Getaway

If you’ve scrolled through the mental health spaces of Instagram and Tik Tok, then you’ve definitely seen Dr. Han Ren providing her audience with mental health tips and lessons. It’s an honor to share a quick interview we had with her in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month to spread her knowledge and positivity just a bit farther.

Share a little about your background, what populations you work with, and why you do what you do.
I’m a licensed psychologist with a group private practice based in Austin, Texas. I specialize in working with “overthinking overachievers” (anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing), Asian-Americans, and children of immigrants working through racism-related stress and racial identity formation. There’s a large overlap between these groups! My approach to healing is liberation-oriented, systems-informed, and attachment-focused. The majority of my clients are people of the global majority navigating their intersectional identities within systems of oppression and trying to find a balance between fitting in and belonging. I’m also an anti-oppressive educator and mental health content creator. My passion is helping people find ways to heal that center their unique lived experiences, that take into account the very real systems in which we live. 

Which Getaway Outpost did you visit and what did you do (or not do) while you were there?
I visited the Getaway Hill Country in Wimberley Texas, about an hour outside of Austin. I take an annual Han Soulo (can you tell I love puns?) trip where I spend time alone, connecting to myself. It was rainy during most of my time there, but that wasn’t a deterrent! I loved watching the beautiful midnight thunderstorms through the huge window. I read, journaled, practiced yoga, pulled some tarot cards, and enjoyed the silence. I don’t generally love being alone, but I love that I’m developing my capacity for solitude.

What do you find restorative about getting outdoors?
It’s grounding to be among life in their various forms, that isn’t manufactured and bound by time and man-made structures. It reminds me that life is always happening around us, and there is so much that’s bigger than ourselves. It’s humbling and gives me so much gratitude for the life I get to lead when I’m back in my man-made boundaries. 

How do you find balance in managing life, work, and rest?
I think finding balance is a verb. We’re never going to get to a place where we’re doing it perfectly, we swing too far in any direction, hit a limit, and then correct (and sometimes overcorrect). That’s all just part of the process. As long as I have eyes on all the important domains in my life and am really honest with myself about how much space each of these is taking up, I can find fluidity and calibration along the way.

How does being in nature improve your mental health?
Being in nature allows us to connect to something bigger than us, more primal, grand, universal. It helps my spiritual growth to feel more aligned with the earth. We are animals after all. 

Why is it important for your mental health to unplug and ritualize rest?
We can’t pour from an empty cup! I find that when I’m most bound up by urgency, goals, deadlines, is when I least want to unplug. This is when grounding rituals become so important. We need to have predictability and routine built in that allows us to rest and recharge without needing to think or plan for it. Ideally we should have some routines for this at different intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) so it remains a priority and we protect our rest. 

How can we ritualize rest in our daily life when we can’t make time to get away?
There are so many ways to ritualize rest. A morning stretch, a nighttime skincare routine, turning on/off your lights/devices in the same way, exercise, meal prep. All of these can become ritualized parts of our day that involve caring for and nourishing our bodies. 

With a slightly out of the ordinary summer ahead of us, we rounded up a collection of must-reads with Harper Collins from fresh and witty to thought-provoking to feel-good. Here’s to spending this odd time with a pile of good books.

1. Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

In Amy Poehler’s #1 New York Times bestseller, she delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,” “Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.

2. First, We Make the Best Beautiful by Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson directs her intense focus and fierce investigating skills onto her lifetime companion, looking at the triggers and treatments, the fashions and fads. She reads widely and interviews fellow sufferers, mental health experts, philosophers, and even the Dalai Lama, processing all she learns through the prism of her own experiences. Practical and poetic, wise and funny, First, We Make the Beast Beautiful is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad souls who dance with this condition to embrace it as a part of who they are, and to explore the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life.

3. The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power

In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question “What can one person do?” and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. Humorous and deeply honest, The Education of an Idealist lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life and shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with the challenge of raising two young children. Her memoir is an unforgettable account of the power of idealism and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference.

4. We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

From actress Gabrielle Union, this is a powerful collection of essays about gender, sexuality, race, beauty, Hollywood, and what it means to be a modern woman. Genuine and perceptive, Union bravely lays herself bare, uncovering a complex and courageous life of self-doubt and self-discovery with incredible poise and brutal honesty. Throughout, she compels us to be ethical and empathetic, and reminds us of the importance of confidence, self-awareness, and the power of sharing truth, laughter, and support.

5. Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift

The island of Tangier is disappearing. The very water that has long sustained it is erasing the island day by day, wave by wave. It has lost two-thirds of its land since 1850, and still its shoreline retreats by fifteen feet a year—meaning this storied place will likely succumb first among U.S. towns to the effects of climate change. Chesapeake Requiem is an intimate look at the island’s past, present and tenuous future, by an acclaimed journalist who spent much of the past two years living among Tangier’s people, crabbing and oystering with its watermen, and observing its long traditions and odd ways. What emerges is the poignant tale of a world that has, quite nearly, gone by—and a leading-edge report on the coming fate of countless coastal communities.

6. 10% Happier by Dan Harris

After having a nationally televised panic attack, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. He stumbled upon an effective way to rein in the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation, a tool that research suggests can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain. 10% Happier takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, and leaves them with a takeaway that could actually change their lives.

7. Fall Until You Don’t by Bobby Bones

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bare Bones, host of the marquee morning program “The Bobby Bones Show,” comedian and dedicated philanthropist delivers an inspirational and humorous collection of stories about his biggest misses in life and how he turned them into lessons and wins. Bobby reveals that a lot of what made him able to achieve his goals were mistakes, awkward moments, and embarrassing situations—lemons that he turned into lemonade through hard work and humility. Bobby’s mantra is Fight. Grind. Repeat. A man who refuses to give up, he sees failure as something to learn from—and the recollections in this funny, smart book, full of Bobby’s brand of self-effacing humor, show how he’s become such a beloved goofball.

8. Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish by Rani Shah

A delightfully illustrated guide to harnessing the rhythms of nature for self-care. We could all learn a thing or two about living in balance from our friends in the plant and animal kingdom. From the habits of the porcupine to the sunflower to the wombat to the dragonfly—for small and simple things we can do to slow down, recharge, and living more thoughtfully, lovingly, and harmoniously. Wisdom From a Humble Jellyfish . . . is at once charming and scientific, packed with essential wisdom and practical tips worth borrowing from our plant and animal friends for life-changing self-care.

9. The Way of the Woodshop by Aleksandra Zee

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to master the basics of woodworking in Aleksandra Zee’s cozy Bay Area studio. The Way of the Woodshop is a meditative guidebook and a feast for the eyes, an illustrated journey through the joys of working, decorating, and crafting with wood. Whether you want to decorate your home, create personal gifts, or just love handmade objects, The Way of the Woodshop will inspire you to grab a sander and discover the joy of making!

10. A Short Philosophy of Birds by Philippe J. Dubois and Elise Rousseau

Twenty-two short lessons from the secret lives of birds on living harmoniously and reconnecting with nature.From the delicate sparrow to the majestic eagle, birds are among the most fascinating species on earth, and there is much to be learned from these paragons of beauty and grace that can be applied to our lives. Filled with elegant illustrations of bird species, this gem of a book celebrates of our friends in the sky, and what they can teach us about the rhythms of life.

Ready to pack a bag, grab a new book, and hit the road? The great outdoors are waiting. Book your Getaway today.