It feels dystopian right now.
ICE murders, family separations, child detention, trafficking networks, state violence, ecological collapse. Systems that were never designed to protect the most vulnerable continue to actively harm them.
For many of us, especially those in immigrant, BIPOC, queer, and marginalized communities, this isn’t new. It’s historical. It’s patterned. It’s colonial.
And still — the constant exposure can overwhelm the nervous system.
So how do we stay informed without burning out?
How do we remain awake to injustice without becoming immobilized by it?
From a decolonial standpoint, staying grounded is not denial. It is resistance.
Colonial Systems Thrive on Dysregulation
Colonial power structures rely on disconnection:
- Disconnection from land
- Disconnection from community
- Disconnection from body
- Disconnection from history
They also rely on overwhelm.
When we are flooded with images of violence, our nervous systems can shift into survival mode: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
In freeze, we scroll endlessly.
In fight, we burn out.
In flight, we numb out.
In fawn, we overextend until we collapse.
None of these states are sustainable for long-term collective liberation.
Groundedness, then, becomes political.
Staying Informed Is Important
Being grounded does not mean being uninformed.
There is real harm happening. More and more deaths in immigration detention centers. People being deported to countries they’ve never known. Some have gone completely missing. Trafficking networks that disproportionately impact marginalized children. Exploitative practices. Greed. Hoarding of Wealth. Abuse of Power. These are not abstract issues — they affect real families and communities.
A decolonial lens asks us to:
- Understand the historical roots of these systems and their interconnectedness
- Notice whose lives are deemed disposable
- Examine how borders, policing, and incarceration function as tools of control
Staying informed allows us to act with clarity instead of confusion.
But there is a difference between informed and inundated.
The Nervous System Matters
Your body was not designed to process global trauma 24/7.
When you consume distressing news daily, this can lead to:
- Chronic anxiety
- Emotional numbness
- Hopelessness
- Irritability
- Burnout
- Despair that feels paralyzing
Exhausted people cannot sustain movements.
Colonial systems benefit when we are too depleted to organize, advocate, vote, donate, show up, or imagine alternatives.
Rest and regulation are not indulgent. They are strategic.
Balancing Awareness and Self-Preservation
Here are ways to stay engaged without collapsing:
1. Curate Your Intake
Choose specific, reliable sources. Set time limits.
You do not need real-time updates all day to care deeply.
2. Anchor in Community
Isolation intensifies fear.
Talk with others. Organize locally. Join mutual aid efforts. Collective action transforms helplessness into agency.
3. Return to the Body
Step outside. Feel your feet on the ground. Put a hand on your heart. Connect to your breath and to your senses.
Colonial systems disconnect us from land and body; reconnection restores capacity.
4. Practice Discernment
Ask:
- Is this information helping me act?
- Or is it overwhelming me into paralysis?
- How can I use/transmute my anger (rage, frustration, etc.) into action and change?
5. Take Tangible Action
Donate. Call representatives. Amplify marginalized voices and truth speakers. Support immigrant rights groups. Have hard conversations with family. Volunteer. Educate. Raise conscious children. Resist consumerism. Divest from corporate giants. Support local. Vote.
Even small actions interrupt helplessness.
Grounded action can be more powerful and more sustainable than reactive outrage.
Staying Grounded Is a Form of Resistance
To stay grounded in dystopian times is to say:
I refuse to let systems of harm hijack my nervous system.
I will stay informed.
I will act where I can.
I will rest when I must.
I will remain connected to community and possibility.
Self-preservation is not selfish.
It is how we sustain movements.
It is how we protect children — including the ones within ourselves.
It is how we outlast systems that were never built to care for us.
And it is how we continue weaving stories of survival, dignity, and collective liberation.
You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
If staying informed has left you feeling anxious, numb, angry, or exhausted — that makes sense.
We are living through layered crises shaped by colonial histories, state violence, displacement, and harm. Your nervous system is responding to real threats and real grief.
At Weaving Stories Therapy, we offer culturally attuned, trauma-informed care for individuals and couples navigating overwhelm, intergenerational trauma, and the emotional weight of these times.
Therapy can be a place to:
- Regulate your nervous system without disconnecting from your values
- Process grief, anger, and fear in a grounded way
- Reconnect to your body and community
- Sustain your energy for the long work of collective care and justice
You deserve support that honors both your humanity and your commitment to a more liberated world.
If you’re in San Carlos or anywhere in California, we’re here.