15. A problem shared is a problem halved.
Your weekly dose of Good Things.
Hi, friend.
I’m one of those “suffer in silence” types. I always seem to say “I’m fine! No worries!” when I am in fact not fine and full of worries. (Perhaps you can relate.)
It always takes me an enormous amount of effort to talk about my worries. But for some reason, I always feel better afterwards. You know how people say, “I feel lighter”, or “it feels like a weight’s been lifted”? Like that.
My Dad always says, “a problem shared is a problem halved”. When I was younger I’d roll my eyes and think, yeah, yeah. But there is truth to this. Research from U.C.L.A. suggests that putting your feelings into words — a process called “affect labelling” — can diminish the response of the amygdala when you encounter things that are upsetting. This is how, over time, you can become less stressed over something that bothers you. Research from Southern Methodist University suggested that writing about traumatic experiences or undergoing talk therapy had a positive impact on a patient’s health and immune system. The study argues that holding back thoughts and emotions is stressful.
Anyway, you can read more about it here. But just in case you needed to hear it: you don’t need to get to breaking point to receive support, or to deserve someone listening to you.
Love, Rach.
Good Things This Week
Dr Hadiyah-Nicole Green is the first person to use nanoparticles to cure cancer in mice, with no observable side effects. Dr Green is now hard at work trying to bring her technology to human trials. She has established the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation (named after her late aunt), a non-profit to support her cancer research. Once her treatment is developed, Green wants to provide the treatment through her non-profit organization rather than sell it to a pharmaceutical company, enabling it to be affordable and accessible to everyone.
Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. This Twitter thread where people explain how children have changed their lives (despite the hardships) is quite beautiful.
Jari Romppainen captured this magnificent footage of the Northern Lights in Finland, and is completely magical:
In good animal news, the once-endangered humpack whale population is growing globally thanks to conservation efforts. Humpback whales were almost entirely wiped out by commercial whaling in the 19th and early 20th century, according to the Endangered Species Coalition. The current global population has rebounded from a low point of 10,000 back to nearly 80,000, as of 2022.
Finally, witness the fierceness and flow of this amazing little dancer. Truly genius:
Feel-Good Recommendations
Watch: Getting Curious with Jonathon Van Ness on Netflix. Everyone’s favourite non-binary babe, JVN, has their podcast turned into its own series! JVN lets curiosity lead the way while interviewing experts in various fields, including insects, beauty standards, gender, food, figure skating, and architecture. And of course, it is absolutely delightful:
Social: @pieladybooks. Stephanie Hockersmith creates absolutely stunning gluten-free pies to match some equally magnificent books. Food and book-spo?? I am well and truly obsessed (and drooling).
Make: Geneva Vanderzeil is a great one to follow for cool (and achievable!) DIY projects. Here she upcycles fabric and makes a checkered table cloth. What a neat idea! Why not try it yourself? (I believe in you.)
Do: Have a crack at playing Wordle, the internet’s latest game fascination that is actually good for your brain. (This version is unlimited!)
Thanks for reading! I appreciate you.
Beautiful Rachael ❤️
Keep up the excellent work
Loved these! Especially the beautiful pie/book pairings and the simple DIY. Gotta check out JVN's show asap! And you KNOW I am a big Wordle fan (it's the little things, ya know?) Thanks for sharing these.