HUFFINGTONPOST FANS: April 2020

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Checking in

Are You Still Holding On?

I didn't send out this newsletter last week or the week before. It's truly an awful time and the news is terrible. It's hard to justify blasting it into your inbox. But since you opened this email, here is some of what's on my mind:

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I've been working a lot on stories about paid sick leave. The fact that the United States, unlike most other developed countries, doesn't have a national paid leave policy has never been OK. But during the pandemic, it is simply immoral that essential workers are out there busting their asses without a net. They face the "choice" of working and risking their lives or staying home and going broke. The reports of COVID outbreaks at meat-packing plants and warehouses are heartbreaking.

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I've also started looking at the child care industry. Like many other parts of the economy, the child care system is in a bad place financially. But this system, already underfunded and underappreciated, is absolutely essential to working parents, particularly women. Without it, an economic recovery will be hard to pull off. People won't be able to go back to work; they may face increased discrimination from employers.

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Outside the Corona-sphere, I've also been thinking a lot about the allegation of sexual assault made against Joe Biden. Have you been following? Take a look at Rebecca Traister's column in New York Magazine. Let me know what you think about the allegations and the response to them.

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Finally, I'm baking and cooking a lot, like so many other people. Here are some popular recipes from HuffPost Life that might be fun to make. And this is my favorite pandemic go-to recipe, right now, from The New York Times: midnight pasta with garlic and anchovies. It is incredible and extremely easy.

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That's all for now. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you're doing. If applicable, how are you dealing with child care? Are you working? Did you get that stimulus check? What are you cooking? emily.peck@huffpost.com.

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You may have heard the rumor that sex fends off illness. Finally some good news, right?! But is it true?

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Researchers from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found that students who had sex once or twice a week had more illness-fighting antibodies. Regular sexual activity is also good for your blood pressure, heart rate and circulation — plus, it’s been known to lower stress levels, too.

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If you’re not in the mood — or if you’re quarantining solo — there are still ways to get that oxytocin (aka “love” hormone) boost. Go here to find out more.

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Xo, Ashley Rockman

Make use of lockdown

P.S. HuffPost Life is nominated for a Webby for Best Lifestyle Website! It would mean the world to us if you took one minute (I promise!) to vote. Thank you!

In case you missed it:

Couples who were set to get married this spring and summer have had their wedding plans upended by the coronavirus — our own senior reporter Kelsey Borresen included. Some chose to postpone, but others are going ahead with their plans anyway, just not exactly in the way they had originally imagined. Hello, virtual weddings! We talked to six couples about their online “I dos.”

“We wanted to be united... how we celebrated didn’t matter”

FYI

There’s no getting around it: we’re on our phones more these days. Does anyone else feel personally attacked by their weekly “screen time” report? But beating ourselves up about it serves no purpose; we’re all doing what we can to feel as OK as possible during this global pandemic. If being on your phone — texting with family, playing virtual games with friends, scrolling through Instagram — makes you feel better, then keep on keeping on. But if your screen time is making you feel worse, we have some advice on how to use technology more mindfully.