11 Comments

So much of this is so relatable! As a fellow certified news junkie with a penchant for spiraling (either solo or in the company of other spiralers), looking on the bright side doesn’t come naturally. And I hate to admit how much stepping back from the news cycle helps my mental state. So I appreciate hearing how it’s helped you find your zen. And yes to leaning into possibility! Radical imagination is one of the biggest things holding me back from the pit of despair!

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So glad you can relate to this! I can't say that it'll be a permanent change, but I am grateful I've find some kind of balance this summer. October and November are going to be wild, though!

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I absolutely go down the many rabbit holes of news, seemingly trying to find any 'what the hell is going on in the world?' articles. I think I'm looking for a bottom? Answers? But, a week ago I deactivated my Instagram account because I felt I was almost - not quite - becoming manic about it. I started following way too many political profiles, because I think I get more detailed, less homogenized, news there, but I could almost feel my brain looking for "it" (whatever the switch getting flipped was) every morning as soon as I woke up. So, a week later I am missing the extra connection I had with family and friends, but also, as I recently told a friend, my brain and the physical space around me started feeling more expansive. A very strange, cool, and most tangible feeling. I'm giving myself a minimum of two weeks, at most a month, and then will decide if it's permanent or not. Though, I'm pretty sure I'll be back, but will seriously cull some profiles to find and keep that optimism! 😁

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Love this! Yes, that for sure can be a big part of it. I just added the Opal app to completely block me from IG and Gmail on my phone after an hour a day cumulatively. I honestly think that will help a ton.

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I'm unfamiliar with the Opal app, but will look it up since I just popped back on Instagram today - perfect timing!

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Buying that shirt rn.

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yessss!!!!

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Jk it must be old. Want one!!!

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They were a thank you gift for Patreon supporters a couple years ago. Let me see if I can get one through her Patreon somehow. or if she's still doing that.

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not to be the guy who promotes their own post on someone else's post, but this reminded me so strongly of my own work on hope and how to more through hopelessness. Specifically this guide for bees: https://almostseminarian.substack.com/p/how-to-move-through-hopelessness

I love paying attention, and I love paying attention to what matters, which is just as much local activism as it is the sun shining through the clouds at its setting in a particularly spectacular show of color.

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Oh I love it! Definitely not against sharing one's own writing. I feel like I'm new to noticing and this is such a beautiful way to distill this. Thank you for sharing!

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