This is such a difficult balancing act. We want to be aware of what's going on so we can speak out against it, but at the same time it's so disheartening. I've started grimacing just opening an app or my browser, afraid of what awful news I might see. It all just feels so petty and devastating at the same time. It's like this administration thought, "What are the most disenfranchised and vulnerable populations so we can target them first and then work our way back, stopping just shy of those with any real power."
The stress on our nervous systems is exhausting, but who am I to turn away when people are really suffering? More chocolate and coffee for breakfast, Netflix and Apple TV for the rest of the day? Sending you hugs Mesa. I've heard cursing is helpful when one is in pain so I'll end by saying "Fuck this motherfucking shit." Meh, marginally better. XO ❤️🥰
Thank you for this thoughtful response. I love these ideas and will incorporate as many as I can into my daily and weekly routines. You are a gift. XO 🥰❤️
I’m way over in the protecting myself part of the continuum, which if you knew me and my history you would find shocking. I spent my entire career working in mental health and disabilities, and i care deeply. In the not too distant past, at the expense of myself - which is why i feel the need to protect myself now. When i read about things affecting someone it feels like it’s mine too. Yesterday I was thinking about how cold it’s been here (near zero) so I gave money to organizations who house and care for the homeless. I give regularly to a women’s shelter, food bank, The Bail Project and a few others I’m not thinking of at the moment. I’m in a different phase of life so maybe I’m more focused on caring for myself? As I type this I’m feeling selfish but i know it isn’t. I have health problems, c being one-i refuse to spell that damn word out) so it’s important i keep my inflammation levels down. Something happened a few years ago that drove home what stress does to the body. I was doing a cardiac stress test and because of all the cycling my heart rate wouldn’t get high enough to stop the test. After several minutes she told me to think of something upsetting - it was 2019 so i thought of trump - and literally a few seconds later she said “okay that did it we’re done” and it was so fast and all i had done differently was think about the asshole i thought she had to be joking. She wasn’t. A few seconds of thinking about him was all it took - even when the actual exertion of walking fast at an incline hadn’t. Mental stress had trumped (sorry for the pun and this long comment too!) physical stress!! I’ve never forgotten it. It showed me first hand how just my thoughts impact my body and thus my health. I think we all need to do what is best for us and i am immensely grateful to everyone fighting this fight but for the most part (i call and write my so-called representatives and give money to organizations and volunteer weekly at another) I’m sitting this one out. I can’t say it is right, just right for me at this time. Thank you for fighting for us, Mesa. 💙
Happy to fight for you, Susan. I completely understand about needing to do what is best for you and your health. That is far more important than anything else going on. Sending you lots of love <3 xoxo
The doom scroll has been going down over here too! I've been heavy into my consumerism vs creating/writing mode. Sometimes I feel like a bottomless pit or the ghost from Spirited Away- just taking everything in and never wringing myself out! Thank you for the permission to scrape joy together- however that joy may look for us. ♥️
I love the honesty here. Especially the part about looking up groups to join in the resistance and the admission of not loving groups. I'm right there with you. My latest idea: post questions all over the damn place. The questions we don't ask out loud. Questions are powerful.
"Staying in the fight also means making room for joys, no matter how small." This is such an important message for times of unfolding turmoil. It's not as though any of those small joys are going to eliminate all the strain on our nervous systems, but we need to interrupt the chronic strain.
For me, hope scrolling keeps me hooked into an unsustainable level of activation. But I've found some temporary relief from tearing through travel memoirs, reading about artists and looking at their work, and learning a new language.
Whatever works at a given moment is what we should all be doing to keep ourselves strong and active for the long haul. Thank you for the encouragement, Mesa!
I like that you add hope scrolling. That's what I'm looking for, unfortunately it has a lot of doom blended in. Mostly, I try to limit picking up my phone to scroll anything other than Substack. ❤
This is such a difficult balancing act. We want to be aware of what's going on so we can speak out against it, but at the same time it's so disheartening. I've started grimacing just opening an app or my browser, afraid of what awful news I might see. It all just feels so petty and devastating at the same time. It's like this administration thought, "What are the most disenfranchised and vulnerable populations so we can target them first and then work our way back, stopping just shy of those with any real power."
The stress on our nervous systems is exhausting, but who am I to turn away when people are really suffering? More chocolate and coffee for breakfast, Netflix and Apple TV for the rest of the day? Sending you hugs Mesa. I've heard cursing is helpful when one is in pain so I'll end by saying "Fuck this motherfucking shit." Meh, marginally better. XO ❤️🥰
Big hugs friend! Swearing it out helps too 😍😍😍
Thank you for this thoughtful response. I love these ideas and will incorporate as many as I can into my daily and weekly routines. You are a gift. XO 🥰❤️
I’m way over in the protecting myself part of the continuum, which if you knew me and my history you would find shocking. I spent my entire career working in mental health and disabilities, and i care deeply. In the not too distant past, at the expense of myself - which is why i feel the need to protect myself now. When i read about things affecting someone it feels like it’s mine too. Yesterday I was thinking about how cold it’s been here (near zero) so I gave money to organizations who house and care for the homeless. I give regularly to a women’s shelter, food bank, The Bail Project and a few others I’m not thinking of at the moment. I’m in a different phase of life so maybe I’m more focused on caring for myself? As I type this I’m feeling selfish but i know it isn’t. I have health problems, c being one-i refuse to spell that damn word out) so it’s important i keep my inflammation levels down. Something happened a few years ago that drove home what stress does to the body. I was doing a cardiac stress test and because of all the cycling my heart rate wouldn’t get high enough to stop the test. After several minutes she told me to think of something upsetting - it was 2019 so i thought of trump - and literally a few seconds later she said “okay that did it we’re done” and it was so fast and all i had done differently was think about the asshole i thought she had to be joking. She wasn’t. A few seconds of thinking about him was all it took - even when the actual exertion of walking fast at an incline hadn’t. Mental stress had trumped (sorry for the pun and this long comment too!) physical stress!! I’ve never forgotten it. It showed me first hand how just my thoughts impact my body and thus my health. I think we all need to do what is best for us and i am immensely grateful to everyone fighting this fight but for the most part (i call and write my so-called representatives and give money to organizations and volunteer weekly at another) I’m sitting this one out. I can’t say it is right, just right for me at this time. Thank you for fighting for us, Mesa. 💙
Happy to fight for you, Susan. I completely understand about needing to do what is best for you and your health. That is far more important than anything else going on. Sending you lots of love <3 xoxo
The doom scroll has been going down over here too! I've been heavy into my consumerism vs creating/writing mode. Sometimes I feel like a bottomless pit or the ghost from Spirited Away- just taking everything in and never wringing myself out! Thank you for the permission to scrape joy together- however that joy may look for us. ♥️
You’re so very much not alone! And also- I love Spirited Away! AND Howl’s Moving Castle 😍😍😍
I love the honesty here. Especially the part about looking up groups to join in the resistance and the admission of not loving groups. I'm right there with you. My latest idea: post questions all over the damn place. The questions we don't ask out loud. Questions are powerful.
Thank you, Tawnya! I agree, questions are truly powerful :)
"Staying in the fight also means making room for joys, no matter how small." This is such an important message for times of unfolding turmoil. It's not as though any of those small joys are going to eliminate all the strain on our nervous systems, but we need to interrupt the chronic strain.
For me, hope scrolling keeps me hooked into an unsustainable level of activation. But I've found some temporary relief from tearing through travel memoirs, reading about artists and looking at their work, and learning a new language.
Whatever works at a given moment is what we should all be doing to keep ourselves strong and active for the long haul. Thank you for the encouragement, Mesa!
Thank you, Lori 🩵🩵🩵
I like that you add hope scrolling. That's what I'm looking for, unfortunately it has a lot of doom blended in. Mostly, I try to limit picking up my phone to scroll anything other than Substack. ❤