Edgy Tools to Combat Weariness and Worry

All the good stuff is on the other side of tired.     Andre Agassi

It is a messy moment we are in with competing pandemics colliding with each other.    Its ok to be operating at 60 percent.  A deep sense of weariness seems to be setting in,  interspersed with very real anxiety.  It would be good to know what the Founding Fathers meant when they declared the pursuit of happiness to be an inalienable right.  Perhaps that we all have some agency over our own wellbeing?   I’m hoping somebody writes a screenplay about the resuscitation of the Founding Fathers who are dropped into this moment.

Worry is a dark cloud that sweeps all the fun away, allowing imagined bad things to loop in our minds.   Wisdom is knowing what you know for sure, and what you don’t know, and the ability to discern between them.   To be human is to frantically search for certainty, to find patterns, to locate some shred of control.  Some tools I’ve come across to firmly place my attention on what is good, soothing, funny or wise.

YouTube

Primate Researcher

Stanford Professor Robert Sapolsky is an expert on stress and neurobiology and wrote  Why Zebras Don’t get Ulcers.   He teaches a human behavioral biology course for free on YouTube  He is hugely entertaining and smart and the 25 part series will help you think differently about worry.   We are all very baboon-like.

Can’t Sleep?

Listen to this guy Sleep hypnosis.

Strong Marriages

Many families and couples are in crisis.  The Gottman Institute does leading-edge research on MARRIAGE  and offers practical,  down-to-earth ways to build connection, love and health.

Rap on Race

A 1971 Rap on Race conversation with James Baldwin and Margaret Meade.  An astonishing 50-year-old pubic conversation with two remarkable minds.  A bittersweet testament to the enduring and urgent concerns of today.

Neighborhood Safaris

A former police officer You-Tuber travels the USA  to film neighborhoods of every type.  It is mostly silent as he drives and films.  Mesmerizing.

Good Morning Washington

How to stay positive, hopeful and healthy in the winter, with Meteorologist Eileen Whelan  interviewing Dr. Eileen O’Grady on channel  7 news Good Morning Washington.

Netflix: Call My Agent:

A sharp, edgy, artful, hilarious look at the world of being a talent agent to famous actors with all their insecurities. Savor this like a fine meal.  Shout-out to Lana.. thanks for the rec!

Parenting

Best in class parenting education.  The Parent Education Program (PEP) offers stellar classes on how to raise kids who are self-sufficient, have social interest and can self-regulate  You can listen to an interview with my son Liam Zeya and I:  “Promoting Wellbeing During Covid-19” A Mother-Son Conversation.”  It is free but requires registration.

Questions to ask Yourself During a Hard Time:

• What do I want to be sure to take with me  into my life after the pandemic/all of this is over?
• What part of  my life feels unlived or unloved?  What could I do to feed that?
• What am I doing to foster positive emotions in my life (Not just positive thoughts)?
• Does my significant other(s) feel significant?