If I were to give a themed title to today’s link roundup, it would be “Mental Health.” As we enter a season that is joyful yet typically quite stressful, I think we can all use a little extra encouragement and support in practicing mental self care.

What to do With Worry, by Jennie Denney

“Maybe we need to start with admitting that we are worried and why. God knows. This morning, as I was able to be honest with myself and write down all the reasons I’ve been worried. It’s been one of the most therapeutic things in a long time.”

4 Reason Why Multitasking Is Not the Best Option, by Kat Boogaard

“Our compulsion to multitask is actually sabotaging our memory. Research from the University of California San Francisco found that multitasking negatively affects our short-term memory — which is also referred to as our ‘working’ memory. Your working memory is what enables you to remember an important deadline someone just told you or the fact that you need to call and schedule a dental cleaning.”

On Pebbles, Daniel Tiger, and Loneliness, by Melissa Reeser Poulin

“I am learning that despair can be a blessing– Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. After despair sips the sweetness and color from everything, after I stop ignoring the pain with my busy task-completing and project-creating, after I admit how unloved and abandoned and mad I feel, the Spirit comes into my emptiness and fills me with a kind of stillness that allows me to see God again.”

5 Ways To Stop the Overthinking Spiral In Its Tracks, by Jessica Estrada

“The reason it’s so dangerous, Goodman says, is because overthinking is fear-based instead of solution-focused. So when you start overthinking, you get stuck on something, look for other things to worry about, and don’t do anything to remedy the problem. It then becomes a vicious cycle because the more you obsess over something, the worse you feel, and the worse the overthinking gets. “

Playing on Phones, by Sean Dietrich

“I wish kids could know the thrill of doing the same low-tech stuff we did as kids. Activities that don’t require smartphones. Such as piling four neighborhood kids onto a skateboard and rolling them down a steep hill like the U.S. Men’s bobsled team. Or picking wild strawberries. Or reading comic books. Or eating live palmetto bugs on a bet.”

11 Reminders From Your Mom if You’re Having a Bad Day, by Kate Arends

“Peace is being in the moment without judgment. Worrying about what happened or what’s in front of you is not a way to fix what you’re feeling. Focus on what you’re doing right now and try to do it without judgment. Check in with yourself and ask, ‘Am I okay?’ and try to be okay with it if the answer is no.”

The 16 Little Traditions We Do Each Week To Make Quarantine More Special, Cupcakes and Cashmere

“I spend a ridiculous amount of time on my phone and feel the shame every time my phone’s weekly report notifies me that my screen time has increased over the last week. So now, when I know there’s nothing urgent and the workday is over, I try not to be so attached to that tiny screen.”

Finding Middle Ground, by Andrea Debbink

“Hyperbole and polarizing words aren’t just in our news feeds or on social media, they’re in our daily conversations and thoughts. We’re not tired, we’re exhausted. We’re not hungry, we’re starving. And the year 2020 isn’t full of heartbreak, tragedy, and some sparks of beauty and goodness, it’s the worst year ever.”

Take good care of yourselves this weekend, friends!