Trump’s second inauguration was a difficult day for me. The row of billionaires lined up behind the new President, who is also a billionaire, certainly looked like a corporate takeover of the federal government. The ensuing blitzkrieg of executive orders, each one more cruel than the previous one, sent me reeling. I felt afraid for all the people who were now a target of this new regime. I worried about them and their families. I felt sad for our earth and the likely acceleration of global warming and the ecological devastation to come.
I fell into a doomscrolling death-spiral.
I felt terrible reading all of the awful news, but I felt even worse when I wasn’t reading the news. When I put down my phone for a couple of hours, my anxiety just kept growing. I knew that bad things were happening, but without my phone, I didn’t know what. I felt like it was better to know, but finding out was wrecking my nervous system.
I had trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating. I was hypervigilant, distracted. I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t hit the off-button.
Also, I was embarrassed that I was struggling. I am a licensed psychotherapist with years of training on how to process trauma and manage emotions. And before I even studied psychology, I had my own experience overcoming personal trauma and becoming resilient. Yet, here I was, struggling. I felt like something was wrong with me.
As a father (of two) and a husband, and a psychotherapist, I knew I had to pull it together. I sought out articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts to help me cope. I found a little bit here or there, but most of it was just more on the latest terrible news, and that just made me feel worse!
I looked around and saw friends and family members who were struggling too. Some blocked out the news. Some were in denial. Others were falling into depression.
In my psychotherapy practice, my clients were also struggling. Some felt anxious, some depressed, some were afraid, many felt helpless and hopeless. I could help them feel better for a little while during our session, but the root cause of their suffering was still there.
I realized that I needed to help myself first. I needed to find a way to cope. I needed to stop the downward spiral. I knew that if I found a way, I could pass that on to my clients, friends, and family members.
I dove deeper into learning about coping with loss and grieving. I found inspiration. I found a way to finally stop Doomscrolling once and for all! I tell this story and how you too can stop doomscrolling in the third episode of Resilience in Dark Times. <no spoilers!>
The more I researched resilience, the more I learned, the more it helped me, and the more I wanted to share what I was learning with the world. That is when I decided to do a podcast. I started recording Resilience in Dark Times.
I now had a mission. I wanted to answer the question: how can we thrive in the face of authoritarianism and climate crisis? This is my question because I don’t know the answer, but it feels very important to me, and important to everyone I know right now.
Since I was feeling so overwhelmed, I felt like I would need to draw from all of my life experience, not only in psychology, but philosophy, political theory, spirituality, and activism. So that’s what I have been doing. I have a B.A. in philosophy and a Masters Degree in Political Theory, so I am pouring over all of my old books on theory with all my underlining and notes in the margins. I am listening to spiritual/psychological podcasts again by wonderful people like Tara Brauch and Jack Kornfield. I am back to trying meditation and breath-work again. I’ve rededicated myself to yoga. I am reflecting back on my work from my teen years through my mid-thirties building democratic organizations fighting for a socially just and ecological world. I am reading the current research on resilience. I continue my work as a volunteer restoring urban wildlife areas. And I joined a local organization that defends undocumented community members. …maybe I’m a bit overcommitted.
Resilience in Dark Times is a chronicle about what I’m learning as I struggle with all the ominous things that are happening in the world right now: the rise of authoritarianism, global warming, and the weaponization of artificial intelligence. I don’t have the answer. Don’t trust anyone who thinks they have “The” answer. But I have found a lot that has helped. And I bet some of what I have learned can help you too.
Resilience in Dark Times started as a way to help myself, but it is now a project to help you. To help everyone. Resilience in Dark Times is as much your project as it is mine. Let me know how you’re feeling. Let me know what you’re struggling with. What have you found that has helped? What do you think it will take to get us through this? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments and chats.
I believe that together we can resist authoritarianism. Together we can restore the planet.
I look forward to having you in our community of resilience.
I want to give a special “Thank You!" to Gina, Samara, Chad, Kim, Retta, Paul, and my wife Peggy. Without your encouragement, love, and support, I would not have been brave enough to launch this endeavor. Thank you!
Let a friend know that they are not alone at this difficult time. Thank you!