Two Bluestockings

I am not the self-help one in the group. I personally avoid my feelings and emotional self as often as I possibly can. My mother laughs at me because I hate being alone. The silence is loud. And silence is good for your mind to be like: "Hey. Let’s discuss all the things you have shoved in these boxes in the basement." (I hoard unpleasant things in my brain. I admit it! Jayna, don’t even try to psych me!) That being said, this book is a little similar to the relationship book He’s Just Not That Into You (yes, it is also a movie). That is the only self-help book I read because I wanted it, and I loved it. This book seemed like it would be well suited for a younger audience, late middle and high school ages. It has no sexual context to it, but is about the reader--written in a generic ‘she’ pronoun to correlate with the author’s gender/preferred pronoun--learning how to move on and let go of those relationships that many teenagers find themselves in. The vicious cycle of ...

No one prepares you to walk alongside your spouse as they suffer from any sort of long-term illness. You receive an overwhelming amount of information, the stress keeps you from sleeping, and somehow, you are supposed to continue doing the day-to-day activities like you are 100% fine. Enter Armored by Dawn F. Landry. This book is the memoir of Dawn’s journey alongside her husband, Daran, as he battled (and beat) cancer and as he recovered from a massive stroke. It is a testament to their faith, their passion to encourage others during their own trials, and their resilience. In this book, caregivers will find advice on how to advocate for those in their care—how to make sure that they are supported and encouraged during their illness. There are tips for setting boundaries and providing emotional support. Best of all, there are tips for organizing all the information from the various health professionals that they deal with. (Dawn even offers free printouts for y...

                This post has to come with an advisory of sorts. I’m about to talk about my very private mental health, which is uncomfortable for me, but the year 2020 is helping me feel braver. I will be talking about postpartum depression. If you have it, please seek professional help. After you do that, come back here for some amazing books that can also help you. ……… After the birth of my second child, I went through a deep depression. I didn’t say a word about it for two years, even though there were at least six months that my brain felt like it was on fire and I wanted to die. I didn’t know what it was, and, because I didn’t know what it was, I internalized it as a fundamental flaw. I convinced myself that I was the problem. I drew up schedules, I prayed to be more organized, I cried over the messes…it wasn’t pretty. Turns out, I’m not the only one who internalizes that guilt. Freed, Chan, Boger, and Tompson (2012) noted that one ...