Doomy and gloomy? Try these 5 things.
Alt title: sh*t is f*cked…so how do we avoid burnout?
Some days I wake up and decide to go right back to bed, hiding from all the crazy shit happening in the world.
Artificial Intelligence, environmental collapse, manmade and natural disasters, and growing inequality and unrest. Mental and physical health epidemics sweep the developed world, even with all its riches.
The only people having a good time are media sensationalists.
In Los Angeles, road rage and random acts of violence seem to be worsening. As a walker, I also regularly interact with angry and unwell unhoused people on the street. It's scary and heartbreaking.
Entropy in the landscape around us seems to increase exponentially. Am I the only one who’s freaked out?
“Hot Nails”
Everything can feel just hopeless, because how do we stop consuming? How do we solve homelessness? How do we elect less awful people?
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN/RIGGED/UNJUST AND IT’S REALLY SHITTY TO FEEL POWERLESS.
So how do we conscientious folk keep it together (avoid complete nervous breakdown) while staying informed, trying to make thoughtful choices, and helping others to our best ability?
I’m so glad you asked.
Make time for stillness
Through many years of conversations and observations, it’s become clear to me that every human needs space and time in their day for stillness. This means: observing the breath, practicing yoga, meditation, spending time in contemplation, rest, naps, technology-free time, and/or unscheduled time.
When I began to make time in my day for 15-20 minutes of meditation, typically midday, I noticed huge shifts in my mood and attitude. I began to be less irritable, less anxious, kinder, and less reactive to external conditions and minor annoyances.
In other words, making time for stillness helps boost our resilience to life’s complicated and emotional challenges, of which there are many. This should not be a luxury, but an essential coping mechanism we teach to every child in school.
I like the Meditative Mind app for ambient noise. They offer a free track of the day that works just fine, or they publish long ambient tracks on their YouTube channel you can pull up on your smart tv.
Sometimes you just need a banana and a joint
Be aware of your thoughts and attitudes
As my infinitely wise financial advisor and friend Chris L. says, your attitude is your choice.
Are you approaching life from a perspective of lack, or a perspective of abundance? Are you seeing your half-perfect life as a hot mess, or a great diversity of experiences, lessons, ups, downs, and gleaned wisdom?
One way to achieve this shift is to practice gratitude on a daily basis—and you can’t just think it, you have to WRITE it.
I do it just before I go to bed at night. I’m grateful for big things like booking a trip to Mexico in September, and for small stuff like a cool evening breeze. Or some delicious homemade banana pudding.
All of these are worth noting, feeling good about, and expressing gratitude for.
Dudley is…#overit
Build your community
Human connection is one of the quickest ways to feeling more “everything’s gonna be OK” instead of “holy shit everything is fucked.”
We live in a society that encourages individuality and personal advancement, but what about when you need help? What about when you need a favor? What if you’re feeling low? A community, both virtual and in close physical proximity, helps answer these calls.
When you’re not in need, being that help for others has similar benefits. This Kindness Matters Guide gives lots of examples of how we can be kind to others and to ourselves.
What’s more, other people take our minds off of things, help us get out of our anxiety and into the present moment. What a gift.
I try to remove my earbuds more regularly, acknowledge and greet my neighbors, and commit to small habits like remembering people’s names.
Could driving everywhere be preventing you from connecting with your community? Check out my post about the joys of walking in cities!
Investigating a new ice cream parlor in Echo Park—Fluffy’s!
Smile
I know it sounds too simple, but smiling works. It makes me feel better at least.
People aren’t accustomed to smiling out in the world. Everyone has their game face on (a.k.a. resting bitch face), or is legitimately unhappy, so there’s a lot of grumpy vibes circulating.
Smiling is easy, it’s free, and it helps both you and your recipient.
When I was a kid, my dad was cheerful and polite to people, by default. This always seemed silly to me. When I was behaving like a pissy teenager, he would tell me to lighten up or—what really made me want to scream—he would say “snap out of it!”
Sometimes smiling is the best way to snap out of it.
“Building blocks”
Question your media diet
Too much death and destruction? Turn off the news.
Too much force-fed advertising? Close Instagram.
Rabbit holes and conspiracies? Close TikTok/YouTube.
Set screen-time limits if you find yourself caught up in these death scrolls.
Do you desire more enlightenment, clarity, and context for your lived experience? Develop a reading habit and support your local bookseller. These are my top books lately (part 2 is coming!).
I check my horoscope each day via email (DailyOM), and using two apps: Astrology Zone by Susan Miller, and Co-Star, which provides handy, if not sometimes cryptic advice for each day. These narratives provide context and inspiration, even if they don’t entirely make sense at the moment.
I also follow a handful of tarot readers on YouTube whose readings for Pisces always bring me some reassurance and hope.
“Strikin’”
Last Thoughts
The incredibleness of life is in its duality, its paradoxical nature. While we thrive, many die. When we know we shouldn’t, we do anyway (because it’s so easily accessible!). And while wars rage, I must continue to sell fashion.
There may be many things going wrong, but I believe we each have a sphere of influence and the personal power to realize better outcomes for ourselves and for the world.
At the very least, we can step confidently into the chaos that surrounds and envelopes us, with grace and humility.
Our only choice is to try.
You are becoming a young Zen sweeper…:)
Love this and love you, Urlux. 😍 Your pup is the cutest.