”I think that we [are] going to need ways to understand what we’re going through, and that means our idea of mind, too, is going to reinvent itself for this age.” — Umair Haque

---

Hello Reader,

These past two weeks I've been thinking about anxiety. My own, but others', too. With multiple catastrophes happening globally and locally (the word we're looking for here is polycrisis), I've strung together three things to turn overthinking into expert thinking…or simply help us deal with it all:

• “Crisis Fatigue is a kind of death, a deep one, that cheats us of meaning and purpose, robs us of our faith in ourselves and in humanity, paralyzes us with despair and hopelessness.” — Umair Haque offers us a way out​
  ​
• “Nothing changes, but our job remains the same” – a solid reminder from Ryan Holiday and other stoics, folded into my reflections on two elections. Worth revisiting again, if only for a bit of the late Leonard Cohen
  ​
• And for something more practical, free tools for when you're feeling anxious, from AnxietyAidTools

For this week's underthinking link, from the link just above: stress relief bubbles. Thinking score: 3 out of 10.

Extra Thoughts…

I find that quote above about the mind reinventing itself to be oddly hopeful. And I don't know about you, but my natural response to the overwhelm of the everything crisis is to get hyperlocal. Not in the shut-out-the-world sense — although there are moments where that is an apt strategy — but in the what can I do right here, right now sense?

Focusing on what you can control at the hyperlocal level can take many forms:

• Geographic: What can I do for my community, street, or neighbour?
• Time: What can I do right now, in this moment?
• Space: What can I improve in my immediate environment?
• Connection: How can I be there for those closest to me?
• Embodied: How can be more grounded, still, or closer to myself during this time?

What else? I'd love to hear other ideas about going hyperlocal. What have I overlooked?

So yes, while everything is chaotic and rapidly escalating, Ryan Holiday reminds us that this changes nothing: our job remains the same. With that bit of stability, I'm curious enough to stick around and see what happens. I hope you are, too.

Right here, right now, and other ways to stay in the game,
Kim

---

If you have been enjoying this newsletter, here are three quick ways you might support me: share a thought, send me a pebble, or forward this email to a friend (and encourage them to sign up):

Turn overthinking into expert thinking

---

We've written a book! Lens Not Label is for managers, leaders and coaches who want to overcome their discomfort when working with neurodivergent people — and who know that difference is rocket-fuel for organisations.

Stick around for book updates, but also my upcoming event about neurodivergence and the polycrisis. More details soon!

If you want to think through the everything crisis and how it's impacting you, let's chat and see if we're a good fit to work through it together​