issue #99 - the one reminding you to be good to yourself

How are you treating yourself right now?

It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life. Are you treating yourself well?

Are you taking time for yourself? Are you resting for the sake of rest, and not because you’re using it as some kind of productivity hack (as my friend Komal reminded me)? Are you doing things that make you happy?

If you follow me on Instagram, I shared how I had fallen in a depressive low over the weekend. I started to take my own advice, and I am very much on an upswing that is feeling good.

I’m also feeling very protective of these good feelings. I’m re-establishing boundaries on my time, to schedule naps and me-time throughout the day to keep my focus time as energized as possible, and to let myself watch Real Housewives and play Royal Match for at least an hour a day.

Sometimes two. Okay, three.

It’s the little things that matter.

What we read this week

Qudsiya

•  The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - I was just chatting with a friend about this book on a morning run—she had never read it, and I got onto my soapbox, telling her she must read it ASAP. Since I was 18, this book has been my favorite of all time, and upon re-reading recently, that is still true. It’s raw, and real, and draws you into the injustices that gender, class, and caste can impose—and their human cost. It knocks me on my a** every time, and if you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend that you pick this one up.

Marisa 

• The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans - Currently reading and enjoying "The Office of Historical Corrections," a short story collection by Danielle Evans. I've been super slammed at work of late and this collection is fascinating and fast-paced enough to fit in to the little leisure reading time I seem to have!

Shibani

• The Swith by Beth O'Leary - Eileen is 79 and divorced and lives in a small Yorkshire village. Her grandaughter Leena is in her 20s, lives in London and burnt out from work. Both are looking for a change of scene and decide to Switch lives: Leena navigates small-town life, and Eileen looks for love in the big city! This book is SO cute and warm - a perfect light read!

Hitha

• Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev, out July 6 (Amazon link) - Every book in Sonali Dev’s series keeps getting better, and this one might be my favorite. Her take on Sense and Sensibility (which features a gubernatorial candidate and a professional stress manager/yoga instructor) and a winding story that I could not put down.

• The Singles Table by Sara Desai, out November 16 (Amazon link) - another series that keeps getting better with every book, I completely fell in love with Zara and Jay and a good hate-to-love trope that is filled with so much chemistry and heat and the happy ending I love so much in these books.

The Top 5

1. Everything You Need To Know About Obesity Is Wrong (Huffington Post)

2. Texas Valedictorian Switched Approved Graduation Speech to Address Abortion Rights (Teen Vogue)

3. The death of the girlboss (Vox)

4. Why Millennials Can’t Grow Up (The Atlantic)

5. WeWork’s CEO Says Remote Workers Are Less Engaged. Is He Right? (Vox)

The Catch Up

Monday (Qudsiya)

• My Son’s School Can Accommodate His Disability But Not Mine- Virtual Learning Made It Worse (Parents)

• These 3 Cities Began Boldly Reimagining Policing After George Floyd’s Murder(Vox)

• What Happened To The $45 Billion In Rent Relief (Vox)

• The ‘15 Minute City’ Isn’t Made For Disabled Bodies (Bloomberg)

Tuesday

• An energy reporter’s quest for a clean, affordable and versatile car (Axios)

• Meet Seve Christian, who helped put California at the forefront of LGBTQ+ legislation (The 19th*)

• Author Casey McQuiston Says She Is Tired of Talking About Coming Out: "I Am Out" (Oprah Daily)

• Buckingham Palace banned ethnic minorities from office roles, papers reveal (The Guardian)

Wednesday

• 6 Problems With The Way We Think About Income Inequality (FREOPP)

• The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax (ProPublica)

• The Great Unfollowing: How Influencers Are Under Increasing Pressure to Speak About Social Issues and What Some Are Doing About It (Natalie Thomas)

• Experts question FDA standards with Aduhelm approval (Axios)

Thursday (Marisa)

• Why Historians Should Reevaluate Mary Todd Lincoln’s Oft-Misunderstood Grief (Smithsonian)

• Why It’s So Satisfying To Root For Disney Villains (Vox)

• Why Friends Will Always Be There For You (Harpers Bazaar)

• When Grownups Have Imaginary Friends (New York Times)

Friday (Shibani)

• Doing Work At Work What Are Companies Desperate For Diversity Consultants Actually Buying? (The Cut)

• Will Births In The U.S. Rebound? Probably Not. (Brookings)

• Lumbar Mania Is Sweeping North America (Vox)

• The Indian Way To ‘Maximize Value’ (BBC)

Things we love this week

Hitha

• Even though I read on my Kindle in the evenings, I keep the backlight off and use this red-light reading light instead to give my eyes an hour break from blue light. It’s a small change that has made a HUGE difference in my quality of sleep (as in I’m actually going to sleep when I should versus staying up too late reading).

• I’ve cleared my calendar for the next few weeks to recharge. So every evening has been taking a House of Wise CBD stress gummy to help unwind, making dinner (almost always a Blue Apron meal), and the aforementioned Housewives-Royal Match unwinding by myself. I’m an investor in House of Wise, and very proud of their seed raise! This raise has allowed them to lower costs and launch subscriptions, and focus on new product development. I am SO excited for them, because we all need more sleep and sex and less stress.

• And because CBD has helped me keep my 💩 together lately, I wanted to share that Equilibria has launched the most incredible quiz to help pair you to your best CBD routine. The products that have helped me the most are in the Calm+ offering (daily softgels (I take them morning and night now), the daily drops at night, a rapid melt when I’m feeling overwhelmed and chaotic), and the treatment oil every night to lock in my skincare routine.

Qudsiya

• For the puzzle enthusiasts in your life, I recommend these puzzles, which depict folk stories from different cultures. I gifted Fanous Fanous to my nieces as a Ramadan present, and it was a huge hit.Disclosure - Hitha is an investor in Girls’ Night In, which owns Whiled.

Marisa

• I adore these slippers. They are so soft and comfortable, and they also make me feel like I'm on Mad Men and lounging about in a glamorous day gown instead of my old college t-shirts, so frankly even that alone makes these a win for me!

Shibani

• We're officially in grilling season, and I've already moved most cooking outdoors. I love grilling kebabs and seafood, but sometimes they can be difficult to turn to cook evenly. This is a game changer.

Take care of yourself, and please share #5SmartReads if you’re enjoying them!