We are officially past the halfway point of what has been a very tumultuous year and friends, it just keeps going. The presidential election here in the US is on the forefront of the mind for so many of us, on top of multiple genocides, and that’s on top of all of the changes in legislation and horror and injustice that’s been happening. Shit is very scary out in the world and I am feeling palpable outrage and fear from people I’m connected with. And rightfully so. We have every right to be angry at what’s going on politically here in the US and terrified of how the election will turn out.

When so much is going on leading up to an election and what will surely be a pivotal event in our lives, it is easy to get caught up in all the worry over what might happen, not to mention the fear of what the fallout will be. It all makes sense based on all of the awful shit we’ve already seen happen!

And still, I have to ask you, ask us, really: What will worrying get us?

The shit we need to talk about this week: we can’t worry over what we cannot control.

What good will it do? And what will the impact be on us in the end?

You know that the answers are that 1) it will do no good and 2) the impact on us in the end will be shit for sure. Panic. Dread. Anxiety. Numbing. Giving away time doing nothing that is soul-filling. Disassociating. Disconnecting from ourselves AND EACH OTHER.

And friends, this is not the time. It’s never the time, let’s be real, but based on what we’re up against, THIS IS NOT THE TIME for disconnecting from ourselves and each other. It’s quite the contrary. THIS IS THE TIME TO DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR CARE OF AND CONNECTION TO OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER.

Join me in this episode as I discuss ways to meet your worry, move through it, and do something about it (to support yourself and the cause you're worrying about) so that you’ll be resourced rather than depleted as we find our way through the world’s dumpster fire.

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A note: I recorded this in a shared space so be prepared for some background sounds big and small! It’s real life real-lifing in real time! Thanks for your patience!

This summer, my goal for you is to stay cool and at ease from the inside out and be minimally burned by the dumpster fire that is this world. How does that sound? You in?

In this episode, I discuss:

- Tending to the tough and tender parts of our spirit at this point in the year

- The three keys for being in harmony summer:

1) Keep cool - physically and emotionally (especially from the inside, out)

2) Enjoy being mellow (including mentally) and relaxing

3) Be grounded, stable, and at ease (especially at a cellular level)

Jump in for all the goodness!

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Friends, we are having to endure too much these days, both in our individual lives and collectively. And if you, like me, are finding it to be increasingly harder and harder to cope in the world, then, this episode is for you. And I hope you get from it a bit of what you need.

I’m hearing from people that they’re feeling numb, disconnected, distressed, grief, overwhelm, anger, exhaustion, anxiety, and so much in between. We all have our own ways of dealing with all that is present while living in our current times, and some coping mechanisms I’m hearing pretty consistently these days is disconnecting from things we normally do and enjoy, or spending more time than usual getting caught up in things that totally suck up our time or even purposely numbing out through those things that suck up our time (like aimlessly scrolling), or in some instances, disassociating, which is the mental process of disconnecting from our thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity.

It’s possible you’re finding yourself doing some or all of the above. No shame, friends. It makes sense because continuing to be in a state of chronic stress with one stressful episode piling on top of another is super dysregulating and we’re not meant to deal with multiple distressing things at once for long periods of time. So, we end up coping by disconnecting, numbing and disassociating so that we can simply show up to our responsibilities and be some semblance of a human.

But the hard truth is: none of these coping mechanisms help anything in the long run. They don’t stop the genocide or oppression. They don’t help us deal with what we’re experiencing in a sustainable way. In reality, what these coping mechanisms do is allow us to slide further down the rabbit hole of overwhelm and despair. It fuels further dysregulation and disconnection from ourselves and each other. It fuels reactionary behavior rather than thought-out responses.

So what we really need to understand is: Our needs, our desires, this picture we have of how we know life can be for ourselves, our communities, and for others around the world NEED US TO NOT COPE IN THESE WAYS.

Ending genocide and other injustice and oppression that’s happening around the world and in our communities requires us to NOT disconnect from ourselves and each other, numb out, or disassociate from it all.

It requires us to COME BACK TO OURSELVES and go all in on our self-love practices.

In this episode, I discuss a variety of practices and mindset shifts to do just that.

Jump in for all of the goodness!

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Additional resources from this episode:

Michelle Cassandra Johnson instagram: @skillinaction

Susanna Barkataki instagram: @susanabarkataki