issue #73 - the one about our minds

I’m not one for those awareness days or made up holidays. Except for one.

World Mental Health Day is an important one, and one that’s close my heart in particular.

I experienced depression with every one of my pregnancies (postpartum with Rho, after my miscarriage and complications from my D&C, and while I was pregnant with Rhaki). And if I hadn’t had the incredible fortune of my father-in-law being a psychiatrist, I highly doubt that I would have gotten help.

Generally speaking, South Asians don’t just stigmatize mental health. They deny that it exists.

Therapy and antidepressants worked wonders for re-balancing my brain’s chemistry. Meditation, CBD, and exercise help me maintain my brain chemistry’s balance.

I look forward to the day when talking about mental health is normalized and treatment options are widely available AND FREE to those who need them.

But until then, I’ll be sharing my story every year, and am always here to talk if you need.

What we read and loved

Hitha

• Nothing Like I Imagined - Mindy Kaling’s latest collection of essays made me laugh and cry and sit with all my feelings, in true MK form. Kind Of Hindu was especially poignant and personal for me, given our shared religion AND relationship with said religion. Searching for Coach Taylor had me silently laughing in bed next to my own Coach Taylor. And Big Shot had me cringing at some of the wannabe baller moves I made as recently as a year ago…In any case, this collection is brilliant and available for free on Kindle Unlimited. But I bought the entire collection because I love Mindy and I need to have these stories at my fingertips at all times.

Marisa

• My book club just read American Royals (a little late, I know) and it's the first book in awhile that I've LOVED and been completely able to escape into. It's definitely not a serious read, but who needs serious reads when the world is falling apart around us?!? Plus, the sequel is already out.From Hitha - I LOVED American Royals, and Majesty even more. Co-sign Marisa’s recommendation wholeheartedly!

The top 5

1. In My Sari, Kissing the Soccer Coach (New York Times)

2. What goes into the decision to discharge a president with Covid-19? (STAT)

3. A World Of Opportunities Arrived In My Small Town During The Pandemic. I Am Worried That Will Vanish. (The Lily)

4. Why Pasta Is an Essential Part of Indian Regional Cuisine (Food52)

5. The Inside Story of MacKenzie Scott, the Mysterious 60-Billion-Dollar Woman (Marker)

All the smart reads

Monday

• ‘This is insanity’: Walter Reed physician among critics of Trump drive-by visit (The Guardian)

• Nigerian scientists develop cheaper and faster Covid-19 test kits (CNN)

• How Author Joan Morgan Raised Her Son to Be a Feminist (Zora)

• 1 big thing: The media’s 2020 moment (Axios)

Tuesday

• How I Became An Optimist During A Pandemic (Basenotes)

• It's not just Roe (Jill Filipovic)

• How Amanda Goetz of The Knot Worldwide Tackles The Extreme Work Life Balance Of Being A Woman Business Leader During Covid-19 (Authority Magazine)

• Trump’s Illness Exposes Weakness In Our Continuity-of-Government Provisions (The Dispatch)

Wednesday (curated by Marisa Malanowski)

• A National Lockdown Could Be The Economy’s Best Hope, Says Minnapolis Fed President (NPR)

• Rape Survivors Are Saying They’re Being Stigmatized For Not Wearing Masks (The Guardian)

• How A Homemaker With No Political Experience Took On Europe’s Longest-Serving Dictator (Vox)

• The Truth Is Paywalled But The Lies Are Free (Current Affairs)

Thursday

• California Just Passed Common-Sense Criminal Justice Reforms. Really. (The Dispatch)

• Section 230, the internet free speech law Trump wants to repeal, explained (recode)

• What My South Asian Family Taught Me About Sustainability (Before I Knew What It Was) (The Good Trade)

• Why Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting, and why it could get uglier (CBS News)

Friday

• The gig economy is on the ballot (Axios)

• Meet the Customer Service Reps for Disney and Airbnb Who Have to Pay to Talk to You (ProPublica)

• 'RHOP' and the Hypocrisy of 'Your Behavior Is Bad for Black Women' (Vice)

• 1.3 Million Women Enter Menopause Each Year. We Have to Stop Ignoring Them (Glamour)

Things I Love This Week

• I gave my home office a little upgrade, in the hopes I actually work from my desk instead of my bed or the armchair in our family room. In an effort to stop hunching over my laptop and further damaging my eyesight, I ordered this monitor and sit-to-stand riser from Office Depot (they are a brand partner, but I purchased these items), and they’ve already made a huge difference in my back and eye health. I also framed a set of postcards I purchased at Fotografiska (from their Cooper & Gorfer exhibit), and will eventually hang them up to add some color and beauty to my workspace. And maybe then I’ll follow my own advice on being productive during my work hours!

• Equilibria just launched two new flavors for fall - cranberry elderflower and spiced bergamot - that are delicious and work just as well as their non-flavored drops. These are especially delicious in a hot toddy or a cup of tea, and only available through this link for the time being. Existing and new customers can get 15% off these drops with the code HITHA through 10/14.

• Answering your questions from this post: here’s my lap desk, my heating pad, and my blue light glasses.

• Random things that have made my week:

  • lipstick guards for masks (I overheard a woman in Central Park raving about them and I wish I could tell her how correct she is). It helps prevent the masks from getting sucked into your mouth and makes them SO much more comfortable. A heads up - spritz some setting spray on your face before wearing it, because you will sweat under the plastic and this spray helps minimize it.

  • the KYNAH Box (curated by one of my favorite designers). It includes the most gorgeous mask and headband, Ayurvedic skincare, and chai. Every product is incredible, and I can’t recommend more for yourself or for sending a gift (KYNAH graciously gifted this box to me).

• Marisa - I am obsessed with sourcing and curating the best at-home library for my two year-old daughter, especially now that COVID has closed our local public libraries. One of my current favorites for her is this sweet and inclusive little twist on the classic nursery rhyme! She is very into accessories (is a tutu an accessory??) and jewelry and so the lesson little Mary learns at the end is definitely one that will be applicable in our household as my daughter gets older!

Looking for my favorite things? You can find them here.

If you like what I’m sending, please forward it with someone you love (or someone you don’t). Or both. Everyone could use some smart reads in their life.

xo,HPN