Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Ask Joe: Feeling stressed and distressed?

Ask Joe: Feeling stressed and distressed?

Hi Joe,

I’m having a tough time worrying about the future. The midterms are coming up, the world feels like it's upside down, and I don’t see it getting any better any time soon. I already was burnt out from the pandemic, not to mention how much stress I had before that. And now I don’t know where I’ll get the energy to move forward. It’s like a marathon that never seems to end. I know this is heavy, but do you have any guidance?


Distressed

Hey, Distressed.

Wow, you describe what so many I talk to are feeling. While I well know this experience of pushing against the odds, something feels different about this moment: As I talk to friends and colleagues in the United States, in Europe and around the world, it looks like the economic, political and climate stressors of our time are not going away any time soon. Yet, unfortunately, our nervous systems can only take so much stress and dysregulation.

Just this week, I was comparing myself to Sisyphus. A never-ending sense of the steep uphill climb of our time, continually pushing that huge rock against the relentless gravitational pull of anxiety, uncertainty and volatility. Every time I think things are moving in the direction of balance and stability, somehow the rock seems to tumble back down the hill. It’s so easy to want to give up or shut down. Yet, what gives me hope is the large number of people I know around the world who, despite all this, get back up, brush themselves off and start rolling that rock again up that hill.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

So, how do we take care of ourselves with the possibility that we are not going to get out of this trend for a while? I took some time to reflect on the philosophies that mid-20th century French philosopher Albert Camus brings up in his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus." He recognizes that Sisyphus had every right to get despondent about his fate that he will have to push his rock up the hill for eternity. However, he suggests that the inevitability of the situation could actually bring Sisyphus to a deep acceptance that can lead to internal balance, maybe peace. Camus concludes his essay with, "The struggle itself ... is enough to fill a [person]'s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

Sorry to get existential with you, Distressed. This might be the last thing you want to hear. But what I offer is the possibility to consider letting go of the idea that, at this moment, it’s going to be different. When you let this go, you let go of the worry and frustration of the future and redirect that energy toward the immediate things that need to be done for yourself, those you serve, for all beings and for the planet itself. By putting your focus on the present, you may see new opportunities for renewed energy and possibility.

This does not mean that I comply with, or blindly accept, the injustices and inequities of our time; I will passionately continue to do my part to shift them. However, like Sisyphus finding internal power to keep on doing what he’s doing, perhaps we can find a deeper inner resolve that we haven’t tapped into in a while, or maybe have never tapped into. This is not an act of acquiescence, but of finding deeper meaning and purpose in what we are already doing.

I find my own internal resolve with the recognition that while I may not at this moment be able to change the external stressors, I do have power in how I respond to them. With this presence and awareness, as well as grounding and focus, the rock doesn’t feel as heavy as it has. And I am also finding that while the rock may roll back down the hill, I can catch it quicker before it gets to rock bottom. While I have setbacks, I can still get back on track. I call this resilient power, where you find vitality, balance and clarity in the challenges.

With this notion that we are in this for the long haul, in what ways can you upgrade your self-nurturing routine? Do you have practices to nurture yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually? Are you finding ways to cultivate the relationships in your life where you get nurtured and where you feel that you are truly seen for who you are?

This focus on nourishment and self-care is crucial for all of us at this time. While a marathon runner heads towards the finish line, the key to a successful run is to stay hydrated and only going as fast as is needed to take that next step.

So, Distressed, be gentle and pace yourself.

Joe

Learn more about Joe Weston and his work here. Make sure to check out Joe’s bestselling book Fierce Civility: Transforming our Global Culture from Polarization to Lasting Peace, published March 2023.

To Ask Joe, please submit questions to: AskJoe@Fulcrum.us.

Read More

The Psychology of Politics

An illustration of people and their unique minds.

Getty Images, Carol Yepes

The Psychology of Politics

Have you ever wondered why so many otherwise reasonable people are completely bananas about politics? We all know plenty of normal and decent folks who spout wacky political views. But it’s not just our neighbors who’ve gone mad. All over the country, Americans pick and choose the facts they want to believe, champion policies they don’t understand, hold contradictory views at the same time, admire immoral politicians, loathe decent ones, and so on.

What’s going on here? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

Keep ReadingShow less
Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

A person holding a stack of dollar bills that are flying away.

Getty Images, PM Images

Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

The 2024 film, “Anora,” about a young woman victimized by sex trafficking, recently won five Oscars at the Academy Awards. Perhaps, it is a signal of more awareness and less stigma surrounding the pervasiveness of domestic violence at all levels of society.

The ongoing lawsuits between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni claiming sexual harassment and violence threat allegations around their film, “It Ends With Us,” about a relationship scarred with domestic violence, demonstrates the thin line between real life and on-screen adaptations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

Environmental Protection Agency EPA | Where James works | mccready ...

Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

WASHINGTON—The federal government laid off more than 60,000 workers in the first two months of 2025, while another 75,000 employees accepted a buyout and voluntarily resigned.

Among those laid off was James Clark, an Environmental Protection Agency employee who lost his job while on his honeymoon. “It’s just very sad to see someone like Elon Musk take a chainsaw on live TV and say what we do doesn’t matter,” said Clark.

Keep ReadingShow less
Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Tasos Katopodis

Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

On March 14, the GOP-led Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government running until September 30. The bill’s passage was made possible by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s last-minute reversal—shifting from opposing the measure and advocating for a shorter extension to allowing the bill to advance. His decision was purely tactical: he feared Democrats would be blamed for a shutdown.

Schumer’s move provided the necessary votes to overcome procedural hurdles, effectively thwarting a Democratic filibuster. While Republican support for Trump’s budget was unsurprising, the Democratic leadership’s decision to go along was a stunning concession. It handed the Trump administration a significant victory while further eroding Congress’s budgetary authority, shifting more spending power to the executive branch.

Keep ReadingShow less