Being an Haïtian, had to live terrible situations in my country, doing my best to do help Haitian women to take their place in areas of power this episode really helped me!!!
I just want to say I love your videos. Not only are they so interesting, but seeing your healthy, caring dynamic is so lovely, for someone who had a terrible relationship with my dad. It's so wholesome and healing for me.
In 2018 on the Ellen Show, I heard a Californian in state government say something so wise, that I still think of it daily. She said, "We must be joyful warriors." 💙 Remembering this during worry and anxiety does wonders for me.
When I woke up this am, I almost opened a “news” app. A dear family member is in hospice and will likely die this week, and a collection of other stressors started lining up. How GLAD I am that I paused and searched for Being Well -hoping that you’d posted a new episode, Forest. Thank you thank you for following your gut (and viewer mail), and doing THIS episode on grief, anxiety and helplessness. above everything else, by taking it on despite your concerns, you help me get out of my own head, see the next action to take (make the list!) and resume resourcing myself by connecting with others. It’s nuts how quickly my mind decides to turn inward (and then stays there!) until I find “the solution” . Your conversation with Rick today helped me reclaim some Monday morning agency-I am so grateful. 🙏.
You were brave to take on this topic. It may have been triggering to some; however a light being shined is not what worries. It is the suppression of the fear that leads to anxiety so that no personal or global answers can even be entertained. Thank you.
I’ve been devouring your content all day, I’m so grateful I’ve found this podcast! Thank you for all your advice and kind words. My world is changing thanks to you both and all your guests and I’m having a clearer understanding as to how to upgrade myself and maintain my happiness and health.
I bring my food scraps to my local composting center and I use Earth Breeze Eco sheets for my laundry instead of unrecyclable detergent jugs. These are contributions I can make...they're doable for me. And I encourage others to add their small contributions. I can help...I can't fix it all. We can each help a little, and together, we have a chance to fix it.
Thank you for this: A very thoughtful look at the issues and how to make peace with what's going on. One part missing, though, is the added frustration when there IS certainty, over 99% agreement on what needs to be done, but no action from people with power. So much could have been done, so much still could be done, but it won't be, despite our vast knowledge. That feels like a different kind of rage-filled grief that needs to be addressed.
Just Wow! I listen to the podcast regularly, and this one was extremely timely and So Very Helpful to me! Thank you so much to both of you, for taking on this topic squarely and bravely. I could have been one of those people who'd emailed you weeks ago, about anxiety, dread, etc. ..about the World! So much to take in, and sort through these days. Too much. I had decided to go on a News Fast about a day before I listened to this. So, doing that, combined with your wise tips here, has literally lowered my cortisol. I have so much gratitude and just want to say, please keep doing what you're doing. This episode was so needed. Oh, and I'm getting ready to re-listen to it. That's when I give a podcast 5+ stars!
I love these two guys. I watched them so many times on videos and it helped me on the subject "people pleaser". Everytime I watch them I cant help thinking how much better the world would be, if more people were as sensitive and reflective. I would have liked to have had them as family members and would have needed them in my youth. Just as an idea: how about discussing possible creative and positive effects from psychological issues like anxiety, depression and melancholy. I ask: Would we have a Dostojewski or Beethoven without depression and fear? I always found these non anxious, positive and strong willed persons flat and dull with a tendency to cause victims and even harm. At least in my environment. Also I believe one can only see clearly with a crying eye. I wonder what psychology tells us on this subject. Thank you much for your work and your beautiful warmhearted souls❤🎉 Much appreciated❤
There's a little Winnie the Pooh meme that gives me comfort when things get creepy and weird. I framed it for my 10 year old granddaughter who often worries about the "what ifs." It shows Pooh and Piglet walking down a forest path. Piglet asks, "What if a branch falls from this tree and lands on us?" And Pooh replies, "What if it doesn't?" Wise Pooh bear ❤😊
This episode is AMAZING. I found it incredibly helpful and validating. I love that Rick said “grieving is loving”. I love that Forrest said there have been unprecedented times before now. There are so many helpful perspectives in this video. Thank you, Rick & Forrest.
I so appreciated this episode and think it is a necessary conversation in the field of mental health and wellness. We are all impacted by the state of the world and it is my feeling that when wellness spaces hyperfocus on the individual and feel this larger influence is outside of their scope it furthers a sense of alienation, anxiety, and despair in all of us. Thanks for making this space and thanks for your great insights. I highly recommend the work of Francis Weller as well around the grief piece.
Great episode! Have no fear Forrest, you threaded the needle expertly! You showed the long, broad and balanced view of things: Life goes on...and Life is Beautiful.
Seneca has a lot to say in The Shortness Of Life. "They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn." "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy...". I'm no academic but many of this philosopher's writings have relevance today. Not surprising; nothing really has changed in the last few thousand years. Every point of view has it's pros and cons, but in this period of anxiety, a little stoicism may have some legs.
Thank you both so much, immensely appreciate this episode & value the perspectives & practical self help you shared. Looking forward to more like this.
I appreciated the show. You certainly don't have to be an expert in politics to talk about the state of the world, especially as it affects our mental health. Thank you❤
Thank you for this awesome episode! Your conversation & insights remind me of a book I just read, "Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage For a World Falling Apart" by Brian McLaren. Our personal & global realities, acceptances, griefs, hopes, fears, religions, not-knowing, etc. are important to acknowledge. As powerless as we may feel, the power of love and any loving actions we may take can help to energize us and help us to see the beauty we have right now with our Mother Earth and with each other.
The section at 44:42 was the most helpful for me. It's November 7, 2024, so it's a very scary time. I'm a big scared monkey, indeed. But holding impermanence in mind is a useful way to zoom out from the terror that is present right now, and very likely in the days, weeks, and years to come.
I did really find this episode helpful! I particularly liked Forrest's summing up at the end especially reminding us of the horrendous behaviour of the human race in times gone by. I need to listen again, as I was preoccupied by powerful feelings about my son's emotional well being, which affected my full concentration today. But the episode soothed and the points were spot on!!
This really helps me. I struggle with feeling overwhelmed lately with going through a divorce from someone who wreaked a lot of havoc in our lives. It's hard to know when to act, when to conserve emotional resources for another day, and when to just give up because I don't think I can tackle something or if I do if that really helps things. Sometimes I feel that no matter what I do, I will worry that it wasn't enough or at the right time, or I don't know enough to have acted. This talk really helped me just make peace with how a lot of decisions are subjective and that's good because we are not robots, and the relationship with ourselves and with others really matters more than some objective "right" way to do things.
Thank you for your wonderful podcast. I fall asleep listening to you and your dads voices often. Very soothing and no loud music or commercials waking me up. thank you! I have one request.. would you consider talking more about nervous system regulation and somatics? My favorite show so far was with Peter Lavine, it changed my perspective on… well everything.
Love your work and so appreciate it-as it is so needed. The standard medical system is not meeting the needs of people who struggle with mental health issues because its not very profitable to find better solutions for such large numbers of people
Wow. This was a surprising episode! I tend to live in my head a lot. I get anxious and resolve to plan and prepare, but I also have ADHD so my planning, unless bounded by a deadline does not often bear fruit. (I am the procrastinator type perfectionist--also a great episode that gave nuance where I did not think to look for it. Thanks for that, too!) The nebulous fears I feel about my and my family's futures, I do not ever get to grasp and look at the way I would like to. The adults around me all seem to push away heavy topics. By husband dismisses my strong feelings. I feel I have no agency to plan or even voice my fears. I do believe that having a community of connections around me is vital. But I do not know how to start. I love your idea of listing fears, and considering how to take back agency. The seriousness and directness with which you both took on this topic was validating, refreshing, grounding, and empowering. The practicality of your approach also builds in grace for self forgiveness for all the things we each are helpless to take on. And yes, for that we can only grieve what we cannot help. I feel much more settled. Thank you.
You guys the first half of this was so full of triggers that I had to bail. The “one general away” prediction was too much. This is the first time I’ve given you less than stellar feedback. It didn’t make me want you to announce my departure. I just wanted you to know how it landed. Thanks 🙏
Interesting thought about how we come into contact with people and situations as they are either rising or falling and how everything is on a continuum. That makes it easier to take things as they come and not to worry so much.
Very important and timely, thank you ❤. Will you please consider a podcast ALZ ? Caregiving and living with the understanding of permanence is challenging. The discussion of anger, grief and aggression was especially thought provoking. Thank you Forest and Dr. Rick.
I’m only 5 mins in but also the way AI is taking over & how the world is changing in that way, you also touched on marriage later in life but also dating as a whole in todays day & age
Question: At the start of the pandemic, I all of a sudden felt out of control, like no matter how hard I tried to be strong, resilient, and work on my healing process from multiple severe traumas, ultimately there was nothing I could do, because of the measures that were imposed by the government and which could change from one day to the next. In addition to feeling at the mercy of someone else (and all of a sudden being unable to continue therapy sessions, undertake healing activities, having reparative human connections etc.), the subsequent loneliness, isolation, lack of a support system, and multiple more traumatic events, grief, and loss have all contributed to my mental health plummeting. Before that I felt like there were still feasible steps I could take myself to try to move forward with my healing and life, and I focused (on working) on myself and the actions I could take to get. Do you have any specific suggestions as to how I can get that sense of autonomy, resilience, maturity, and inner-peace back? And more specifically, what kind of actions I can undertake myself to work towards this over time?
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences in these “interesting times”! Healing from Covid and listening to yet another excellent podcast from you and your father!
Speaking of relationships, you two are a wonderful team. Thank you for this podcast and all of your work. I'm wondering if you done any work about family estrangement, or if you would. My 25yo son stopped speaking to me over two years ago. With no explanation. For the first year I told myself he's just too busy with college to respond, to say thank you, to -- text "Hi mom, I'm fine"? I was heartbroken and I grieved a ton. I've reached acceptance. But I still can't understand. Can you?
Yes there are real processing opportunities and agencies for each of us however there are real regressive dark shadows in the public sphere which are noted even in comparative terms. This is broadly felt and induces a rational sense of threat and needs for our attention. This is not illusory and is acute in the current time. If you are not awake to these you aren't really listening. Remember Psychotherapy/Therapy needs to identify these pervasive cultural effects as important and factors even in the well adapted. (Note Carl Rogers work with community building et al) My genuine feeling of this episode is you are tending to be dismissive and not account for the pressure or demand on the sensitised and attuned where this is felt genuinely. In the US women are faced with huge impacts on the sense of safety with the abolition of Roe versus Wade and Dobbs. Are they panicking unnecessarily? Are they not the experts to be trusted? This is real for 51% of your population? Why are you being dismissive and are you being balanced about this? Your judicial and democratic systems are under threat and on the ballot. Explain how you side step that? There is a real test at this time and you need to acknowledge this. Why don't you do this here as a broad acknowledgment? Please explain best support. self or otherwise where this has real and acute effect. That is what is needing greater emphasis on this episode.I feel the tone here is horribly wrong.
A lack of self knowledge and lack of realizing inherent value. Accepting one's situation instead of denying it frees up so much energy to enjoy what is available and it frees up our ability to see how to enact the very change we want. Self obsession and rationalization are some of the worst blockers of freedom. Living outside of a day to day time frame also sucks the life out of us. Enjoy a memory, prepare for tomorrow, live today. Get creative and bake someone a cake.
I hope you’re not suggesting that economic insecurity has no impact on mental health. To say nothing of the fact that we may not have a livable planet. The fastest growing population becoming houseless is people over 60. I’m 74 and cannot retire. The average person cannot afford rent or college. And we’re watching the most brutal slaughter of thousands of people right before our eyes. The state of the world impacts mental health…like Gabor Mate says…we live in the myth of normal.
y'all know i love your podcast, but i felt like the scope was a little limited on this one, though you definitely hit some important points (always love the buddhist perspective). you mentioned at the beginning that the personal is political and the political is personal, but i feel like you didn't quite extend that understanding to its logical conclusion through the episode. i think bringing a guest on with both lived experience being at the intersection of oppressed identities and professional experience in mental healthcare focused on this topic would really be ideal, and could present some new ideas to (what i'm guessing is) a largely white, upper middle class, liberal-leaning audience. although you might not want to come off as having a certain political bent for understandable reasons, i also think it's important to specifically name the oppressive forces that shape our lives because people need language to put their personal experiences into context. as an organizer with a lot going on myself, dr. lara sheehi's work has been particularly useful to me in this exact arena-- learning how to process my grief/anxiety about my life and the state of the world while remaining engaged in the struggle to change both, and seeing mental health as something that is created collectively, not something that only exists in the mind for the individual to manage. adrienne maree brown and leah lakshmi piepzna-samarsinha are also excellent resources. to expand on my thoughts for whoever likes reading bc i love writing an essay on yt, if someone is worried about global warming and g3nocide, but they choose to not act on those anxieties because they feel overloaded at work and need rest, or they're the primary caregiver to an aging parent, what are the through lines there? the exploitation of labor and the earth for the benefit of a few, the alienation of people from their communities and environments, the devaluation and institutionalization of care work, etc. these aren't just demobilizing forces to the individual, they are systemic mass (psychic and material) violence that we have been habituated to accept and perpetuate. this violence is meant to keep us atomized, focusing only on the day-to-day survival of ourselves and in-groups, at the exclusion of anyone we have been convinced to other. to discover what needs to be done for both our lives and the world to change, a holistic analysis of what connects the micro and macro is needed, then lifelong learning about different ways of being and meeting our needs. what would actively addressing the things in our lives that give us anxiety look like when connecting the personal to the global? in the above cases, it could be unionizing and striking to stop the flow of materials to harmful industries, joining/creating a care collective to build trust and interdependence with neighbors, or something completely different according to conditions and the limits of imagination. voting and volunteering are nice as minor individual acts, but ultimately, the best solutions to our anxieties will not be created by having the "right" folks in power (see: 40+ yrs of destructive bipartisan neoliberalism), nor occasional efforts at a nonprofit-- they will be found in wholehearted pursuit of forging real community (and recognizing more and more people, even on the other side of the world, as our community and therefore our personal responsibility). it's a lot of effort to not accept the status quo as normal/natural/inevitable (especially if you are protected by or benefit from it to some extent) and to create real, feasible alternatives, but i promise you it is absolutely necessary, practical, heart-healing work. lean into your compassion and your desire for a better world! we can't create it without you
Laughter is good medicine towards fear. How about buying toilet paper? Big city's are a new phenomena from an evolutionary perspective yet are completely normalised. I noticed a big difference in the levels of fear I felt when I relocated 3 months into the pandemic from Los Angeles back home. When I mentioned my plans to a friend in NY who was petrified at the beginning of the outbreak she thought it was terrible I had to move. But I didn't have to, it was a choice. I wonder if statistically people in rural communities ran to the shops to buy toilet paper? This concentration of many people in a small area like a city in contrast to the country site where a lot of labour is automated currently and one machine can do in 18 hours what would have taken a team of people 1 month makes living in a city almost a necessity. My point is that because of the pandemic anyone working in tourism lost their jobs etc. and having less security or expectancy during an emergency increases the amount of fear. The risks of becoming homeless and not having financial insecurity are much lower in my country and that was palpable. I know this was partly subjective but I'm still able to feel the difference between both. So what is my point? Well I think I'm reminded of how clean our earth looked when no plains where flying and no tourists traveling the globe. I think that a scale back with a stronger foundation in reliance on a good social structure, not a big father who will help you kind of structure, but one based on shared responsibility out of gratitude and wonder is a possibility going forward. Oh no! That's not my point. My point is that fear and anxiety can be overwhelming almost. It is the Almost Factor that can make it possible to do a reality check, an evaluation. For what it's worth. I'm relating to the grief and love balance. Love reveals what it is not and grief indicates the spirit is growing fresh green leaves.
I think it's not sustainable the way we came about in the last 30 years, so "what me worry" can be a worry that it can all come tumbling down - and fast. And people that lose stuff as a large group - are not going to be easy to live with, to top the practical loses.
I get everyone deals with some sort of anxiety, but global warming? What do they think is going to happen to them? With all due respect…. That’s generations down the line 😅🧐
Thank you for the kindness, courage and honesty you both brought to this exploration. No, it wasn't an easy listen;anxiety and grief are not easy feelings, but you felt your way through to a place from where a person (me) can step forward away from despair, toward integrity. 🪷
Being an Haïtian, had to live terrible situations in my country, doing my best to do help Haitian women to take their place in areas of power this episode really helped me!!!
I just want to say I love your videos. Not only are they so interesting, but seeing your healthy, caring dynamic is so lovely, for someone who had a terrible relationship with my dad. It's so wholesome and healing for me.
In 2018 on the Ellen Show, I heard a Californian in state government say something so wise, that I still think of it daily. She said, "We must be joyful warriors." 💙
Remembering this during worry and anxiety does wonders for me.
When I woke up this am, I almost opened a “news” app. A dear family member is in hospice and will likely die this week, and a collection of other stressors started lining up. How GLAD I am that I paused and searched for Being Well -hoping that you’d posted a new episode, Forest. Thank you thank you for following your gut (and viewer mail), and doing THIS episode on grief, anxiety and helplessness. above everything else, by taking it on despite your concerns, you help me get out of my own head, see the next action to take (make the list!) and resume resourcing myself by connecting with others. It’s nuts how quickly my mind decides to turn inward (and then stays there!) until I find “the solution” . Your conversation with Rick today helped me reclaim some Monday morning agency-I am so grateful. 🙏.
Sending light, and peace your way friend 🙏🏼♥️
😅0è
You were brave to take on this topic. It may have been triggering to some; however a light being shined is not what worries. It is the suppression of the fear that leads to anxiety so that no personal or global answers can even be entertained. Thank you.
I’ve been devouring your content all day, I’m so grateful I’ve found this podcast! Thank you for all your advice and kind words. My world is changing thanks to you both and all your guests and I’m having a clearer understanding as to how to upgrade myself and maintain my happiness and health.
i loved the buddist approach on accepting the impermenence and not clinging....so great
I bring my food scraps to my local composting center and I use Earth Breeze Eco sheets for my laundry instead of unrecyclable detergent jugs. These are contributions I can make...they're doable for me. And I encourage others to add their small contributions. I can help...I can't fix it all. We can each help a little, and together, we have a chance to fix it.
I know it’s not a political show, but I just wanted to throw it out that there that I’d vote for you guys 😎💜🙏😍🙌
Thank you for this: A very thoughtful look at the issues and how to make peace with what's going on. One part missing, though, is the added frustration when there IS certainty, over 99% agreement on what needs to be done, but no action from people with power. So much could have been done, so much still could be done, but it won't be, despite our vast knowledge. That feels like a different kind of rage-filled grief that needs to be addressed.
This is actually a very calming podcast. Love your calming voice :)
Just Wow! I listen to the podcast regularly, and this one was extremely timely and So Very Helpful to me! Thank you so much to both of you, for taking on this topic squarely and bravely. I could have been one of those people who'd emailed you weeks ago, about anxiety, dread, etc. ..about the World! So much to take in, and sort through these days. Too much. I had decided to go on a News Fast about a day before I listened to this. So, doing that, combined with your wise tips here, has literally lowered my cortisol. I have so much gratitude and just want to say, please keep doing what you're doing. This episode was so needed. Oh, and I'm getting ready to re-listen to it. That's when I give a podcast 5+ stars!
I love these two guys. I watched them so many times on videos and it helped me on the subject "people pleaser". Everytime I watch them I cant help thinking how much better the world would be, if more people were as sensitive and reflective. I would have liked to have had them as family members and would have needed them in my youth. Just as an idea: how about discussing possible creative and positive effects from psychological issues like anxiety, depression and melancholy. I ask: Would we have a Dostojewski or Beethoven without depression and fear? I always found these non anxious, positive and strong willed persons flat and dull with a tendency to cause victims and even harm. At least in my environment. Also I believe one can only see clearly with a crying eye. I wonder what psychology tells us on this subject. Thank you much for your work and your beautiful warmhearted souls❤🎉 Much appreciated❤
There's a little Winnie the Pooh meme that gives me comfort when things get creepy and weird. I framed it for my 10 year old granddaughter who often worries about the "what ifs."
It shows Pooh and Piglet walking down a forest path. Piglet asks, "What if a branch falls from this tree and lands on us?"
And Pooh replies, "What if it doesn't?"
Wise Pooh bear ❤😊
This episode is AMAZING. I found it incredibly helpful and validating. I love that Rick said “grieving is loving”. I love that Forrest said there have been unprecedented times before now. There are so many helpful perspectives in this video. Thank you, Rick & Forrest.
Thank you, I really benefitted from this calm, insightful discussion. Very best wishes to you both!
I so appreciated this episode and think it is a necessary conversation in the field of mental health and wellness. We are all impacted by the state of the world and it is my feeling that when wellness spaces hyperfocus on the individual and feel this larger influence is outside of their scope it furthers a sense of alienation, anxiety, and despair in all of us. Thanks for making this space and thanks for your great insights. I highly recommend the work of Francis Weller as well around the grief piece.
Great episode! Have no fear Forrest, you threaded the needle expertly! You showed the long, broad and balanced view of things: Life goes on...and Life is Beautiful.
Seneca has a lot to say in The Shortness Of Life.
"They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn."
"The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy...".
I'm no academic but many of this philosopher's writings have relevance today.
Not surprising; nothing really has changed in the last few thousand years.
Every point of view has it's pros and cons, but in this period of anxiety, a little stoicism may have some legs.
what a joy having Rich Hanson, partner Elizabet and other guests in this podcast...Such a joy ...thank u so mich for all the work for mental healtg
These podcasts are helping me tons, thank you.
Thank you both so much, immensely appreciate this episode & value the perspectives & practical self help you shared. Looking forward to more like this.
This Podcast really helped me out this morning!!! You have saved meAGAIN!! Much love to you two!!!
Thanks
Superb! Thanks a million for such a thoughtful & insightful episode.
Thank you for this episode! Very informative and a stress reliever! And I love the wisdom tip- if you really care- take action!! 😇🤙🏼💝
Loved this ep. Brilliant as always. Thank you.
I appreciated the show. You certainly don't have to be an expert in politics to talk about the state of the world, especially as it affects our mental health. Thank you❤
Thank you for all that you both bring out into the world ❤
This is such an incredible and important episode. I immensely appreciate your podcast.
Thank you for this awesome episode! Your conversation & insights remind me of a book I just read, "Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage For a World Falling Apart" by Brian McLaren. Our personal & global realities, acceptances, griefs, hopes, fears, religions, not-knowing, etc. are important to acknowledge. As powerless as we may feel, the power of love and any loving actions we may take can help to energize us and help us to see the beauty we have right now with our Mother Earth and with each other.
I felt some anxiety relief listening to this. Especially in the way you both validate each others experience. Thank you.
This was immensely helpful for me at a time when I really needed help. Thank you Forrest and Rick for your wise words.
The section at 44:42 was the most helpful for me. It's November 7, 2024, so it's a very scary time. I'm a big scared monkey, indeed. But holding impermanence in mind is a useful way to zoom out from the terror that is present right now, and very likely in the days, weeks, and years to come.
Thank you both 🙌🏼
I thought this was a really thoughtful, nuanced discussion. Thank you!
I did really find this episode helpful! I particularly liked Forrest's summing up at the end especially reminding us of the horrendous behaviour of the human race in times gone by. I need to listen again, as I was preoccupied by powerful feelings about my son's emotional well being, which affected my full concentration today. But the episode soothed and the points were spot on!!
This really helps me. I struggle with feeling overwhelmed lately with going through a divorce from someone who wreaked a lot of havoc in our lives. It's hard to know when to act, when to conserve emotional resources for another day, and when to just give up because I don't think I can tackle something or if I do if that really helps things. Sometimes I feel that no matter what I do, I will worry that it wasn't enough or at the right time, or I don't know enough to have acted. This talk really helped me just make peace with how a lot of decisions are subjective and that's good because we are not robots, and the relationship with ourselves and with others really matters more than some objective "right" way to do things.
Beautiful conversation and voices :-). Thanks
Very practical and useful conversation!!
Thank you for your wonderful podcast. I fall asleep listening to you and your dads voices often. Very soothing and no loud music or commercials waking me up. thank you!
I have one request.. would you consider talking more about nervous system regulation and somatics? My favorite show so far was with Peter Lavine, it changed my perspective on… well everything.
Love your work and so appreciate it-as it is so needed. The standard medical system is not meeting the needs of people who struggle with mental health issues because its not very profitable to find better solutions for such large numbers of people
Brilliant work ❤
I'm so glad I found this channel when I did. So helpful I'm so many ways. Thank you so much. ❤
Wow. This was a surprising episode! I tend to live in my head a lot. I get anxious and resolve to plan and prepare, but I also have ADHD so my planning, unless bounded by a deadline does not often bear fruit. (I am the procrastinator type perfectionist--also a great episode that gave nuance where I did not think to look for it. Thanks for that, too!) The nebulous fears I feel about my and my family's futures, I do not ever get to grasp and look at the way I would like to. The adults around me all seem to push away heavy topics. By husband dismisses my strong feelings. I feel I have no agency to plan or even voice my fears. I do believe that having a community of connections around me is vital. But I do not know how to start. I love your idea of listing fears, and considering how to take back agency. The seriousness and directness with which you both took on this topic was validating, refreshing, grounding, and empowering. The practicality of your approach also builds in grace for self forgiveness for all the things we each are helpless to take on. And yes, for that we can only grieve what we cannot help.
I feel much more settled. Thank you.
I was looking forward to following you in 2024. Until this one, I never realized how much.
Thank you
You guys the first half of this was so full of triggers that I had to bail. The “one general away” prediction was too much. This is the first time I’ve given you less than stellar feedback. It didn’t make me want you to announce my departure. I just wanted you to know how it landed. Thanks 🙏
Interesting thought about how we come into contact with people and situations as they are either rising or falling and how everything is on a continuum. That makes it easier to take things as they come and not to worry so much.
You reached 100k subscribers!!!!! Your great work is reaching more and more people. This helps our collective consciousness. Thank you!
Very important and timely, thank you ❤. Will you please consider a podcast ALZ ? Caregiving and living with the understanding of permanence is challenging. The discussion of anger, grief and aggression was especially thought provoking. Thank you Forest and Dr. Rick.
You were brave to take on this topic. It may have been triggering to some, however a light being shined is not what worries, it is the supre
Love the exercise idea! ❤
I’m only 5 mins in but also the way AI is taking over & how the world is changing in that way, you also touched on marriage later in life but also dating as a whole in todays day & age
Question: At the start of the pandemic, I all of a sudden felt out of control, like no matter how hard I tried to be strong, resilient, and work on my healing process from multiple severe traumas, ultimately there was nothing I could do, because of the measures that were imposed by the government and which could change from one day to the next. In addition to feeling at the mercy of someone else (and all of a sudden being unable to continue therapy sessions, undertake healing activities, having reparative human connections etc.), the subsequent loneliness, isolation, lack of a support system, and multiple more traumatic events, grief, and loss have all contributed to my mental health plummeting. Before that I felt like there were still feasible steps I could take myself to try to move forward with my healing and life, and I focused (on working) on myself and the actions I could take to get. Do you have any specific suggestions as to how I can get that sense of autonomy, resilience, maturity, and inner-peace back? And more specifically, what kind of actions I can undertake myself to work towards this over time?
So good!
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences in these “interesting times”! Healing from Covid and listening to yet another excellent podcast from you and your father!
Speaking of relationships, you two are a wonderful team. Thank you for this podcast and all of your work.
I'm wondering if you done any work about family estrangement, or if you would. My 25yo son stopped speaking to me over two years ago. With no explanation. For the first year I told myself he's just too busy with college to respond, to say thank you, to -- text "Hi mom, I'm fine"? I was heartbroken and I grieved a ton. I've reached acceptance. But I still can't understand. Can you?
Yes there are real processing opportunities and agencies for each of us however there are real regressive dark shadows in the public sphere which are noted even in comparative terms. This is broadly felt and induces a rational sense of threat and needs for our attention. This is not illusory and is acute in the current time. If you are not awake to these you aren't really listening. Remember Psychotherapy/Therapy needs to identify these pervasive cultural effects as important and factors even in the well adapted. (Note Carl Rogers work with community building et al) My genuine feeling of this episode is you are tending to be dismissive and not account for the pressure or demand on the sensitised and attuned where this is felt genuinely.
In the US women are faced with huge impacts on the sense of safety with the abolition of Roe versus Wade and Dobbs. Are they panicking unnecessarily? Are they not the experts to be trusted? This is real for 51% of your population? Why are you being dismissive and are you being balanced about this? Your judicial and democratic systems are under threat and on the ballot. Explain how you side step that? There is a real test at this time and you need to acknowledge this. Why don't you do this here as a broad acknowledgment?
Please explain best support. self or otherwise where this has real and acute effect. That is what is needing greater emphasis on this episode.I feel the tone here is horribly wrong.
A lack of self knowledge and lack of realizing inherent value.
Accepting one's situation instead of denying it frees up so much energy to enjoy what is available and it frees up our ability to see how to enact the very change we want.
Self obsession and rationalization are some of the worst blockers of freedom.
Living outside of a day to day time frame also sucks the life out of us. Enjoy a memory, prepare for tomorrow, live today.
Get creative and bake someone a cake.
A much needed episode. I can really benefit from some insights on how to make sense of this world
I hope you’re not suggesting that economic insecurity has no impact on mental health. To say nothing of the fact that we may not have a livable planet. The fastest growing population becoming houseless is people over 60. I’m 74 and cannot retire. The average person cannot afford rent or college. And we’re watching the most brutal slaughter of thousands of people right before our eyes. The state of the world impacts mental health…like Gabor Mate says…we live in the myth of normal.
"And we're watching hundreds of thousands of people most of them are children and newborns being slaughtered before our eyes 👀".
FREE PALESTINE ❤🇵🇸🍉🤍
@@meryb8157And jail Netanyahu and his buddies for blatant genocide!
y'all know i love your podcast, but i felt like the scope was a little limited on this one, though you definitely hit some important points (always love the buddhist perspective). you mentioned at the beginning that the personal is political and the political is personal, but i feel like you didn't quite extend that understanding to its logical conclusion through the episode. i think bringing a guest on with both lived experience being at the intersection of oppressed identities and professional experience in mental healthcare focused on this topic would really be ideal, and could present some new ideas to (what i'm guessing is) a largely white, upper middle class, liberal-leaning audience. although you might not want to come off as having a certain political bent for understandable reasons, i also think it's important to specifically name the oppressive forces that shape our lives because people need language to put their personal experiences into context. as an organizer with a lot going on myself, dr. lara sheehi's work has been particularly useful to me in this exact arena-- learning how to process my grief/anxiety about my life and the state of the world while remaining engaged in the struggle to change both, and seeing mental health as something that is created collectively, not something that only exists in the mind for the individual to manage. adrienne maree brown and leah lakshmi piepzna-samarsinha are also excellent resources.
to expand on my thoughts for whoever likes reading bc i love writing an essay on yt, if someone is worried about global warming and g3nocide, but they choose to not act on those anxieties because they feel overloaded at work and need rest, or they're the primary caregiver to an aging parent, what are the through lines there? the exploitation of labor and the earth for the benefit of a few, the alienation of people from their communities and environments, the devaluation and institutionalization of care work, etc. these aren't just demobilizing forces to the individual, they are systemic mass (psychic and material) violence that we have been habituated to accept and perpetuate. this violence is meant to keep us atomized, focusing only on the day-to-day survival of ourselves and in-groups, at the exclusion of anyone we have been convinced to other. to discover what needs to be done for both our lives and the world to change, a holistic analysis of what connects the micro and macro is needed, then lifelong learning about different ways of being and meeting our needs.
what would actively addressing the things in our lives that give us anxiety look like when connecting the personal to the global? in the above cases, it could be unionizing and striking to stop the flow of materials to harmful industries, joining/creating a care collective to build trust and interdependence with neighbors, or something completely different according to conditions and the limits of imagination. voting and volunteering are nice as minor individual acts, but ultimately, the best solutions to our anxieties will not be created by having the "right" folks in power (see: 40+ yrs of destructive bipartisan neoliberalism), nor occasional efforts at a nonprofit-- they will be found in wholehearted pursuit of forging real community (and recognizing more and more people, even on the other side of the world, as our community and therefore our personal responsibility).
it's a lot of effort to not accept the status quo as normal/natural/inevitable (especially if you are protected by or benefit from it to some extent) and to create real, feasible alternatives, but i promise you it is absolutely necessary, practical, heart-healing work. lean into your compassion and your desire for a better world! we can't create it without you
Read The Anxious Generation!
Laughter is good medicine towards fear. How about buying toilet paper? Big city's are a new phenomena from an evolutionary perspective yet are completely normalised. I noticed a big difference in the levels of fear I felt when I relocated 3 months into the pandemic from Los Angeles back home. When I mentioned my plans to a friend in NY who was petrified at the beginning of the outbreak she thought it was terrible I had to move. But I didn't have to, it was a choice. I wonder if statistically people in rural communities ran to the shops to buy toilet paper? This concentration of many people in a small area like a city in contrast to the country site where a lot of labour is automated currently and one machine can do in 18 hours what would have taken a team of people 1 month makes living in a city almost a necessity. My point is that because of the pandemic anyone working in tourism lost their jobs etc. and having less security or expectancy during an emergency increases the amount of fear. The risks of becoming homeless and not having financial insecurity are much lower in my country and that was palpable. I know this was partly subjective but I'm still able to feel the difference between both. So what is my point? Well I think I'm reminded of how clean our earth looked when no plains where flying and no tourists traveling the globe. I think that a scale back with a stronger foundation in reliance on a good social structure, not a big father who will help you kind of structure, but one based on shared responsibility out of gratitude and wonder is a possibility going forward. Oh no! That's not my point. My point is that fear and anxiety can be overwhelming almost. It is the Almost Factor that can make it possible to do a reality check, an evaluation. For what it's worth.
I'm relating to the grief and love balance. Love reveals what it is not and grief indicates the spirit is growing fresh green leaves.
It is just tough not complicated
I think it's not sustainable the way we came about in the last 30 years, so "what me worry" can be a worry that it can all come tumbling down - and fast. And people that lose stuff as a large group - are not going to be easy to live with, to top the practical loses.
We are all going to die. Mostly we manage to accept, do what we can to make theses days good and go on living.
And I wonder how what you've said here would be different now that the election is over and one of the worst fears has become reality.
My solution……turn off the tv.
And the feeds of news on phones.
I get everyone deals with some sort of anxiety, but global warming? What do they think is going to happen to them? With all due respect…. That’s generations down the line 😅🧐
Climate change has already begun actually. My kids are 37 to 41 years old, they will suffer the effects, and my grandchildren. 😢
Thank you for the kindness, courage and honesty you both brought to this exploration. No, it wasn't an easy listen;anxiety and grief are not easy feelings, but you felt your way through to a place from where a person (me) can step forward away from despair, toward integrity. 🪷