Pooja's Picks: Links for navigating everything everywhere all at once
5 links for when things feel like A Lot.
Hi, folks!
Welcome to the April edition of Pooja’s Picks.
The realities of our everyday lives and the swift pace of the news and global economic fears (and and and) continue to be A LOT. It feels like everything is happening everywhere all at once.
So today I’m sharing some links that helped me feel a bit more grounded — and hopefully will make you feel the same.
As a reminder, Pooja’s Picks is my monthly list of reads, recs, and things that resonate. (Check out my March and February picks, too.) These recommendations don’t include affiliate links (unless specifically stated).
April recommendations from yours truly
1. Holy Hurt by Hillary L. McBride
McBride, a psychologist and trauma expert, has done an incredible job of weaving together science, clinical work, and humanity into the map of “spiritual trauma.” I’m about halfway through the book, and what strikes me is that it’s not just for those who have been traumatized at the hands of organized religion, but also for those who have been betrayed at a soul level in a relationship, a job, or a family system.
For me personally, it’s helping me think through lingering questions in my mind about my time in the commune/cult, and bringing up threads about dependency, betrayal, and the burden of holding complexity. In this world on the brink of AI dominance, with leaders who are spiritually empty and devoid of empathy or compassion, I think understanding and assessing our spiritual dimensions is a worthy use of our time.
We can be hurt, we can be betrayed, and we are prone to codependency — but our humanity and spirituality exists there too. If you’re someone who identifies in any way with spiritual trauma, you’ll get a lot out of Holy Hurt.
2. The Menopause Multiverse by
Get the fuck out of my head, A24.
That was my first thought when I heard that their latest film was called Everything Everywhere All at Once. I doubt if many–if any–reviews will say it so, I will: THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT PERIMENOPAUSE IS! It is everything, It is everywhere. And it is all at once.
This piece is an oldie but a goodie. If you’re a paid subscriber, you know I’ve been thinking a lot about midlife. This piece by
on perimenopause, getting older, and the privilege of being able to ask “What if?” spoke to me so deeply. The Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once is a love story (between mother and daughter); a coming of age story about a 50-something Asian housewife who gets to ask, “What if?”; and an immigrant story. It was spectacular and won all the awards when it came out. Mona’s piece here is a delight.3. Collapse awareness is just the beginning by
I learned about the term “collapse” from the
newsletter written by PhD candidate . Once I learned this word, I realized that it fit so well to describe the world we are living in, where it very much feels like a train heading for a crash, and yet many of us are sort of forced to live with blinders on because our daily lives and the grind of life, work, and parenting take up all of our bandwidth. When we have those moments to look up, what we see and feel is scary.This post reminded me that seeing and feeling what is to come is just step one. After that, we have to start the work of figuring out how to live on this precipice — and the ones that come after.
4. Athena the Great Horned Owl’s babies are born!
Athena is the owl who lives at Austin’s Wildflower Center, a gorgeous third space that we go to probably once a month. If you need the comfort of watching some baby animals, here’s Athena’s little owlets hatching (hat tip to
who shared this one in his fantastic newsletter earlier this month). Watching Athena reminded me that there is good stuff happening right now.5. Unisom Sleep Tabs
Keeping it real here — the sleep aid Unisom is doing the most for me right now as I’m smack in the middle of the second trimester of this pregnancy. Unisom has been used for decades in pregnancy as a sleep aid, and as part of a medication combination for nausea/vomiting. It’s safe to use, and it has been my go-to every night. I also increased my Zoloft early on in the pregnancy when I found out I was having twins (here’s an Instagram Reel where I share more about making that decision). Note: this is not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor before making any medical decisions.
What’s helping you stay grounded lately? Please share in the comments!
xo,
Pooja
From the Real Self-Care archives:
Quick thoughts - Learn self-efficacy
People who have self-efficacy believe that in times of hardship their actions still have meaning.
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