Reader of the Month
I loved reading Samra Habib’s piece on how having a baby can affect your female friendships [“No Kidding,” May 2018]. I’m a new mom, and while maternity leave has deepened my friendships with fellow moms, it has also made me more mindful of, and grateful for, my non-breeding friends. I love having a diversity of perspectives and stories in my life—and not just because I want to live vicariously through my single friends’ sex lives. Sometimes you just want to feel like your old self, and people with other priorities can be a great conduit for life’s other adventures—plus, a kid can never have too many fabulous aunties. —Zoë Di Novi
SPRING CRUSH
I am definitely salivating over the pictures in your April 2018 issue. I absolutely fell in love with the Prada bag on page 46! I love the dress, jacket and shoes, too, but that bag is inspired! It’s a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll, which is just my style. Thanks for this hit of fashion fabulosity and for making my heart beat a little faster! —Gerry De Simone (Thornton, Ont.)
TEXT THERAPY
I read with interest the article “Oh Woebot Is Me…” by Grace O’Connell in your April 2018 issue. I share similar apprehensions about going to the therapist. I immediately downloaded the CBT app Pacifica featured in her article. I found it easy to use, and, as O’Connell described, it’s an interactive version of workbooks like Mind
Over Mood. I recall having cognitive distortions that drove negative thinking while at work, and this app would have been helpful back then. I look forward to using it more consistently in the hope that it will help retrain my thought patterns. I definitely agree with O’Connell that these apps are accessible and “low barrier entry.” Thank you for bringing digital talk therapy into our awareness. —Caroline Chuang
TALK ISN’T CHEAP!
The article “Oh Woebot Is Me…” in your April 2018 issue was wonderful. It’s amazing that there’s an app that is “there for you.” I wonder what kind of therapeutic relationship one can develop with a preprogrammed app. I suspect the nuances of an inperson encounter with a trained therapist, who watches your body language for what is not said, would be superior, but with waiting lists, costs and lack of time, this sounds great. Thanks. —Glynis Koponen
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