As we finish this difficult year, I’m wondering how I can thank my readers for sticking with me. Blogs can’t offer hugs, a place to go scream, a few extra hours of sleep, or stiff drinks. However, I can prescribe books that can help those who have this year’s Common Conditions:
For Those Experiencing Burnout: The words I’ve heard most often at work this year are burnout and exhaustion. I have three books for you to consider: Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind by Judson Brewer, which offers a process, not just an explanation (and is also available as an app); Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristen Neff, which is a wonderful guide for showing us a better way to talk to ourselves and create a healthier perspective that can prevent perfectionism; and poems by William Stafford, which remind us that we can talk without having to be orators, and we can write without having to achieve Paradise Lost.
For Those Fighting for Justice: Perhaps you are asking, “What can I do? How can I bring greater understanding to issues of social justice, especially as it applies to race?” I have three recommendations: Linguistic Justice by April Baker-Bell, which challenges the notion of “standard” language; Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson, which shines a light on the underlying systems that many of us are unaware of, but should be; and poetry by Alexander Blok, who inspires us to find the courage to fight.
Looking for Encouragement: Sometimes all we really want is kind words from a fellow traveler. Three books that offer this are: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, which also might make you laugh; Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, which can be best described in one word: wise; and the poet Carl Sandburg’s Harvest Poems: 1910 – 1960, in which he describes himself as a “seeker” whose goal is to learn.
Thank you for being with me this year. May better days greet us soon!
Thank you, Kate, for your thoughtful suggestions and dedication to the craft of writing and the enjoyment of reading. We all look forward to what you will be reading in ’22!