Chances are if you are reading this, you may have been upset at the Kavanaugh confirmation. The same could be true of many moves of the current administration and congress.

You many have asked many times, How do Trump supporters keep supporting Trump? And Trump supporters asking, Why do liberals hate us so much?  The U.S. is imploding, it seems.

And yet, how do you hold this? Does it poison you inside? Do you tell yourself a story of how messed up the world is? Or is the world just as it needs to be?

I recently read an extensive NY Times piece that essentially said, Game Over, the window to reverse climate change is done. That rocked my world. In the next few decades, parts of the world will be uninhabitable or eventually all of the world will be so. That depends on us, of course.

Often, I have beaten myself up for not doing more. For not saving the world. For not dedicating my life to the cause. But I’ve exhausted that kind of thinking many times, which is more about me and how I hold events than about the world.

If I take on the burden of it all, then I can feel connected, like I’m doing something, when really I’m only in my grief. From there, I’m less likely to do anything but go down the rabbit hole.

When I move through the grief and release the burden, then I am free to act. My energy comes back to me to do and not just mourn.

To release is to not think about it for a day or more. To give myself a break from the news. To refuel, revisit with energy. To consider where will I truly spend my energy. To get up and ask myself – what will I do today to show up in my life?

For me, often that means having the guts to keep writing and facilitating – to inspire, to give hope, to encourage self-reflection – even on days when I don’t care. Sometimes it means doing nothing.

Sometimes it means just being, gathering strength.  Sometimes it means writing. Sometimes swinging a hammer to get a project done. And sometimes it’s making sure my voter registration is up to date to vote.

How do we stay strong inside, so we can do our work and continue on? Can we actually allow ourselves to experience happiness in such a distraught world?

Is it better to hold the burden of the bad news as a weight that keeps us connected to the world?  And hold the idea that the pursuit of happiness in such a world is naïve?

And yet, can we see beyond today? The next year? The next two? Five? Ten? Twenty? Do we have a true predictor of what the future holds or an echo of our own perceptions?

The world will change. Your relationships will change. The long view is unknown. Today is a moment. Your micro world is still here – of paying your mortgage or rent, having love in your live, doing things you love. And so is the macro world – of Trump, Kavanaugh, and the environment.

How can we hold the bigger lens of the long term and be present to what is here now? Like anything worthwhile, it’s a practice. It requires discipline, focus, and doing.

Most of all, it requires knowing your worth, tapping into the desire for the best you possible. You can stop stressing. Be good to yourself. And still put skin in the game. That’s a choice.

Often, it means strong boundaries –whether it’s I am not going to think about the state of the world today, I won’t look at the news today, I will take a break for a week. It will be there for me tomorrow.

And I will keep showing up – go to work, love my family, do things I love, vote, make calls, donate money, whatever makes sense to you, even if I feel the system is rigged.

At the end of the day, it’s a relationship.  A relationship between you and you.  How you handle things. How you prioritize yourself. How you hold your own energy, thoughts, and beliefs.

How you interact with others – who you let in, who you keep out, and who you consider in between.  And what news, videos, and media you bring in or push out.

You are the sovereign power of your world.  Your inner game is your engine. And yes, the outer world matters. You have a choice.  Show up even when you don’t want to. And don’t show up when you don’t have to.  And somewhere in between, you find your way. I believe you will.

You’re reading this, after all.  You care. It matters. I know.