Pooja Lakshmin+

Slow the F Down: How to stop white-knuckling your life

Four steps to sanction your rest before something else does it for you.

The Push and Pull of Real Life

On letting go of perfection and embracing the seesaw.

What Kids Need That AI Can’t Give

Pediatric surgeon Dana Suskind on why "human raised" is no longer guaranteed.

Taking my own advice before I burn out

Why I asked my publisher for more time, and what finally made me do it.

Power 101: A Real Self-Care Principle

Claiming what's yours and remaking the system.

There is no quick fix for big change

But there is one skill to help you through it.

Dear Pooja: How do I do self-care when my mental health makes everything harder?

Three big times our habits fall apart — and how to fight back.

I've decided to grow up as an author

Leaving my messiness behind and standing in my success.

Answering 3 hard questions about how to carry on right now

Here’s what I’ve got.

Help me shape what comes next for this space

Share a little about yourself for a chance to receive a gift.

Pooja's Picks: Spring Book Recommendations

Five books I'm excited about.

How to stop mistakes from becoming your identity

3 moves for getting through shame and regret, from a psychiatrist

The opposite move

Learnings from a physical therapy appointment last week.

A thought I didn't include last week

Why it's so easy to assume the problem is you when the system stops making sense.

3 questions I ask when my confidence collapses

Honestly, I'm not feeling so hot. Here’s what helps.

When crisis is chronic, it's a transition.

We are still early.

The Case for the "Good Enough" Daughter

Dr. Allison Alford's new book, 'Good Daughtering,' reveals the invisible labor of daughters — and how they can gain more agency.

A Careless Future

From a psychiatrist making sense of a dark start to 2026.

What's Next for Real Self-Care

How this newsletter is evolving along with me.

The Real Self-Care 2025 Year in Review

New writing, a new book, a couple of new twins...

Quick Thoughts: Learn Emotion Regulation

Take a beat before reacting — especially right now.

Values 101: How to Grow Closer to Yourself

Building your Real Self-Care compass.

Holiday boundaries that actually work

The tried and tested methods I share with my patients.

The Arrival Fallacy: Why Nothing Ever Feels Like Enough

The framework and reflective questions I use with patients to help them step off the treadmill.

You're thinking about stress wrong

It's not you — it's the thousands of systemic stressors all around you.

Thoughts on Perfectionism

And, hi! I'm alive.

Pooja's Picks: 5 links I read and liked

The cost of being right too soon, the great feminist exhaustion, and some recent good news.