What actually helps, part 2
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Two more simple (and surprisingly profound) actions keeping me going
Dear Troublemakers,
As I mentioned last time, there are some specific, actionable things I’ve started doing daily that are helping me want to get out of bed, connect with other people, and actually show up for society and the planet. NONE of these have (much) to do with work.
For a refresher, here’s my full list. 👇
Actual things working for me
For once in my life, drink lots of water. And get as much sleep as possible.
Use an analog calendar, installed where I’ll see it multiple times a day to help me remember…to book very few activities per day.
Track my emotions and strive to recognize what’s causing them (while declining to have or manage anyone else’s emotions).
Embrace work towards a better collective future and reject nasty bids for attention.
Seek out delight and connection!
For the sake of reducing cognitive load, last time I only discussed the actual steps I’m taking for the first two strategies. So this time, we’ll delve into the next two. And in a follow-up, I’ll detail item 5.
Alright, here’s how I’m doing 3 and 4.
Use How We Feel, a privacy-forward [1] emotions and activities tracking app
I learned of this app in December and immediately started a routine of self-reporting four times a day. The app prompts me to notice how I feel, what I’m doing, who is there, and broader self-care considerations like sleep, physical activity, and what I’m consuming. Perhaps the most useful aspect of the app for me, so far, is that the app defines every emotion in its database, so I’m learning to be more precise about how I’m feeling (and better understanding the root of my emotions) [2].
Actively engage with my emotions (while declining to have/manage other people’s emotions)
For eleven months, I’ve been using reflection decks (tarot, oracle, affirmation, whatnot) to daily check in with my emotions. I’m spending time considering where the emotions are coming from and recognizing whether I have any control over the source (vs. my reaction).
I make this sound simple, but it’s NOT. It’s at the root of many spiritual traditions, I’ve been reading about these ideas for a decade, and yet I still avoid my emotions (and resist them and fight the causes) nearly every day. But the practice of trying to engage my emotions, and merely observe those of others, continues to help me get a daily grip while the world unravels around us.
My favorite resources right now for managing just my own emotions are Kami Orange and Nedra Glover Tawwab and the Hack Your Nervous System deck. (I’m working on finding a therapist again, but haven’t made it that far.)
Protect the sovereignty of my attention
Attention sovereignty is not the same as focus.
I’m talking about a complete moratorium on sharing my brain space with chaos mongers and people trying to flood our “airwaves” and our nervous systems with hate, fear, doom, and despair [3]. Enough of that bullshit leaks into my awareness through my connectivity with other people and the internet. But I’m not seeking it out, and I’m opting out as much and as quickly as possible when other folks bring it up.
Instead, I’ve committed my attention to media and ideas that foster creativity, connection, and collective action. This means my current subscriptions (on all platforms) prioritize people who:
✔️make art or crafts [4]
✔️analyze the history and social influence of such efforts
✔️are writers or folks giving advice to people writing books
✔️connect nature and spirituality through daily and cyclic practices.
But above all, I am filtering for people who know how to make change happen and/or can help people learn how!!! [5]
Commit my time and resources to specific community efforts
I am involved with three community change efforts that are fulfilling and feel vital to me. Within those efforts, I am being very deliberate in what I volunteer to do and restraining from the sort of nonprofit building I know so well how to do…and know so intimately as a direct route to burnout.
Similarly, I am actively considering what I will and will not pick back up at work when I return from sabbatical. The key takeaway here for me is that I will be prioritizing community efforts over “volunteering” at work.
I am also prioritizing donating resources (money, artwork, etc.) to local organizations, followed by rent/grocery support initiatives and then artists/makers/writers.
How about you?
I'll ask the same question from last week: what basic, everyday habits or actions are you leaning on for momentum, motivation, and connection in the face of everything happening in the world right now?
NOTES
[1] I am super anti-surveillance, including for any kind of health device. The privacy commitment on this app seems legit.
[2] I’m also an inveterate word and graphic design nerd, so the whole way they lay out the possible emotions and how they define them is interesting to me.
[3] That’s what last year’s post about the doom spiral discusses. In that post, I detail a bunch of specific tactics I’m using to keep my brain space clear enough to connect with loved ones and community, and to actually show up for efforts to make the world better.
[4] For art and writing-related insights, I’m LOVING these folks: Anna Brones/Creative Fuel, Chris La Tray/An Irritable Métis, Jami Attenberg/CraftTalk, Roxane Gay/The Audacity, Courtney Maum/Before and After the Book Deal, Christine Tyler Hill/The Cloud Report & Tender Dispatches.
[5] I am especially inspired and heartened by these folks’ approach to community building and the skills we need to do it: Garrett Bucks/The White Pages (big focus on community gathering and how to do it), Rebecca Solnit/Mediations in an Emergency (think Heather Cox Richardson/Letters from an American, but about how social change efforts have worked!!), Krispin & D.L. Mayfield/Strongwilled, Warm Cookies of the Revolution, Pink Poster Club, Mona Eltahaway/Feminist Giant, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg/Life is a Sacred Text, Lisa Sibbett/The Auntie Bulletin, The Free Store Project.
I just read this post and it really gives some honest insights into what actually helps people, which isn’t always as simple as it sounds. I’ve been working on a piece about practical support and wellbeing for one of my assignments, and sometimes I struggle to organize my ideas in a way that flows well. That’s why I needed some Native Assignment Help putting everything together clearly and explaining my points hasn’t always been easy. This article gave me good real‑world examples and helped me think about how to express my own thoughts better, which made writing my assignment feel a lot more manageable.