Friday, October 12, 2023: Newsletter Recommendations
Daily Diary, Day 1137:
One of the ways that I try to keep my life in balance is to figure out ways to take in what is happening in the world (much of which is distressing) but not be overwhelmed. So, every day I intersperse reading tnewspapers, reading various newsletter posts, reading (or listening to) light fiction, and, of course, doing my exercise and writing.
My choices in terms of writing are part of maintaining that balance. I don’t tend to get into a lot of heavy topics in my own newsletter post, and I when I write about difficult themes in my fiction, like poverty, child labor, discrimination, sexual assault, corporate greed, political corruption, etc., I am writing either about the past in my historical mysteries or the future in my science fiction, rather than about the present. This allows me to maintain some emotional detachment from these topics--for me and my readers.
The reason I bring this up is because I noticed this week, when I was deciding what newsletter posts to recommend, I had been gravitating to posts that came out in the past couple of weeks that were generally about self-care. Obviously many of my own newsletter posts are about what I am doing for myself in terms of self-care. However, I must have felt the need to see what others were coming up with as a topic.
The first example comes from a newsletter I have featured before, called Aging Well News. In this particular post, the author examined the term “well-being,” and how this differs from “wellness.” I found the distinction useful (and patted myself on the back for feeling that I was scoring well in both wellness and well-being.) I also liked the reminders on how to maintain a feeling of well-being.
This post went well with another post about expectations in Robin Ryle’s newsletter, You Think Too Much. Ryle teaches sociology and gender studies, is a writer, and lives in a small town. My parents both studied sociology, in my doctoral work I majored in what was called social history, with a minor in sociology, and I taught women’s history, so on numerous counts (despite our age difference) I identify with her (except for the sports themes!) While I was the sports editor for my high school newspaper, that was only because no one else would do it. And in some team-building exercise at the institution I taught at for decades, when we were asked to write down something about ourselves no one would guess, that is what I wrote. Not only did no one guess it, but when it was revealed it was me, it got a huge laugh! Anyway, if you are interested in both sports and how to take care of yourself, you may find Ryle’ posts fun.
Another newsletter I follow is Morning Person by Leslie Stephens, who in her About page says: I live in Portland, Oregon with my pit-mix, Toast and am currently earning my Master’s in Professional Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Addiction with the intention of treating people struggling with social media addiction and women going through major life changes.
She, herself, is going through a lot of changes, and I loved her post on Tips for Holding it Together.
Finally, I recommend this post that was in a newsletter I have featured before, Café Anne, not because it is about self-care but just because it is so much fun. Her newsletter is generally about her wandering around New York City, talking to people, discovering new places, and in this one she discovered a Home for Retired Playground Animals. Read it, I guarantee it will leave a smile on your face.
Enjoy!
In case you aren’t sure how you got here, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. This is my newsletter reflecting on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully. If you aren’t already subscribed but are interested in doing so, you can subscribe for free by clicking the little button below. If you enjoyed this post, please do click on the little heart and/or share with your friends, and I always welcome comments.