How do you keep going when it feels like the world is crumbling?

This is a question I’ve been getting a lot lately, which I think really speaks to the desperation and fear that a lot of people are feeling right now. I don’t have all the answers, and if I could change the world to be a kinder place, I would. But that’s really hard, generational, community-wide work that needs to be done.

So here’s what I would do: open your door and step outside. Take a deep breath. Notice what you feel in your nostrils. Pull your shoulder blades together, and look straight ahead.

Now go for a walk, once, around your block. If you don’t live on a block, go up and down your street. If you don’t live on a street, use your driveway. Relax the muscles in your forehead. Feel your feet hitting the ground. Notice something that you’ve never seen before. Something ordinary. Something rare.

Eat a full meal at a leisurely pace. Cook it if you can, but the eating is the important part. Follow it with an entire glass of water. Fold the clothes on that chair. Set out an outfit for the morning. Turn off your phone, and go to sleep.

Next week, go for a run. Take a self defense class. Take a dance class. Learn what kinds of trees live in your area. What kinds of flowers. What kinds of birds. Join a rock climbing gym or a yoga studio or a spin class. Notice the change in the seasons, in the length of each day.

Adopt a dog. Adopt a cat. Adopt a person. It’s your choice. Open your door, and step outside. Take a deep breath. Notice what you feel in your nostrils. Pull your shoulder blades together, and look straight ahead.

Following the news can feel like a way to take control in a world that’s spinning out of it, but it isn’t. Often it becomes an addiction to staring into the blank future in front of us. It’s better to know that you’ll be ready to face what today throws at you than to waste all your time worrying about tomorrow.

That’s it for this week - I’m working on some more substantive pieces for the weeks ahead that I’m looking forward to sharing! As always, please write in with questions or topic ideas. Thanks for reading!