SuMin

Thank you so much Teal, I also appreciate this request! For example, I graduated this year and am about to start a career in sustainable energy but I feel like holding a fragile baby and don't know how to take care of it. I know I'm moving in the right direction, love what I do and do the best I can but I can't deny that the urgency is feeling heavy and the vastness of the challenge sometimes makes me feel small. Like nothing we could do could ever be enough to offset all the wrongs, the hate, the suffering. Where do you even begin? I keep coming back to feeling like a massive change in consciousness is the only thing that's gonna save our asses (so actually the article is giving me some hope in that sense!). And sometimes I feel paralyzed by the chance that a new "solution" to one problem will cause another, unexpected one (none of the so called "sustainable" energy sources is actually sustainable yet...). Sometimes we can laugh about it but it's quite a shitshow, no? I find it hard to really make peace with that chance of failing. Edit: Responsibility is a big one for us (Gen Y). I love the world and the path I am taking to try to un-fuck it. But still, it doesn't really feel like we have a choice and it's not fun to keep reminding yourself that it's your free will to try and prevent stuff like mass extinctions and war. Also activities that are not related to un-fucking the world actively feel selfish and decadent sometimes, but maybe that's just me.

Not feeling understood or accepted by people I care about, not having my wants, thoughts and feelings validated. Depending on how much my truth diverges from what (I think) is expected of me, I push parts of me aside. As soon as I am alone, I feel nervous, insecure about what to do, super unintuitive and try to continue the distraction from myself. I need to be alone for a good day or so to get back in touch. And then it helps to reconsider what I identified as core values and feel good, empowering activities in more connected moments. Those activities are things such as taking care of my body or my environment, cleaning, taking a shower, wearing comfortable clothes, drinking my favorite tea, going for a run with nice music, trying a new yoga flow, conscious breathing, singing, watching a Teal episode, journaling,... But ONE THING AT A TIME.