If you love #5SmartReads, would you be open to sharing them? You’ll get perks if you do! Set up your unique share link below and share #5SmartReads with anyone you think would enjoy them! #5SmartGifts is live! I’ve handpicked 5 gifts for every category you asked for (and added a few categories of my own). I hope you find it helpful, and I’ll be updating the list with discount codes and Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions as they go live! I find it amusing and slightly tragic that I am highly influenced. And TikTok has sent this into overdrive. My Kindle Unlimited selections are all taken by books recommended on TikTok (with an embarrassing number of screenshots in my Photos app of books to read one day). Treadmill struts have been the only workouts I have any desire to do these days (the Selena Gomez one is my favorite). Did TikTok drive me ask my therapist to perform an ADHD screen on me? Yes. Have I purchased a bunch of books on the topic in the hopes that it magically transforms my life? Absolutely. And did I just purchase - and watch - a course called Healthy Happy ADHD? I did, within just 5 minutes of stumbling upon Lisa Dee’s account. While much of her advice is content you’ve likely heard before, I love how the content is neatly organized and I can easily jump to a specific lesson when I need a pep talk or a bit of motivation. Our time - and therefore our attention - is the most precious resource any of us have. We never know how much time we have on this planet. We can’t get the time already spent back. And with so many things hijacking our attention - both online and offline - it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and stuck in cycles that don’t serve us. I’m in one of them. The only healthy habit I’ve been able to stick with is my daily Athletic Greens. I’m not meditating. I’m barely moving (hence the impulse purchase of the walking pad). I’ve been comfort eating too much Taco Bell and Thai delivery. I’m finally sleeping again, now that Rhaki is over his stomach bug. When I’m stuck in one of these cycles, I tend to spend more time on social media. The dopamine hits I get with every comment or DM feels so good and makes me want more. I genuinely find joy in House of the Dragon and F1 TikTok (the latter has made me a Danny Ricc fan - damn you all). I am deep in a professional athlete romance hole that I’m not at all mad about. I do not believe anyone should deprive themselves of what feels good, but I do need to create some boundaries and find other rituals that comfort and bring joy that keeps my dopamine levels at a steady state, instead of spikes and crashes. The walking pad isn’t going to change my life, nor will Onrise (the habit tracking app I downloaded). Neither will a new vision board (though I am starting to collect pictures and phrases for my 2023 one). I think we give things like these too much power over us - I know I’m guilty of feeling that a particular planner or journal or book will magically transform my life, and have the tendency to chase the shiny new thing. It’s only in writing this that I realize that I need to better respect myself AND my time. Easier said than done. But knowing what I need to do first? That’s a start. This Week’s Links
I share links to my outfits, my Reels, and answer your burning questions on my LTK profile! If that’s your jam, give me a follow. What I Read This Week
What Everyone Else Read This Week
Top #5SmartReads Of The Week
The rest of the week’s reads + last week’s (and conversations!) are below: Monday November 14, 2022 Your Questions, Answered Are you raising you boys to be bilingual? I’m not disciplined enough to speak in Telugu to them exclusively, but I do try to speak it as much as possible and play Telugu to them exclusively, but I do try to speak it as much as possible and play Telugu music around the house. How to deal with on sided friendship? I do subscribe the theory that friendships last for a reason, season, or lifetime. We go into friendships hoping for a lifelong one, but sometimes they run their course and no longer serve one or both parties. Sending you love. Friendships are just as important - if not more - than romantic relationships, with a much bigger gray area. What are your favorite self help books? Any warmer weather road trip destinations for Christmas break (from NY) If you’re up for it, South Carolina is definitely more mild than NY and absolutely charming - I love Charleston, and have had some wonderful family vacations in Hilton Head and Kiawah Island. Palmetto Bluff is high on our list of places to travel to as a family. How are you thinking about what 2023 will hold for you? I also have some fun projects in the works with The Riveter - stay tuned! What are your favorite pajamas/loungewear? Ohh! Been meaning to ask you for your thoughts on OTC kids medicines and the “clean” brands out there that are marketing alternatives to Motrin/ Tylenol etc. I honestly haven't done enough research on Genexa or Kindermed (and I’m always wary of celebrity-founded brands, but especially in the medical space) and honestly have more trust in biopharma who have decades of experience in manufacturing these products and a big pharmacovigilance department. Many of the inactive ingredients that aren’t present in Genexa or Kindermed’s formulations are important ingredients to solubilize and stabilize the actives, like propylene glycol, disodium EDTA, sorbitol. The amount of these ingredients present in these medicines are well below any sort of toxic level, and only given when needed like a fever or cold. Outside of citric acid, I don’t see any solubilizers or stabilizers in their formulations, which gives me pause about the long-term stability or effectiveness of these products once they’ve been opened and exposed to light and oxygen. Thoughts on the Ticketmaster issues for Taylor’s Eras Tour? No strong opinions here, but just annoyed that Ticketmaster owns this monopoly. Did you vaccinate your boys? If so, did you get to choose which vaccine you wanted?We did! We didn’t have an option with Rho (Pfizer was the only option once Rho was eligible), but we did with Rhaki. We got Rhaki vaccinated with Moderna 1 month after he recovered from COVID over the summer - we opted for 2 doses and faster “fully vaccinated” status for him! Best gifts you’ve ever received?
Potty training tips for stubborn 3.5 year/old boys? Honestly, the Oh Crap! method worked great for Rhaki and we got the hang of pee within 3 days. He responded really well with a sticker chart, and 5 stars would get him a little Matchbox car. Also I randomly started singing Baby Beluga every time I put him on the toilet and somehow it’s become our pee song! Good luck my friend! Good ways for 35-45 ages to become more involved in philanthropy? I serve on the boards of Youth Represent NYC (was asked to join by my friend Mike Pope, who’s the executive director) and Feminist Press (was asked to apply to the board by their former ED Jamia Wilson), and I love being involved with these organizations and getting into the weeds and advising on strategy! Don’t be afraid to reach out to nonprofits you admire with a quick blurb about you and how your skills could support the org, and opportunities to get involved. Board applications will require an up-to-date resume, a few interviews, and for that board to vote on your nomination. 9 weeks pregnant with HG. Any suggestions to survive this please? My friends Taber Stockstill l and Mary Orton both dealt with severe HG so I’m tagging them and will share any advice they have. I wold also ask Kirti if she can recommend anyAyurvedic remedies that could help. I didn’t have HG but I had terrible first trimesters with both kids. All I could eat was white rice with ajwain and salt and ghee, ginger tea and candy, and green apples. Eating small mounts regularly helped. And I could only keep down carbonated or super cold drinks. Taber’s answer: My heart goes out to her!! Honestly, take all the meds your doctor gives you. Do not feel obligated to do anything, rest as much as you can. I can say- it’s 100% worth it. That doesn’t make it any easier, but it does make it do-able! So tell yourself that when you’re over the toilet for the 8th time that day. You. Can. Do. This. Also, I was so worried about my baby’s health because mine seemed to be so bad… he’s a thriving 1 year old now. So that’s why I say- just take the medication and eat WHATEVER you can stomach. Reach out to a postpartum doula to plan your postpartum experience. You’ll want to replenish then!! It goes away the SECOND baby is born (luckily)! Have a wonderful week, my friend! xo, You’re a weekly subscriber to #5SmartReads. To get the daily newsletter, enter your email here.
© 2022 Hitha Palepu
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issue #159 - the one on influence, attention, and finding a balance
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