There’s a stage of tidying where you’re walking around with your hands full, picking up more and more as you go. There are only two ways that this ends: You find the right places to put everything, or something finally drops. This is how my mind sometimes feels, like my brain is the basin between …
There’s a stage of tidying where you’re walking around with your hands full, picking up more and more as you go. There are only two ways that this ends: You find the right places to put everything, or something finally drops. This is how my mind sometimes feels, like my brain is the basin between …
When I started taking ceramics classes in 2020, my therapist thought it would be good for me. Once you put your piece in the kiln, she said, you have to let go of the outcome. In theory, a great way to combat perfectionism. Initially, she was right. COVID-19 quarantines meant I was hand-building with clay …
Last year, I moved to Oregon in the middle of winter. Winter is a real thing in Oregon, especially for a Northern California native. It’s protracted and freezing, but most of all, it’s gray, a flat and ceaseless silver that goes on and on — enough to make even me, a lover of all things moody, pray …
I accidentally ordered a moisturizer that was formulated for menopausal women. Days earlier, I hurriedly purchased the product, recommended on TikTok to me by a dewy-faced influencer who bore the sheen of youth, because, above all, it was on sale for $5. It wasn’t until the product arrived that I noticed the name of the …
My mum and my grandmothers first taught me to knit so long ago that I hardly remember it. I’d knit simple little squares that I never knew what to do with — maybe they’d become a blanket, maybe a scarf — and that I eventually forgot all about. I recently picked knitting back up, however, …
The first time I traveled on my own, I was 19 and studying abroad in the Netherlands. Every weekend was a mad dash to see a different city in 48 hours, and to experience as much of each city as possible — no museum, cathedral, park, or touristy attraction left unturned. 😵💫 “That breakneck speed, …
When was the last time you felt ‘awe-struck’? Experienced something with pure wonder? “In a world driven by productivity, efficiency, and output, the softer parts of life tend to escape our notice.” As a creativity and psychology researcher and the co-founder of a mental health startup helping all adults turn creativity into an active part of daily …
As a mother, there is always more I could be doing — more to learn, more strategies to implement, more extracurricular opportunities, more sleep hygiene, more healthy food choices, more life experiences, more, more, more. It’s like a cosmic game of Whac-A-Mole. Every time I think I’ve done one thing well, seven more pop up …
It’s easy to idealize the minimalist lifestyle; it’s not so easy to try and commit to it. To get rid of old belongings, to get off our phones, to take time for lunch or dinner, to simplify our wardrobes. We all know minimalism can have huge benefits—in fact, most studies done on minimalism find a link …