I recently took some time away from the land of Twitter with its discriminatory algorithm, warring factions and complex ideas distilled into soundbites with the hope of discovering what might lie on the other side. If we become what we consume then what was I becoming and how might I curate a different diet?

My time is filled with less scrolling, information, and news. Without seeing the actions of our utterly incompetent government unfolding before my eyes in real-time, I’ve felt the waves of my anxiety recede with each hour that has passed. I’ve noticed my days are easing into a life with less noise encroaching on my inner peace.

‘I can concentrate properly on the task at hand, without the near-constant binging of notifications and messages… It’s as if the inventive part of my brain – the bit that’s been stifled by all that online noise – has found a new lease on life, and is taking full advantage of it.’ Nick Spalding (2020) Logging Off.

In this newly discovered space, I can think, create and my writing voice has returned, unencumbered as it is since its release from the tight grip of inadequacy and continual editing to nothing. In short, I might be witnessing the gradual return of my quiet but assured confidence.

I have stretches of time which I’m beginning to fill with enjoyable pursuits and valuable moments of exhale breaths of creating and writing. These exhales are only possible with inhale breaths taking the form of reading and reflecting as sustenance.

I have magazines in the form of Womankind and Breathe and I am beyond lucky to have a library with a cosy armchair that’s filled with enough books to sustain me for months to come. I also want to complement this reading with insights and perspectives that feel a little more live and so it was to newsletters that I have turned in the hope I can connect with other voices, new and old for inspiration and nourishment.

What do I seek in these voices to sustain me and invoke deep reflection?

Hope

Despair but with a sharp activist edge

Consciousness-raising

Maximising my time in this beautiful place we call Earth

Life-affirming

Stories

Here’s a list of some of my favourite newsletters I now have the time to read and even delve right into the depths of, as well as some promising new additions. This selection will need refreshing from time to time so I can continue to be inspired by a diverse set of perspectives. It will also require regular trimming so I don’t fall into the familiar trap of consuming more than I create.

If we become what we consume then what are we becoming and how might we curate a different diet?

(Almost certainly) sticking around

Alex Elle – monthly self-healing journal prompts.

Blurt Foundation – a weekly hug for the heart.

Do – a weekly curation of wonder and optimism.

Education Connected – weekly thought interruptions.

A variety of education-related newsletters

Jocelyn Glei – ideas for finding more creativity and meaning.

Maker Mind – a weekly dose of mindful productivity.

Promising and recently discovered

Action Now – ways to act local, act on your values and make a difference.

An invitation to Pause – letters that create a little space for reflection.

Ann Friedman weekly – gems from the far-flung corners of the internet.

Cleo Wade – love notes from a favourite poet.

Sharehold – community and design.

Homeworker – homeworking hacks delivered to your inbox.

Iesha Small – society, education, leadership and living a meaningful life.

Invisible Women – keeping up with the gender data gap.

Restless rundown – weekly interviews with restless women.

Runnymede – Race Matters.

Rupi Kaur – love notes from a poet.

The F word – contemporary UK feminism.

The good newsletter – not all news is cynicism and flames.

Think clearly – handwritten doodles twice a month.

Thrive – Arianna Huffington’s On My Mind.

Women Who – weekly ideas to help you work better.

Well-read black girl – book club dedicated to Black women writers.