How to do it:

Your adrenal system wasn’t designed for constant vigilance. Children in abusive homes and people in war zones suffer permanent harm from an over-taxed system designed to keep them safe during short attacks. It’s like running the engine at redline for months. Eventually something cracks.

Not all of us have choices. Some people are already struggling to survive every day in the U.S., but for the rest of us—for the people whose day to day lives are in many ways surreally normal—emotional regulation can help us find the pathway between burnout and checking out.

Let’s take a concrete example: for 48 hours in early April speculation swirled that Trump might engage in a nuclear strike on Iran. All news and social media cycles swirled around this speculation, with some expressing grief or shock that things got this far, while others leveraged the moment for their own agendas. Some people channelled that energy into action: protests, calls to Congress and essays calling for his impeachment. These are useful actions that help to dispel anxiety.

Others felt helpless, and when the crisis finally passed whatever relief there was melted into exhaustion. Today, many people are less energized and ready to fight than they were before we had a glimpse of just how essential it is to remove him from power.

Every time he manufactures a scare, we have a decision to make: is there something I can do? If there is, taking action is one of the best things we can do. The harm from ongoing trauma is largely tied to helplessness. When you take action, your nervous system perceives control.

If there is nothing you can do, or very little you can do, consciously choose not to dwell on the thing upsetting you. This doesn’t mean disconnect from the news. It means choose something mindfully. If nuclear war may be imminent, and you have already called Congress to demand impeachment, maybe it’s time to go garden, knit, or watch a movie.

You don’t fight fascism through anxious attention. You fight it through calm and connection, so once you’ve done the things you can think of to take action, spend time in community, self-soothing, or other actions that keep you prepared for what comes next. Someone else may have ideas you didn’t think of, and will need your energy tomorrow.

None of us can fix this alone, but our own ability to contribute relies on our ability to self-regulate. For a foundation in what self-regulation is, and concrete steps to build your skill base, try this article.