I usually give an update on the news across different aspects of the polycrisis, but this week, I’m going to share how I cope with what’s going on without losing my mind.
Watching the fear, rage and despair present everywhere, it’s obvious many people are already losing their minds, and this is my greatest fear – how we collectively respond to these times. If we all sink into negativity, it’s only going to get worse.
So, let me share my way of coping and this is something I consciously practise every single day. It gives me an enormous amount of inner peace.
However, before I continue, it’s important to share sometimes I fall off the wagon, because hey, I’m just a human being with a heart. But when that happens, I let myself sink into the feelings and when I’m capable, I come out, ready to fight again. So here it is.
Acceptance. Presence. Action.
Acceptance
The first state is sitting in a state of acceptance. Acceptance is not saying things are fine, and it’s definitely not giving up. It is simply the point where you stop arguing with reality and demanding the world be convenient with a more comforting narrative. These are not the times we are in my friends.
When you sit in acceptance, you stop wasting emotional energy on disbelief. You don’t get shocked every time a brittle system breaks, an institution fails, a war starts, an extreme right-wing party gets elected, or the next crazy Trumpian reality hits. You witness and understand it, but it doesn’t get the emotions roiling.
Acceptance means you see the board clearly, BUT you stay locked on what must happen, pouring all your energy there.
I know we are being ruled by dangerous clowns. I know we are pushing the planet off the stability cliff that makes our civilization possible. I know that deep sea mining is disastrous, more fossil fuel leases idiotic, that AI energy and water consumption will tip us over, or that the dangerous state of our information landscape will continue to tear us apart, but I put my energy where I can do something. That is acceptance.
Presence
There’s no question facing today’s realities can make us grim (or worse, cynical) if we’re not careful, and that’s why acceptance must include presence, because constant outrage and misery isn’t going to protect anyone or change anything.
Protecting your ability to laugh, love, connect, and notice beauty is not denial, it is the vital fuel that prevents burnout and despair. When you’re fighting for the future of our species, you’re not just trying to survive, you’re defending the conditions that make life worth living.
You stop for butterflies and birds, sunsets and amazing cloud formations. You make someone smile who didn’t know they had a smile in them that day. You have empathy for someone barking bile because you know they are hurting and sitting in fear. You can sit in a gentle, loving place, because you know this is what really matters. This helps me enormously.
Presence pulls you into the present moment, and it helps you see what is beautiful in your life right now. The people you love the most, the community you treasure and the environment that sustains you every single day. Presence is incredibly powerful.
Action
Which brings us to number three and that is action. None of us can solve the complex challenges the world faces alone, and if we wait for or expect a guaranteed outcome before we act, we will never start.
We also don’t act because success is guaranteed, we act because giving up is not an option. How can we give up? We’re fighting for our kids futures and that is our fuel for the fire in our soul. This powerful energy to act is renewed by a deep and powerful love for our kids and all life on this beautiful planet.
To keep this energy alive, we measure our impact by the harm we prevent, the resilience we build, and the communities we protect. We don’t sit in failure, because that’s a trap leading to despair. We keep going, we keep fighting, because that is the only way we know how to face these challenging times.
If you haven’t started cleaning up a beach or your neighbourhood, joined a community action or education group, set up a mentor program for young men and women or boys and girls to help them get ready for the future, spoken up, shared ideas, participated in the action required by every single one of us, can you accept this as an invitation to get started?
Right across the world, people are doing amazing things. They are working to save what they can or what they’re passionate about, but they need help. Every time someone new shows up, it gives that energy tank a refill, so get involved. Everyone can do something.
Acceptance gives us clear sight
Presence keeps us human
Action gives our energy somewhere useful to go
As I mentioned earlier, it’s not easy to stay in this place all the time and not be negatively impacted by the chaos of our world – we’re only human after all – so expect to get overwhelmed sometimes and then get back to work.
Can you give it a go? It’s kept me sane for more than a decade piling through the information to bring the threads of the polycrisis together, and I know it works, so I hope it works for you too. Let me know if you give it a go.
Remember, accept what is real, stay human, and do what is yours to do.
Want to understand the times we are living through?
The above is a tiny section of my new workshop, an important part. If you’re in Singapore and interested, I have a couple of seats left for my new workshop, Untangling the polycrisis, understanding interconnected global risks, systemic drivers, and how we respond, which is happening on November 2nd. You can sign up here, and the cost will only cover the actual cost of the event, because this is still in pilot stage. Drop me a message if you’re keen.
It’s a serious workshop, so I don’t recommend it to people sitting in a fragile state, but if you want to hear my analysis of the story of this time, with a large focus on what we can do about it, would love to have you there.
You can learn more about it here: Untangling the Polycrisis Workshop | Andrea T Edwards
What can we do?
This is some of the action I’ve taken, a couple of tools to help people navigate these times.
First up is The Overshoot Challenge, which provides more than 300 ideas on the actions you can take to live in balance with our earth. It encourages you to start where you are, and build from there – The Overshoot Challenge: What Can I Do?
Also, I believe it’s important to understand the risks based on where you live, so you can get prepared. Preparation is vital – Where You Live – Your Polycrisis Risk Profile.
Dig into the news
When you visit the daily news page, remember to save it to your home screen and you can check the news anytime, as it’s updated throughout the day, every day – by a real human, me.
This news curation tool covers news and thought leadership across all issues relevant to the polycrisis, as well as some light stuff, because we can’t be serious all the time. To get to the news, click through on the image below, and a reminder, it goes back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you. The categories are right on top as well, so you can dig into whatever issue you care about.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea T Edwards, CSP
Making sense of the forces reshaping our world and what we can do about them
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About me
I help leaders make sense of the polycrisis, the interconnected ecological, social, technological, economic and geopolitical challenges shaping our future, and respond with clarity, courage and practical action.
Through strategic advisory, executive coaching, keynote speaking and workshops, I help organizations strengthen leadership, unlock the power of their people and navigate meaningful change.
I’m the author of Uncommon Courage, an invitation and 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile, co-host of The Sh*t Show, a livestream exploring the realities of the polycrisis and what we can do about it, as well as the podcast, Uncommon Courage.
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Andrea T Edwards, CSP | Keynote Speaker, Author & Podcaster
Uncommon Courage – An Invitation
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