Letters from Lisa

I understand what it's like to feel anxious, and you might be feeling stressed as well. I focus on mental wellness and share tips on using mindfulness techniques to make life a little more manageable. I also post pictures of my dog, share my current favorite Netflix shows, and talk about the little snacks that bring me happiness. These things help me, and I hope they can help you, too!

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Articles

It might be a midlife crisis, but whatever it's cool

1 week ago | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

It began so innocently. I got rid of old CDs and journals. I gave away nicknacks, empty picture frames, and an obscene number of chopsticks. Next, I donated at least half of the clothes, shoes, and bags in my closet. I got rid of travel-sized lotions, tiny toothpastes, and slivers of soap I somehow thought I’d need. I scanned photos and shredded the physical copies. I donated books to the local library's used book sale.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics

1 month ago | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

Ready? Let’s go. The second law of thermodynamics states, “As one goes forward in time, the net entropy (degree of disorder) of any isolated or closed system will always increase.”Put another way — "Isolation increases chaos." Now, I’m not going to say that I completely understand what this means, and I don’t really want to dig into it too much, lest it ruin the helpful connection I’m attempting to make. I don’t need a repeat of the frog thing.
Trust that you got what you needed

2 months ago | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

When I’m stressed, I clean and organize. It’s one of my more useful mental health quirks. I wrote recently about my spring-cleaning house purge. I’ve been decluttering and as a result, I’m finding so much more value in the things I’m choosing to keep. I’m reminded that when we have too many choices, we can get paralyzed.
The one with the bowls

2 months ago | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

Call it overly optimistic spring cleaning or whatever — but I’ve been going through the entire house and taking carloads of stuff to donation centers. Everything has been up for consideration: the dog bed that Olive mysteriously hates, the gifts I never liked to begin with, the clothes that don’t fit right, boxes full of mystery cords, and CDs that define my entire personality but no longer have a use. It’s a big question: what do we really need?
A newsletter in which I bury the lede

Jan 23, 2025 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

Do we start with a chaotic brain dump? A well-organized outline? How do the words actually get on the page? The answer seems to be — you should write however you can manage to actually do it. So I’ve been doing this thing lately where I just write. Every day. You might think it’s the “write” part that is important. It’s actually the “just” part that’s key.
Passenger Princess

Jan 3, 2025 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

We often travel for the holidays, and we went to Switzerland this year. Jeremy studied the public transportation apps. He learned about the various trains and trams we’d use to travel around. There were different stations, languages, lines, and departure times to navigate, and he joyfully regaled me with information about various options for traveling around Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, and Bern. I smiled and nodded.
Trying is embarrassing

Dec 9, 2024 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

I recently hired a personal trainer. Because I’m in my mid-40s, and all these articles yell things like LOW BONE DENSITY ~ MUSLE LOSS ~ LIFT HEAVY SHIT. So, I’ve been properly scared into working out beyond yoga and my Peloton bike. So there I was, in a sufficiently cool-looking gym that was dark and gritty but also smelled like Mrs. Meyers soap, and my trainer was telling me to do push-ups. This was the first time I had met with him. We were doing a fitness assessment, and I was nervous.
A story about giving up

Oct 21, 2024 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

I’m not really scared of heights, but when you realize that if you fell off this twelve-foot wall onto the ground, with its packed earth and tree roots, it would really hurt — you don’t want to look down. Video proof of the thingSo I looked straight ahead and made my way over the top of the wall and down the other side, where my friend Kevin and his two kids, ages 3 and 5, were waiting for me.
Social Anxiety and Dog Shoes

Oct 8, 2024 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

My dog, Olive, stepped on some glass and injured her paw. It was cut and swollen and required a veterinarian visit—which, in her opinion, is the worst thing in the world. Olive and her tender feetShe is fine now after some antibiotics, Neosporin, painkillers, and the wrapping of her paw with a bright purple bandage, which, despite its cheery color, was …
Writing and yoga and how it started on a diving board

Sep 25, 2024 | lisajakub.substack.com | Lisa Jakub

Every night, Gramma would swim laps before bed. Her best friend would come over, and as the two of them slowly sliced through the water, I told stories. I was obsessed with a stone owl statue that stood guard over her garden, and I chronicled his adventures with the toads, butterflies, and squirrels. As I perched on the edge, the diving board bounced just slightly as I dangled my toes in the water and played with story arc and character development. I learned about suspense and foreshadowing.