How to keep going when it feels like nothing matters
The world keeps spinning and so must you
If you’re like me, the last 18 days have been distressing. It’s been difficult to focus at work and at home. It’s been a struggle to justify spending any time thinking of trivialities.
If you’re like me, you have been checking the news multiple times a day, hoping for some good news only to be gut-punched with more bad news.
If you’re like me, you probably feel some sense of helplessness or hopelessness.
And yet, the world does not stop, even though it feels like it should. You have to get up and execute your responsibilities to your family, your company, and your community to the best of your abilities.
So if you’re like me, this week’s newsletter is aimed at helping you deal with these perfectly normal feelings during distressing times so that you can keep your world moving.
Note: I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or a person trained to give therapy. Any advice I share here comes from my personal experiences dealing with depression and anxiety in the past.
The war next door
For many of my subscribers in MENA, the war is literally next door. For others who are geographically far away, it doesn’t take much to witness the level of death and devastation happening. All you have to do is open Twitter (I refuse to call it X).
In my 42 years on this planet, I’ve witnessed my community attacked from the West, the East, and right at home. It takes its toll. For many of us who have witnessed all of this and have cared, it’s a miracle that cynicism hasn’t eaten us up entirely and spit us back out. But you gotta keep going.
How are you expected to go about your day like nothing is going on?
In short, you’re not. You have to deal with what you are seeing or else you will mentally shut down and that’s not good for anyone. But at the same time, you have to keep moving forward.
Take time off
If you need to take time off, DO IT. Sick days are not just for physical ailments. If your mental health is suffering, take time off of work.
Talk to someone
If you have feelings of profound sadness and hopelessness, book an appointment with a mental health professional. If you can’t do that, talk to a family member or friends you are close to and that you trust with your vulnerability.
If you are religious and have a trusted clergy member to talk to, reach out to them.
Take breaks from the news or avoid it altogether
This might be hard to do. You might feel like you are turning your back on those screaming to be seen and heard. I can’t turn it off completely. You might feel like you need to be there to retweet and share so the world can see what you see. I’m not telling you not to be active in any humanitarian cause. But even fighters need breaks. Boxers catch their breath and tend to their wounds between rounds. You must too.
Timebox the amount of time you’ll spend consuming news or participating in the online ‘discourse.’
Avoid the news and social media during working hours (as much as possible; I know. I feel you.)
Keep your typical daily routine as much as you can
Unless you are planning to volunteer to offer humanitarian assistance which upends your typical daily routine, you need to stick to some semblance of your usual daily life. That doesn’t mean doing the exact same activities that you were doing before. Some of you might be praying more. Some of you might be protesting. Some of you might be online more. Again, I can’t tell you not to be active. I hope you are active. But you should try to eat at your usual times. You should exercise and spend time with your family. And you should try to sleep and wake up at your usual times.
This is not an exhaustive list of measures you can take to help keep you going during these trying times. These are just a recollection of ways I’ve dealt with distress with feelings of helplessness. I hope they help you if you’re like me.