Roundup
essays I've loved recently
I used to love Instagram. I was an Instagram fan for a long time until everything became a reel and I could feel the world’s collective attention span shrinking.
Did you know this all started with Sesame Street? I am not making this up. When my little brother (who is now in his mid 50s) was a baby, Sesame Street was the best thing since sliced bread, said the child psychology experts. My daddy knew even then it was bad for children’s attention spans. Every hour-long program was divided into 30- or 60-second bytes of kid-friendly learning opportunities, so children only had to pay attention for 30 or 60 seconds before the program abruptly changed to something else entirely. It was the beginning downfall of America, priming us for rapidly incoming dopamine hits.
Compare that to Mr. Rogers, where the whole vibe was calm and comforting, the stories lasted an entire show or even from one episode to another—remember the Land of Make Believe? All you who mocked this great man can eat your hats while being frustrated that kids can’t sit still through one storybook.
But back to Substack. Where I used to spend way too much time scrolling mindlessly, I now spend that time (actually a lot less of it) reading a wide variety of genres here: poets and neuroscientists and therapists and moms and a man who has quit the rat race and spends his whole life living in a camper and hiking the most beautiful places in the US (yes, I am jealous). I wind up with fewer dopamine hits but deeper thinking and infinitely more calm.
Here are a few of my recent favorites.
Cody Isabel writes about neuroscience at The Mind, Brain, Body Digest, and I have been devouring his essays. I recently sent this one,
to my husband who may or may not have a long history of struggling with rest. I would add that while I agree physical rest is good and necessary, the longer I am on this “healing journey,” the more I believe mental/emotional rest is even more important. So much doomscrolling = so much anxiety, even if we don’t call it that. If you struggle to sit in a quiet room with no phone, no music, no TV, you need an electronic detox. Our nervous systems know when we are in a true state of rest and they stop looking for something to fill the gaps.
Singh Bhai writes at Introverts Corner and recently shared
I can’t really say any of this was eye-opening, as in something I didn’t know, but it was validating. I am an introvert from the womb and every one of his six weird ways rang true for me. My husband will be especially interested in number four: “You’re designed to notice what might go wrong.” See, dear? I’m not an Eeyore. It’s the way my brain is wired. Thank you, Singh, for helping me not feel like the freak in the room.
Shannon Guerra writes at Shannon Guerra on Substack. I’m not sure when I discovered her, but if Virginia weren’t so far from Alaska, she and I would be good friends. I can feel her kindred-spirit-ness from 3500 miles away. I enjoy almost everything she writes, but one recent post in particular made it to my saved list and I re-read it often, at least twice a month. It is one of the most chock-full-of-nuggets essays I’ve ever read, and every time I read it, a new one pops off the page and lodges itself in my mind and heart.
“How do you rest and let go after years of trauma and hypervigilance? How do you know it's really safe?”
“We have to surrender the past, the decisions we made and others made, and trust that God knows what to do with them.”
“During that other season, I didn’t know things could be good again. And I’m so glad I made it through to this side. I wish I could’ve told myself how good it would be.”
“You can do this. Cling to Jesus and keep going forward. So much good is on the other side of steadfastness.”
Four quotes, Karen? Yes. And if you think I’ve given it all away, you’re dead wrong. Four quotes is the tip of the iceberg. If you are in any kind of a difficult situation—any kind at all, and that’s all of humanity—please make this the one thing you read (and save).
What reading recommendations do you have for me? Essays, books, articles . . . I’d love to hear about them.
Thanks for being here. Thanks for caring even a little bit what I say. It really does mean a lot to me.
Karen!! I am so honored to be included in this. Such a gift today. And I'm looking forward to checking out the other essays, too.
Yes, we would be good buddies if you lived closer! 😁