š Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
In this week's edition of Default Wisdom, we talk about managing our COVID-19 anxiety and overcoming our jealousy.

In this weekās edition of Default Wisdom, we talk about managing our COVID-19 anxiety and overcoming our jealousy.
Have a question? Drop me a line at [email protected].Ā
Managing your COVID-19 anxiety
How do you deal with the fact that there is a solution to end this crisis, but that the US is not equipped to do so? How do you deal with knowing this is our life for years to come?Ā
When I was in my early twenties, I was terrified of drastic, near term climate change.
It wasnāt the kind of fear that elicited a āletās get an EV and be more intentional about what we consumeā reaction. It was a deep and visceral fear that shook me to my core. Itās not an exaggeration to say that I was an entirely different person.Ā
Suddenly, everything felt like it was at the mercy of something that was completely out of my control. I couldnāt imagine a future, because the future I thought I was prepared for didnāt exist anymore.
Then, one day, my ex-husband said to me, āIf this is really what you think life is going to look like, how do we plan for it?ā
Iād never considered that adaptation was a serious option, until we started talking about it like it was a tangible problem and not a nebulous threat.
Up until that point, it felt insurmountable. It felt like no matter what I did Iād have to surrender to a world that was inhospitable.Ā That suffering was my only option.
So, we started talking about it like it was any other problem in our lives. How that manifested is another story for another day, but I will say this: building concrete adaptation skills and creating a plan made me feel less powerless.
I think, in a lot of ways, COVID-19 is similar to climate change. How youāre feeling might be similar to how I felt about it, too.Ā
Itās real, itās scary, itās all-consuming. It touches all aspects of our lives, from the food to eat, to how we interact with our friends and family, to how we make a livelihood. And pertinently, there isnāt a lot we can do on the individual level.
We can, however, find a navigation route for ourselves and our communities.Ā In fact, thatās the only thing you can do. You canāt change COVID and letās be real, we canāt change our governmentās response, at least not in a real way.
What we can change is ourselves, and hopefully, some of the people around us.
Weāre dealing with serious problems right now, ones that should be solved at the institutional level. Now is the time to figure out what tools we need to survive, and what we need to harness those tools.
And on that note, if any readers know of reliable resources for people who are unemployed or need other kinds of support, shoot me an email or leave a comment below. Iāll include them in the next newsletter.