issue #122 - the one in a funk
Is anyone else in a mood that they just can’t shake?
I don’t know if it’s the planets, entering the third year of pandemic life (especially with confusing public health guidance and the disappointing pediatric vaccine news), jumping straight into meetings and gatherings after 6 weeks of hunkering down, or a combination of all of these…
I’m feeling weird and not that great and I can’t seem to shake it off.
These weekly musings have become a therapy of sorts. I begin them with the intention to share new tips or tactics on how to juggle all the things, but the words that flow from my fingers onto the keys are centered on the conflicting emotions I’m feeling and how I’ve made it through another shortest, longest week.
Every Sunday, I feel both excited for a brand new week and overwhelmed by a to-do list where new tasks simply replace the completed ones and I never can winnow down. I do my best to stay present and focused on my time with my kids, but find myself counting down the hours until I can drop them off at school as I get pummeled by pillows or treated as a trampoline until I succumb and put on Encanto for the gazillionth time.
And this specific Sunday, I’m eagerly looking forward to hopping on a plane every week for the next four weeks and feeling guilty and nervous about it in equal measure. I both need this space, and feel bad for taking it, if it makes sense.
I don’t think there’s a way out of feeling so many conflicting emotions, but finding a path through. I’m taking many more meditation breaks (thank you, Headspace, for your children's meditations). I only got in a single workout last week and think that has a lot to do with my mood (I’m easing back in with daily yoga and long walks this week). After my quick trip to Dallas, I’m hunkering down at home for the rest of the week with zero plans (with the rare exception of a Zoom event with my friend Aparna for her upcoming book).
And while I savored a few glasses of wine this week, I’m going to opt for Topo Chico and a squeeze of Equilibria’s drink drops while I’m traveling, and my new favorite drink (1 serving of De Soi’s Golden Hour, a splash of Lyre’s Italian Orange, a squeeze of lemon over ice) while at home.
I’m not looking to escape any of these feelings I’m feeling, but to process them without completely depleting myself, which is how I’m feeling right now.
And if I can find time to finish reading ACOTAR, I’ll consider the week a resounding success. I’m putting this out there in the hopes it is as successful as manifesting my husband was.
How I Travel For Business During A Global Pandemic (sponsored by Barriére)
I know a thing or two about business travel (it was the foundation of my old blog and my very first book).
And after my book tour last fall, I know a thing or two about business travel during a pandemic, and these tips will be coming in handy as I prepare for a marathon few months of near-weekly trips.
I’m staying with family and friends when I can, and declining housekeeping service when I’m staying in hotels (but bringing cash to leave a tip in my room when I leave - please do this!). I’m opting for in-room workouts and outdoor walks for my exercise on the road. I bring enough rapid tests to test daily. I try to eat outdoors as much as I can, or will order room service or takeout and eat where I’m staying.
And I never leave my home without Barriére - specifically their KN95 masks, hand sanitizer, and lotion.
Barriére’s masks are equally protective as they are comfortable. Their KN95 masks offer greater than 95% PFE (particle filtration efficiency) and 98% BFE (bacterial filtration efficiency), giving me peace of mind when I’m sitting on long flights or making my way through crowded airports. The material of Barriére’s masks is incredibly soft and I wear these for day-long stretches without any issues. I confess that I wiped down my seat area (arm rests, window, tray table, seat belt) long before COVID, and continue to do so with the offered wipe and Barriére’s B Wise sanitize spray. I reapply Bodyguard on my hands throughout the flight to protect and rehydrate them - the ultimate double duty product in pandemic times.
I was an early Barriére customer, and could not be more thrilled to be partnering with them. Their masks and personal care products have kept our family safe for the past 2 years, and have kept me especially safe when work travel picked up again. If you need to restock your own PPE or want to try out their masks, use code HITHA20 for 20% off your order.
Thank you for supporting the brands that I partner with, and have brought value to my own life. I hope they do the same for you and yours.
What I Read This Week
A Court of Mist and Fury & A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas - Becca did warn me that this series would take over my life when I asked her which Maas series I should start with, as did many of you over Instagram when I shared what I was reading. But I’m certain that much of my funk and conflicting emotions is caused by the fact that I don’t want to do anything else but read these books. I’m completely obsessed with the world Maas has created. Feyre and Rhys are my everything and I resent that they can read each others’ and other people’s minds - it’s officially the superpower I wish I possessed. This series is right up there with the All Souls’ Trilogy in terms of obsession, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve already asked for the Juniper Books’ set of ACOTAR for my birthday (which isn’t for 5 months) and looked at Etsy-created merch for it (I have my eye on this sweatshirt in particular). I’ll have a more coherent review of this series once I’m finished, but I’m already calling it and giving it a top 5 spot in my 2022 reading list.
Top #5SmartReads of the Week
How Tunde Oyeneyin Went From ‘Last One Picked’ To Peloton Instructor (ELLE)
A Path to Well-Being: Embrace the Basics of Sleep, Nutrition, and Exercise (Shondaland)
They thought they were getting a home makeover. It turned into a fiasco. (LA Times)
How Walking Away From My Career And Marriage Showed Me That Self-Love Is Enough (Essence)
Morgan Jerkins Managed to Put Out Two Books During the Pandemic (The Cut)
The rest of the week’s reads (and conversations!) are below:
Your Questions, Answered
Why has this week lasted 7 years?
No clue but I feel this so hard. I think it’s a combination of the Omicron wave ending-things feeling like they’re opening up (though the very nature of viruses haven’t changed so please continue to take care out there!) and entering year 3 of pandemic life and just modern life.
How to know when you’re ready for kids?
I honestly didn’t feel ready to become a mother when I did (and there are some days when I look at my kids and thing “who put me in charge of these humans?”)
We began trying when we had the space (literally-we had just moved into a two bedroom apartment), financial stability, and our parents were retired or about to and committed to being very active grandparents. There is so much privilege here that I’m endlessly grateful for, and that make our parenting transition as easy as it could have been.
Can you recommend any good resume writers? Trying to move from consulting to FAANG.
Yes! Julia Lynch (aka @smarterinasec) offers resume/cover letter/LinkedIn editing among her coaching services. She’s amazing.
Can you please share the resource for teachers looking to transition to another career?
Here you go!
Equilibria: my doc questions efficacy and knowing true ingredients. Your dad’s thoughts?
I approach CBD regimen the same way as any supplement- efficacy isn’t going to be documented the way it is in a pharmaceutical product’s clinical trial, so I focus on how I feel on it and also account for some level of placebo effect.
But I do take great care to examine their label and understand where they’re sourcing from. With Equilibria, they have their own farm and hand harvest their cannabis sativa plants, which are farmed in strict organic conditions. They are formulated with carefully sourced excipients and with just the minimum for solubility and stabile. The quality of their CBD is among the top I’ve observed, and we analyzed EQ and other CBD brands via HPLC at our lab and EQ had the highest content of cannabinoids even though all claimed to have the same concentration.
I would never claim EQ to be pharmaceutical product, but it has been a supplement that has helped me sleep better, has noticeable balanced my mood, and their topical products have improved my skin or reduced aches.
Dreaming of warmer days and a beach vacation… what are your bathing suit recommendations?
I’m a Summersalt girl through and through! Code HITHA10 gets your $10 off your order!
Link to your nightgown from your Encanto reel? Where’s your sweatshirt from the needlepointing reel?
Here’s the nightgown, and the sweatshirt!
It’s amazing how many books you read! How do you read multiple books at once?
I wake up early to read in bed for 30 minutes to an hour, and that’s when I read my nonfiction book. I listen to audiobooks throughout the day- walking, errands or chores, or lying in viparita karani (legs against the wall). And I read fiction at night, for at least an hour.
Reading is my unicorn space a la Eve Rodsky and making tie for it helps me do everything else better. I loved her latest book Find Your Unicorn Space.
Have a wonderful and safe week, my friend. And may it be a less funky one than this past one.
xo,
HPN
Yes! So I’m not the only person in a weird funk right now? And totally relate with the thing about less workouts contributing to this, too. Also a wisdom tooth acting up isn’t helping.
Good luck with the traveling! I hope the time away brings a breath of fresh air.