When the World is Heavy

I had a hard time figuring out what to write about. The world has been so heavy this week, and I felt like a lot of the topics I was considering were very superficial. So instead, I came up with a list of things I would recommend and try to do myself when the world feels heavy.

1. Get Outside: touch grass, as the kids say. They are on to something. Being in nature, feeling the breeze and the sun, listening to birds or water, all have a grounding effect on us. Take a few moments to get into nature and connect with yourself and the world around you.

2. Turn Up the Tunes: I have a mildly unhinged playlist I have entitled “Get your mood out of the trash”. It’s full of 80’s pop hits, 90’s hiphop, Taylor Swift, random EDM, and one of my newest faves, the 502’s, who call themselves the happiest band on Earth. Whatever gets your head bobbing and your hips shaking, turn that up. What's on your playlist?

3. Give Back: Pick up trash at the park, volunteer at the food bank, make your neighbor dinner, the options for giving back and helping others are limitless. We especially recommend a donation to your favorite nonprofit and ours ;)

4. Connect with Others: Call a friend, meet up with your cousin, or just head to your favorite watering hole to be around other people. Isolation will only make your heaviness heavier, so get out there and connect.

5. Let it Out: Talk about it, write about it, draw about it, shake it off, doesn’t matter. Just don’t hold it in. 

6. Get Creative and Get Your Hands Dirty: This can look a lot of different ways and the best part is that you don’t have to be good at it. Just paint something or plant something or bake something. It’s all about creating and getting messy. The outcome isn’t important, it’s the experience that matters here.

7. Call Your Representatives: This is an action step we can’t forget. When the world feels heavy with tragedy, it’s a good time to remind your elected officials what is important to you.

8. Move Your Body: Ride a bike, hike, swim, rollerblade, Prancercize...doesn’t matter, just get moving. Don’t let that negative energy get stuck in your body.

9. Rest: Hot take, rest is productive. Our bodies need it, and sometimes that can help us get through the heavy times.

10. Be Mindful about the Internet: The world wide web can be an easy place to get lost. Rabbit holes, misinformation, and performative outrage are everywhere and it can be easy to doomscroll for hours. Be particular about the people you follow on social media, curate your timeline, find neutral sources of information, set time limits for yourself.

11. Get playful: This one isn't just for kids. Play is important at all ages of life! So whether you play canasta or tennis or go to trivia every week with friends, get playing!

12. Find Moments of Joy: I recently listened to Ross Gay's Book of Delights, a collection of short essays inspired by the daily delights he noticed. It's an inspiration to look at the smaller things in life that bring a spark of joy.

Waterfall view from a recent hike

I hope something in this list hits home for you. Let me know what you decide on, I’d love to hear how you handle things when the world is heavy.