Apathy is cancelled
I think we’d all agree that the past several months have been pretty horrible. I have been paralyzed about what to write. But I feel no paralysis whatsoever about what to do in the world. There are so many actions and conversations to be undertaken, with clients and not-clients alike.
I would recommend what to read or watch or do, but this blog is not trying to lean politically, except to reiterate that Black Lives Matter, which should not be a political statement but rather a self-evident and undisputed truth. Since it seems that everything leans politically these days, I’ll just remind everyone to stay healthy and safe, stay educated, and stay proactive. Apathy is cancelled.
As a supplement to your own action steps, you might want to check back in with your values. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, reorients us to values as a tool to overcome challenges or stuck points. Check out this series of handouts you can explore on your own:
https://thehappinesstrap.com/upimages/Complete_Worksheets_2014.pdf
As always, I am also a huge fan of Positive Psychology, which broke the mold by designing the anti-DSM (our pathology-focused diagnosis manual). Not just theory, this anti-DSM is based on exhaustive research into what builds our “character strengths and virtues.” These are determined by our intrinsic passions and values. Take a test of yours here, and then either double down on your top five, or use your bottom five for a values makeover:
Then, act. And by act, I mean, vote. Also, be kind to yourself. And others.
My daughter being kind to her new cat, Mafia. But she is also a fairly radical activist taking other actions, too.
Ps. Even Cancel Culture is fairly cancelled, and can indeed breed it’s own form of apathy! There are a couple of episodes of The Daily that address this trend, so check them out. But if anything should actually be cancelled, it’s apathy.