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I appreciate your honesty and transparency in writing about your anxiety and depression.

what you describe under 1) Emotional - I completely get. This has been a life-long struggle for me. In general, it is just all the injustices and wrongs. All the animals tortured in labs. Women raped and killed in other countries, in our own country. Indigenous persons slaughtered and cheated, taken as children, cut off from family and tradition, left in mass graves. Mother Earth and the environment. The list goes on and on. I can feel all of it, like a vibration that runs through me. I learned decades ago that I cannot watch violence on TV or in movies and I have to be careful of what I read and what I allow others to tell me. I have been an advocate and an activist since I was 13. And time and time again, I have had to relearn how to protect myself, shield myself with energy. I can only take things in small doses. Respond with one small act at a time. Otherwise, I'm down for the count, in bed indefinitely, listless, sad, drowning in existential angst.

Writing about it is actually something I can't do - interestingly enough. I believe so strongly in writing as therapy and have always advised others to use this tool. For me, however, too often writing keeps me trapped in the topic that causes me frustration and anger. To properly form the argument I want to make takes time. Instead, I opt for quicker solutions. I call my senators, I educate a friend, perform a random act of kindness.

There's never one easy pill - literally or metaphorically. Staying in a good place requires constant diligence, always adjusting according to the situation.

And finally, I'm reminded of the famous Joe Cocker song, "We get by with a little help from our friends"

xo

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