Unregulated is regulated right now

I’ve seen different versions of these words circulating social media, and I just want to take a moment to echo them.

There is a LOT going on in the world, and for many of us, it is scary, infuriating, confusing, exhausting, and/or disheartening. And unfortunately, there are people out there who are minimizing the impact. I’m not sure if that’s from denial, ignorance, obliviousness (oblivion?), or just the side effect of privilege, but at the end of the day, I know it can leave us wondering if it is US. Is it that we’re living in an alternate reality? Is there something wrong with us?

I just wanted to quickly say no, it’s not just you. Now you might be wondering, “okay, fine, but what do I do with this? I don’t want to feel this way!”

First of all–same. I’m very much feeling all the things, and I’m tired (acknowledging I have less to personally worry about than those without white privilege). Second–that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong* or not doing enough. Feeling anxious, down, mad, confused, whatever uncomfortable emotion that may be coming up with all that is happening, that’s a totally human response.

We have a 24/7 news cycle including: genocides, human rights violations, voter suppression, the political polarization leading people to forget that we’re fellow humans & residents of this country, the climate crisis, and it goes on and on and on. Even if trying to be mindful of media consumption, there’s still the unavoidable rising cost of living with inflation, plus the growing recession indicators—most of us are dealing with some level of financial strain/stress.

You can’t deep breathe your way out of the current realities, nor the oppressive systems contributing to them. There’s no self-care tip or trick that’s going to absolve everything. I don’t say that to say rage, fear, sadness, etc., are the only feelings we can experience right now. We can also find happiness, laughter, calm, connectedness, and even hope. My point moreso is that if you are feeling dysregulated and/or tired, check in with yourself. Are you really feeling dysregulated? Or are you having an understandable response to the reality of living in 2026.


*I first started writing this back at the end of March, but never published. After the asterisk, thoughts are from May 29th.