It's a great time for a solar-powered (inner) energy audit

Hello you apple of my eye.

I was introduced to a new word this week: Doomscrolling. And honestly I felt a little called out. I have not been posting much on social media since the pandemic started (or frankly before then too), but that doesn't mean I haven't been on Twitter a LOT.   Whether it is understanding the future of the Black Lives Matter movement and

ongoing protests (and as a post-script, Rep. John Lewis passed away this weekend-- it is worth reading his obituary in the New York Times to get a feel for his remarkable life-- and here is a big petition to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge), contemplating the Second Great Depression, or worrying about the mysteries of COVID19 that scientists are still trying to solve-- as we have talked about many times in these dispatches, there is a LOT to keep on top of. And my doomscrolling is not helping my levels of engagement with what matters, nor my mental health. So I am thinking about how to switch things up a bit.

I am not advocating for pulling back from being engaged with what matters. We shape our world by seeing, knowing and then doing something with that understanding. But there needs to be a bit of strategy to navigating all of this, particularly in these times with so much happening.

So as mid-summer descends with its long days and sunny breezes, I am advocating for taking a short pause this week to check in with ourselves, do a little stocktaking and see how our inner reserves are holding up. Because when autumn rolls around, I predict we will be needing them.  

This is of course a self-interested call to action. Maybe your energy levels are feeling great-- and if so, I salute you (and please teach me your ways). But mine are feeling low/ chaotic right  now, and as I look to the autumn, I am a little nervous about individual and collective burnout if we are not checking in with ourselves now when things are still warm and sunny.

As usual, I don't know how best to do this-- we will all have to feel it out to see what works for each of us. Maybe it is sitting in stillness for a while, maybe it is talking things over with friends or family to better understand your and their experiences, maybe it is journalling, maybe it is forest bathing and being in nature. There are lots of different ways to check in with yourself.

But what I do know is that managing inner reserves doesn't just happen: we have to make space for what we want and need. I also know that habit and ritual can help with regular check-ins and pivots when needed (as Leah talked about a couple of weeks ago, and whether you are feeling spiritually connected to ritual or not).

And finally, I know that when it comes to managing our inner reserves, we can often be our own worst enemies, and waste precious energy wallowing in our own failures rather than steeling ourselves for the change and transformation that is needed. I liked this Brene Brown podcast episode on shame and accountability-- talking about why accountability is a prerequisite for change, and why we need to get our heads and hearts around the difference between being held accountable for racism and feeling shame and being shamed, for example.

This is not to say that we should not be doing our own inner work. It is essential that we are doing so. And sitting with the pain and confrontation of the world right now is an important part of understanding what is going on and our place in it. But self-understanding and self-compassion is a key ingredient in being present to the pain and transformation as well. I have found it helpful this week to take a pause in the sun, and to look at where I might be getting in my own way and spinning my wheels, wasting precious energy (like on doomscrolling and shame spirals) that might be better applied to serve myself and the world.

But wait! Perhaps all of this talk of inner resource management is feeling a bit too intense on a sunny Sunday morning? Then maybe you want to check out this self-compassion workbook, or set of guided meditations and exercises (thanks Doris P.) to help get a handle on where your needs fit in the grand scale as well as the personal scale.  (I do not profess to do this well at all, but the ongoing effort is always fruitful) 

Still too much realness?  In case you missed it, there has been a LOT about cakes that look like other things on twitter this week (yes, there are small silver linings to the doomscrolling...). One of my favourite riffs on this social media moment is this Dan Levy as a cake thread. Enjoy! 

From one reserve-cultivating person to another, I am glad that we can question how we are helping or hindering our growth together. I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a compassion-filled week!

Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus