How it all starts with you

By: Margot Walsh

We’re spinning. Waking up feeling sad or angry without even knowing why. The news is relentless. Every day there is something new to process…another crisis, another story, another outrage, another thing we are supposed to understand, react to, or fix. There are 700 things we are expected to metabolize all at once, and it’s exhausting. And sometimes I feel like it’s the responsible thing to do to keep up with it all… even when I’m about to crash out. 

But there is something important to remember: nothing about this pace of information is natural for the human mind or body. Technology has evolved far faster than we have. Our nervous systems were not designed to absorb hundreds of headlines a day or to carry the emotional weight of global events happening every minute across the planet. We were not designed to witness suffering constantly through a screen while sitting in our kitchens, offices, or beds. And yet that is exactly what we are asking our minds and bodies to do.

So if you feel overwhelmed, unfocused, disconnected, or like you want to look away from it all…me too. It is your body telling you something important. It is saying this is too much. It is saying something needs to slow down. It is asking you to come back to something real.

Human beings are wired to respond to things we can actually touch. Historically, when something was wrong in our communities, we could see it and stand next to someone and help directly. Our bodies understand how to process problems that exist within reach. But when we are constantly exposed to things happening thousands of miles away, things we cannot touch, cannot influence immediately, and cannot solve on our own, our nervous systems do not know what to do with that energy. Instead, we begin to feel helpless and hopeless, and over time that can turn into numbness or the urge to shut down completely.

One way through this is to find something that you can touch. Find something real. Find somewhere that you can actually have an impact. Maybe that means donating your time somewhere in your community. Maybe it means supporting an organization doing work you believe in. Maybe it means having thoughtful conversations with the people around you. Maybe it means being intentional about how you explain the world to your kids. Maybe it simply means raising compassionate, thoughtful humans who will help build a better future than the one we are navigating right now.

All of those things matter. But if something like that is STILL feeling overwhelming and just like one more thing to do…then I say this. In order to do any of them well, we have to first take care of the only system we truly control: ourselves. We have to slow down enough to ground our bodies and calm our minds so we can think clearly and stay connected. The world does not need us burnt out and numb. It needs us here, present, and WELL.

So maybe some days the best thing we can do, our act of rebellion, is to take care of ourselves. To rest, to breathe, to ground yourself so that the best version of you can continue to show up, live your life, and do the good you can wherever you can. Because, like my mom used to say, “peace starts at home.”

Margot is the Co-founder of Femnest and serves as the Director of Growth & Connection. She is a life coach and the creator of Beyond: Discover Who You Are Beyond the Stress, a group coaching program that helps women move past overwhelm and into clarity, calm, and confidence. To learn more about working with her or to join the next round of Beyond, send her a message.