more ease.My body feels stronger and less wobbly, and I even held crow pose for a full 5 seconds the other day. Progress isn’t always loud—but sometimes it shows up in the form of a slightly steadier breath and a little less self-judgment on the mat.
📚 What I Read While Dissociating on the Couch
Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino is funny, smart, and exactly the kind of body confidence boost I’ve been craving. I’ve been a Katie fan for over a decade—and lucky enough to work with her in recent years—so I was thrilled when she sent me an early copy (it came out this week!). If you’ve been following my recent posts on body image, this book fits right in: a warm, funny, no-bullshit reminder that your body isn’t a problem to solve, it’s a life to live in.
💄 Rest Week MVPs
Moroccanoil Body Wash: smells like generational wealth and delusion.
Esker Body Plane: it’s giving “warrior in recovery” and I’m into it.
Testament Beauty Sleep Mask: a facial in a jar, or at least a gentle flex that you tried.
Higher Dose Oxytocin Oil: slippery, forest-scented emotional support.
💬 Mental Health Note-to-Self
Rest isn’t weak. It’s preemptive emotional damage control.
🎧 Serotonin Boost
🛒 Impulse Buy of the Week
This $40 workout set in—I’m not kidding—every color. with It comes four mix-and-match pieces (two sports bras, shorts, and leggings), feels shockingly expensive, and somehow doesn’t show sweat—even the white one. I’ve been wearing the tops with jeans like it’s a personality. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to feel hot and held while spiraling gently.
👀 Words I Needed to Hear
“Sometimes I wish I had a camera on you at all times so I could step in when you needed help with adulting, but then I realize I’d have a heart attack by the end of the first week.”
—My type-A best friend, upon learning I still haven’t booked my Europe flights. (The trip is in… 13 days.)
🔮 Next Week Sneak Peek
Next week’s Laugh Lines dives into what those closest to me lovingly refer to as “the very particular brand of Zoë Weiner chaos.” If you’ve ever done your makeup on a subway platform or given up on fake lashes entirely, you’re in good company. I’ll be sharing some of my most unhinged beauty routines—the ones that are far from perfect, but somehow… actually work.
Thank you, as always, for being here. If this made you smile, feel something, or breathe a little deeper, consider sharing it—or becoming a paid subscriber to help me keep it going.
