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

Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin
- YouTube

Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

Karissa Raskin is the new CEO of the Listen First Project, a coalition of over 500 nationwide organizations dedicated to bridging differences. The coalition aims to increase social cohesion across American society and serves as a way for bridging organizations to compare notes, share resources, and collaborate broadly. Karissa, who is based in Jacksonville, served as the Director of Coalition Engagement for a number of years before assuming the CEO role this February.

Keep ReadingShow less
Business professional watching stocks go down.
Getty Images, Bartolome Ozonas

The White House Is Booming, the Boardroom Is Panicking

The Confidence Collapse

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and that was before the latest Wall Street selloffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Vote" pin.
Getty Images, William Whitehurst

Most Americans’ Votes Don’t Matter in Deciding Elections

New research from the Unite America Institute confirms a stark reality: Most ballots cast in American elections don’t matter in deciding the outcome. In 2024, just 14% of eligible voters cast a meaningful vote that actually influenced the outcome of a U.S. House race. For state house races, on average across all 50 states, just 13% cast meaningful votes.

“Too many Americans have no real say in their democracy,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Every voter deserves a ballot that not only counts, but that truly matters. We should demand better than ‘elections in name only.’”

Keep ReadingShow less