Events, Emotions, Stories, Actions

How to care for yourself and others

One or more social or ecological events or realities could be generating stressful emotions in your body-mind. Let’s review a few, and then see how we might care for ourselves so that we can care for others. Are any of the following affecting you as they are me?

• Climate Change with its fires, smoke, floods, and mega-storms.

• Dieback of species and ecosystems of water, soil, air, plants, and animals.

• Continued viral infections and future pandemics.

• Misogyny and patriarchy.

• Systemic poverty, crony capitalism, and wealth hoarding by a few.

• Voter suppression.

• Supreme Court decisions against abortion, affirmative action, and student loan forgiveness.

• Alliances of the super-rich, racists, and religious fundamentalists.

• False news which creates confusion, hatred, and a climate of violence.

• Systemic racism.

• War in Ukraine.

• Threat of nuclear war.

• Unregulated Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

How can we care for ourselves in this moment of history and evolution?

First, we can recognize how we are feeling. We can acknowledge our emotions of fear, anger, hopelessness, depression, or whatever.

Second, we can care for our emotions and our body-mind. We can be gentle, patient, and kind with ourself. Emotions are impermanent and will change. We can practice mindful breathing. Breathing in, I am aware of my despair. Breathing out, I care for my despair.

Third, we can interpret what is happening, why it is happening, and what we might do in response. My story is that we are living in a critical time of massive social and ecological changes. There are signs of unraveling and collapse. We can care for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, other species, and ecosystems in this moment. We can decide that this time of crisis is an opportunity to reinvent and transform the human enterprise on planet Earth.

Fourth, we can make decisions and take actions. We can grow a food garden near our home. We can promote green energy. We can support women’s rights and empowerment. We can care for the homeless and the hungry. We can support Universal Basic Income. We can push for a wealth tax. We can become active in politics. We can show support for people of different ethnic or religious backgrounds. We can become peace activists. We can speak out, write, vote, get out the vote, organize, support nonprofit organizations, demonstrate, create art, volunteer our time, and much more. We can demonstrate understanding and compassion for all beings everywhere.

Yes, let us be grateful for the gift of our life and for the gift of life itself. Let us acknowledge the supreme mystery of being part of a living planet, circling a beautiful sun-star, spiraling in the Milky Way galaxy, in an evolving universe.

Yes, and yes, and yes.