Have you heard of “quiet quitting”? Chances are you’ve seen headlines about it, but if you’re still confused, here’s what you need to know:
Quiet quitting is a mindset many workers are adopting to meet their job requirements but not go beyond. No pulling late nights, no weekend calls and no pushing yourself too hard during business hours.
Experts say this is the result of pandemic fatigue and burnout after logging excessive hours when working from home amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
But what does it say about your mental health? Experts told me it’s a sign to check in with yourself.
Some may confuse quiet quitting with loafing, being lazy or not caring about work anymore. But Amy Morin, psychotherapist and editor-in-chief of Verywell Mind, says it’s more about setting healthy boundaries to protect your mental health.
“People are scaling back … Saying here’s what I’m willing to do, but here’s also what I’m not willing to do,” she says. “It’s about saying I value my personal life and I value my time off from work.”
In this sense, she thinks we shouldn’t look at it as a bad thing.
“Because when people are taking care of themselves outside the office, they’re more productive while they’re at the office,” she adds.
To learn more (and for tips on maintaining a healthy work-life balance), click here.
Americans are being misled on comprehensive sex ed. Here is what it actually does.
This week my colleague Alia E. Dastagir dove into the controversial topic of sex education, particularly comprehensive sex ed and what it really means. Here’s a snippet of what she wrote:
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, sparking a conversation about which states teach students how to prevent pregnancy (never mind consent, boundaries or bodily autonomy). Opponents of sex ed are ramping up attacks, exploiting parental fears and accusing proponents of pushing education that introduces sexually inappropriate material to young kids too early, grooming them for abuse (studies show comprehensive sex ed reduces child sexual abuse). At the same time, the proliferation of “Don’t Say Gay” bills further complicates sex ed in schools, eliminating the possibility of LGBTQ-inclusive education on topics critical to young people’s health and well-being.
Advocates see the attack on sex ed as backlash against an uptick in states implementing more robust sex ed across the country, a response in part to the conversations around consent catalyzed by #MeToo. In the last several years, more states have enacted state-based standards for comprehensive sex education and are implementing curricula that is not only comprehensive in terms of teaching medically accurate information, but is also responsive to LGBTQ youth, youth of color, youth with disabilities, that is trauma-informed, and that includes teaching on healthy relationships.
“Comprehensive sexuality education has to do with everything in the world that’s connected meaningfully to issues of sex, gender and reproduction,” says Deborah Roffman, a human sexuality educator and author of “The Science of Babies: A Little Book for Big Questions About Bodies, Birth and Families.” “If you think deeply enough about that, that is everything in the world. We take this enormous subject and we pass it through a funnel to focus on sex. No, this is intricately woven into the fabric of human life.”
To read Alia’s full story, click here.
How to know if your partner is gaslighting you
Ever had a conversation with your significant other when you recall the same event differently? Are they gaslighting you? Maybe, but not necessarily.
In this week’s Millennial Therapist column, Sara Kuburic discusses the manipulation tactic and the words and phrases to watch out for.
If you’re feeling worried that you are being gaslit, pay attention to the vocabulary they use, she suggests. Some common phrases are:
- “You’re imagining things.”
- “That didn’t happen.”
- “You sound crazy.”
- “I didn’t say that!”
- “You’re overreacting.”
- “You’re trying to see a problem or pattern that doesn’t exist.”
- “Nobody takes you seriously.”
To read the full column, including tips on what to do if you suspect you’re being gaslit, click here.
Today’s reads
Today’s pet
Meet Annika.
“Annika is our first cat and she’s great!” writes Amy and Todd Ofenbeck of Fort Myers, Florida. “She loves to be in things as evident by this picture. She gets along well with her canine brothers Hubbard and Miles!!”
Thanks everyone for reading! Do you have cute pet photos to share? Please send them to our email here so we can feature them in an upcoming newsletter. If you’ve already been featured in the newsletter, that’s OK! We’d love an update on your furry friend.
Wishing you all the best,
Sara Moniuszko
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