Dear Reader, The season of gratitude is coming up, so I've been thinking a lot about the things I am grateful for. And in that chain of thought, I discovered something interesting -- it had never occurred to me before, but the Japanese characters for “thank you” are composed of two unlikely words: 有: To have, possess 難: Difficulty, hardship 有難う (arigato): Thank you What a strange combination of words to express gratitude. Why the characters for ‘thank you’ is ‘difficult to have’ The...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Many people join my newsletter because they are working towards a health goal. Sometimes it's about having more energy, other times it's about simply wanting to feel at peace in their mind and body. These are great goals, and important goals that I write for and work to support each and every week. Illustrations by Kaki Okumura The thing about our health however is that it is not something that changes overnight. This is not a bad thing, but it takes time – and in that process,...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, It can feel discouraging to feel like you’re behind all of your peers. The social media posts, the LinkedIn announcements, the school alumni newsletters, and even the occasional news article that reads: “She’s only 26 and is already making millions of dollars!”. People glorify the young, praise the early retirement success story, and admire those who mark life’s checkboxes when they should. And as they say, when you are not the subject of these stories, comparison can be the...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Sometimes I have an easier time looking after others before myself. Maybe it's the values I was raised with, but while looking after others feels like an act of kindness, self-care can feel... well, selfish. Setting boundaries, taking time to do something for myself, etc. these things didn't always come naturally to me. But one idea that's really helped me is thinking of my future self as someone else who also needs my help. Future you deserves your present care. Looking after...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, What do you think my reaction was when I received this marketing email from a telehealth provider? With the fall/winter holidays upon us, I want to take a moment to address the “holiday healthy eating tips” that we will also inevitably start receiving — how to limit sugary candy, skip the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie dessert for a healthy alternative, or why you should choose low-fat ice cream instead of your mom’s homemade one. While probably well-intentioned, these messages that...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, How have you been recently? If you've been wondering where I'm newsletters were, sorry I've been away! It's been a hectic few weeks, and the time to attend to my personal life was very helpful, but I'm back 😊 I've been thinking a lot about how to attend to my emotions lately. The positive ones are easy to enjoy, but alas, you can't escape the negative ones either. Sometimes, we have tough weeks. It's not always a “one really bad thing happened to me” sort of tough, but sometimes...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Happiness is a seemingly simple feeling, but the pursuit of happiness often feels like a complex endeavor. We make hundreds, if not thousands, of choices every day in the pursuit of happiness– from what we choose to wear and eat today, to studying hard at school to guarantee an easier life in the future. Many people often feel they are doing so much to be happy. So why does it feel so difficult to attain? Japanese culture has not figured out happiness, but perhaps its attitude...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, “Why are there so few overweight Japanese people? They eat so much white rice!” After several years of living in Japan, when I went back to the United States I was asked this by someone. It was kind of an awkward question, one that I didn’t even know how to approach, because I didn't agree with how the person was equating eating white rice with weight gain. This thought surprised me, because just a few years back, I used to be really afraid of eating refined carbohydrates too....
3 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Growing up, I thought my life was going to be predictable. There is a certain structure and rhythm to life that many of us follow when we’re young - go to school, get good grades, graduate, get a job, and build a family. So it was very humbling for me when the pandemic challenged all of my expectations. The pandemic was a while ago. I mean, it happened 5 years ago now, but a lot of us are still affected by what happened then. I certainly am. The 2 things we always have within our...
3 months ago • 3 min read
