Reflections
The most challenging things I'm grappling with right now are (a) figuring out how much mental real estate I'm going to let polycrisis and collapse occupy, and (b) deciding what kind of occupants I'm going to allow them to be.
Polycrisis and collapse are like squatters in that they don't pay rent but they're nonetheless there. And ignoring their presence just leaves a bigger mess for the property owner [me] later on.
But constantly stressing about them — such huge, existential crises — leaves me feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
There has got to be a better way. And yet, I don't have a satisfactory answer to share with you. At least not today…
Mental real estate
I will say that I give polycrisis and collapse more mental real estate than I'd like. This is most evident when I consider how dysregulated I get at work over mandated AI use[1]. Or, when I look at my bookshelf[2].
Evicting polycrisis and collapse from my brain — even if it were possible — just imperils us all the more. But befriending them?
I haven't thought about that before...
Befriending These Occupants
Which segues into the question: What kind of mental occupants do I want polycrisis and collapse to be, given that they're not going anywhere?
When I consider the world's current trajectory, I feel immensely distraught.
But when I consider the potential embedded in this current trajectory — namely, a collective shift in consciousness — I feel something else entirely.
Inspiration. Motivation. Enthusiasm. Hope. A desire to act.
Polycrisis and collapse are still there, but viewing them as allies on this journey to elevate our collective consciousness — my greater vision[3] — and our current trajectory radically changes things.
More to ponder
So what does it look like to befriend polycrisis and collapse? That's a question I'll be exploring through channel writing, tarot, and meditation. I'll also be exploring it with my therapist and/or another coach.
With that, I'm going to leave things unfinished — with lingering unknowns and no polished answers...
Circling back to you
I'll leave you with a few reflection prompts, which you can apply to either polycrisis and collapse or whatever else takes up significant mental real estate for you:
What do you regularly stress about?
What does stressing about this thing do for you?
How might you relate to this thing in a way that's in service to what you want (rather than to what you don't want)?
That is all.
Hi! I’m Kristi.
I help humans — mostly sisters & genderqueer kin — reject capitalism’s self-blaming narrative, center joy and creativity, and navigate hard things in hard times. Click here to learn more.
A note on AI: despite my love for em dashes, I promise you that I do not use generative AI to organize, write, or edit my posts…or anything else. I encourage you to read my AI Policy to learn more about how and why I don’t use generative AI.
[1] It’s not that I don’t have the capacity or tools to respond differently; it’s that there’s a perverse incentive to not use these tools because if I did — if I were to remain regulated — I wouldn’t qualify for an ADA accommodation. And I’d be in a constant state of committing moral injury.
[2] Some titles: End Times Fascism, I Eat the Stars, Climate Wayfinding, Compassion in Crisis, The Beginning Comes After the End, How Will Capitalism End?, On Tyranny, and many more…
[3] If you’re curious about my vision, mission, and guiding mantras, check out my About page.
