Business Post - Writing in Turbulent Times

Let me be upfront. I live in Canada, so while things are somewhat more uneasy (like, having to seriously discuss the possibility that maybe, our formerly closest ally might decide to invade us was not on the cards even a few months ago) than I'd like, it's not as though we're seeing the imposition of a fascist state in our country.

Well, not yet. Hopefully, not at all if Canada votes correctly.

That being said; this isn't an easy period at all, especially not to be creative. It's a crazy time, with politics, at last count around 5 different nasty viruses attacking the chest running around (Influenza A & B, Covid, RSV, rhinovirus and maybe the bird flu coming... https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/Data-and-Analysis/Infectious-Disease/Respiratory-Virus-Tool) and things are tricky.

Nor am I going to say that I'm particularly enlightened about this, I have zero training in things like psychology or the like; so I can't offer any studies or knowledgeable workarounds. 

In addition, I am in somewhat of a weird situation in that I have always coped with significant stress by compartmentalizing issues and disassociating via creation of stories. So writing stories is literally my coping mechanism (okay, I mostly made them up in my head); which makes my current job easier.

Still...

It's tricky. So... some thoughts.

Compartmentalize 

Yes, it's generally a bad idea; though we all do it to some extent. In this case, building up walls between 'work' and 'life' and 'existential dread of what might happen' is important to function. Not saying you shouldn't be dealing with each aspect, but dealing with them in the moment and time and place you need to, and in the meantime, trying to stay in the moment of what you're doing.

For me, that mostly means working in the moment. I already have an automatic filter out for certain people, I'm off X entirely (which is just a total cesspool) and I try to check the news only at certain times. Preferably NOT in the morning immediately. 

Living in the Moment (Mindfulness)

If you read A Thousand Li, you know I practise Daoism anyway; so it shouldn't be too surprising that I'm into mindfulness. Admittedly, I don't practise the same version as the one going out around, but a lot of the aspects of living in the moment, dealing with the world as it comes (starting and stopping work when it makes sense, working or resting when the body is screaming at you) is what I try to do.

Not necessarily well - I have a tendency to overwork in some ways, to push when I'm still ill, etc. But while I don't listen to my body much; I do listen to my mind.

Part of that is not using the phone as much. Physical books help a lot, TV and movies are fine; but using social media (especially TikTok/etc.) to numb yourself is bad. I have set-up apps on my phone to kill certain apps if I overuse them through the day, forcing me to back to mundane stuff.

Finding Joy & Consuming It

Wear bright colours. Smile more. Dance when you want to dance. Go out, do the things that you enjoy doing. Or do the things that you REALLY wanted to do, but haven't. 

Seriously - go have fun. We all need those dopamine dumps, the happy chemicals in your body. 

Consume the media that makes you happy (even if it's scary or stressful); because it makes you happy. Listen to music, read some books, go exercising. Go watch a live comedy show - and groan at how bad they might be.

If you don't know what to do - just go for a walk. If you can hit a bunch of greenery, do that.

Planning for the Future

There's a certain comfort in planning for the future, knowing what you need to do if certain events happen. Plotting it out, talking it out with friends and family if necessary can be useful. Pulling together money, resources, documents, all of that can be comforting. It can give you a certain level of certainty of what needs to happen.

If you don't have a 'go bag', why not? With the sheer volume of natural disasters these days, it makes sense to at least know where some of your most important documents, some of your basics can be and having a bag that's ready to take with you with the basics of survival stuff (snacks/meals, water, a change of clothing, documentation, lights, money, etc.) can be helpful.

For us, it's having discussions about potential problems, about what we should do as a family, what the overall plan is. Even if it makes you feel insane to talk about, there's nothing wrong with acknowledging how insane it is, but also that you're thinking about it. You'd be surprised how many people agree with you...

Exercise

Yeah, you don't want to hear it. I get it. It sucks. If full on exercise is impossible, get up right now and run through PE stretches. Do your neck, roll it around. Do your wrists, roll them around. Do your shoulders, chest, waist, knees, ankles. Twist from side-to-side as you stretch out and limber out your body. Get a simple pomodoro timer (I use a cute timer) that gets you up every 25-30 minutes. Stretch, walk around, grab a drink. Bounce on your feet.

Put the sugary drinks down.

If you can do more, do it. Squats every once in a while, pushups. Situps. Burpees. Bodyweight (Calisthenics) exercises are great, and can be done in even the smallest amount of space and helps you limber up. Don't over do it - tendons take forever to strengthen. But stretch, exercise a bit.

It'll make you happy, especially if you can keep it up for 15 minutes. Even 5 can help.

Check in on friends & talk to them

Yeah, I'm terrible at this. But I've been trying to reach out to friends in the states and outside, to talk to those who have been a little more affected can be good. For you and for them. 

And that's about it. That's what I'm doing to get through these days. How about you?