#5SmartReads - February 23, 2022

Jessica is a professor, higher education administrator, former psychotherapist, small business owner, and mom of two. She's passionate about helping working parents maximize their effectiveness in both professional and personal settings. Read more about Jessica Wilen Coaching here.

The Mass Exodus of America’s Health-Care Workers (The Atlantic)

This is an incredibly important piece about the the unresolved trauma and extreme burnout facing doctors, nurses, and other affiliated health professionals. We will continue to feel the repercussions for years to come.

"Health-care workers aren't quitting because they can’t handle their jobs. They’re quitting because they can’t handle being unable to do their jobs. Even before COVID-19, many of them struggled to bridge the gap between the noble ideals of their profession and the realities of its business. The pandemic simply pushed them past the limits of that compromise."

How to Keep Work Notifications from Taking Over Your Life (Wired)

I often worry that post-pandemic "flexible working arrangements" are actually serving to further blur boundaries between work and home, wherein employees are trading increased autonomy for the expectation of near-constant availability. This is why I speak with every single one of my coaching clients (and anyone else who will listen!) about the importance of healthy boundary-setting. The article provides helpful step-by-step instructions for setting limits on commonly used devices and apps.

Why There's $50 Million for Doulas in Build Back Better (The Why Axis)

The racial disparities in maternal and infant health that exist in the US are beyond appalling. Research has shown that doula care can reduce C-sections, the administration of pain medication, and rates of maternal anxiety and depression. In short:

Every Family Has Stories to Tell. Here's How to Document Yours (NPR)

I absolutely love the idea of documenting your family's oral history. My husband's grandfather was a POW in World War II and, before he died, recorded his memories for the Library of Congress. The CDs we have of his interviews are among our family's most cherished possessions. Even if you aren't interested in making recordings, engaging family members in a dialogue about their life memories has to make for a more enjoyable Thanksgiving conversation than a political debate, right?

Life is Too Short to Finish Books You Don’t Like (Vogue)

I was an English major and have always prided myself on my philosophical commitment to finishing any book I started (my husband, an Economics major, has always been baffled by by resistance to embracing the idea of a sunk cost). When I became a parent, I didn't want to waste the small amount of time I had to myself reading crappy books. Lately, if I'm not into a book within the first 30-40 pages, I'm done with it. My time is too precious.