Welcome back to The Roundup - a monthly overview (and recap) of what we’ve shared over the past month, plus reminders, updates + curated resources for you to save, download or pass along to someone who needs it 💗.

It’s been a weird year so far.

As therapists we get lots of data that help us see what folks in our direct community are experiencing, how people are interacting with each other (on a micro and macro level), and the topics and issues on the top of people’s minds as they move through the world.

The major themes for this month (across the board) were:

• Lots of emotional labour + reciprocity discussions: Why won’t [insert partner/friend/coworker] reciprocate all of the effort I’m doing?

• Questioning sanity and purpose in the context of a VERY fast paced and conflict driven geo-political climate: Am I going crazy right now or is the world awful?

• Suffering under capitalism: Are we supposed to be able to do it all? Why do I want to succeed so bad, but also crave desperately time to do absolutely nothing?

• Cravings, self soothing needs: [Insert substance here 🍸🍃🚬] — feeling stressed about relationship to food, exercise, buying things, alcohol, people, sex etc, etc, etc.

• Financial anxiety: Plenty of stress about money » all the time «, and lots of attempts to try NOT to think about it 🥲💸

Any of the above resonate? Drop your comments, questions and reflections below and tell us what’s on your mind. We gotchu.

👀 ICYMI: What we wrote about in March:

Save & share, or bookmark for a rainy day read ☔️

• 💥 Burnout Decoded: Beyond Exhaustion, Toward Real Rest ✨ — Your reminder to drop the hustle mindset and find real peace by reclaiming rest as a radical act. → Read more here
  

• No one cares (and that’s a good thing) — A dive into the ways we get in our own ways when it comes to being creative and taking up space, and how to deal.→ Read it on Substack

🌳 Bloom in The Media:

When we’re not writing here directly to you, you can usually find us sharing our thoughts and quotes across social media and publications across the web 👩🏾‍💻

🧠 Wondermind | 8 Surprising Reasons You’re Feeling Extra Anxious Today — It’s possible that second cold brew betrayed you. Written by Anna Borges → Read online

💜 Essence Magazine | Should You Share Your Feelings And Frustrations With ChatGPT? — ChatGPT can be a controversial topic and tool, but now people use it to vent their emotions with hopes of healing. Written by Dominique Fluker. → Read online

💜 Essence Magazine | Living Your Best (Love) Life: Does Dialing Up Your Feminine Energy Guarantee A Successful Relationship? — Resting in your feminine energy may attract a well-suited partner but is that enough to sustain a healthy relationship? Written by Dominique Fluker. → Read online

📖 Books we love & recommend 🤓

If you’ve ever wondered what your therapist is reading, or what books they really recommend, check out the latest in our series What’s On Your Therapist’s Bookshelf? Growing Pains readers get extra recommendations and the full list that we don’t share on IG, so tap in below and add a few to your TBR list (or bookmark this post for later!)

(Notion Link) ☞ Bloom Book Recommendations 🌷📚

📅 Where to find us: upcoming events

Re/Mix: A Collage Journalling Workshop for Creatives of Colour

📍 where: Bloom HQ – 33 Bloor St. East, Toronto
⏰ when: May 3rd from 3:30pm-6:30pm
💵 cost: community rate tickets start at $65 — early bird spots are already sold out! 💸

🤎 Join Bloom in collaboration with artist and singer/ songwriter, pHoenix Pagliacci for a therapeutic collage and journaling experience designed for creatives of colour 🤎 ✂️✨ If you are a person of colour who IS creative, wants to BE more creative, or just wants to be in community with other people on your crafty reflective wave length — this workshop is for you 🤎

Growing Pains subscribers can use the code BLOOMCREATIVE15 for 15% off the Sustainer rate ($100) 🥳. As of writing we have two (2) Community Rate tickets ($65) still available, so snag em if you want to join, but finances are a challenge 🤎.

Group Therapy: Navigating Relationships With Emotionally Immature Parents & Families

📍where: The Villij Studios (5 Dickens St, Toronto)
⏰ when: Weekly on Saturdays from May 10th - June 7th, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm
💵 cost: $475 for all 5 sessions and all resources shared

🤎 We’re back with another group therapy experience this spring, facilitated by Bloom founder Meghan Watson, RP, and Bloom therapists Sandeep Marwaha, OT, and Tracy Amponsah Owusu-Gyimah, RSW. This group is designed for women of colour to share, process, and connect around experiences navigating emotional immaturity in families. Learn more and sign up for the group HERE

💻 Digital downloads: resources curated for you

• Exploring Boundaries: A Free Resource Workbook (digital download)

• 7 Types of Rest (resource image)

Catch you next month.

With love,

The Bloom team 🤎

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