How to live in a polycrisis
As I write this I’m feeling tense and wired from watching too much rolling news. With the latest situation in Isreal, it’s hard to turn it off. I feel like it’s a duty to educate myself with what’s happening around the world, but as I read the details of earthquakes, flooding, the cost of living crisis, the Ukraine war, immigration, the forthcoming US elections, I’m not sure how much more my brain (and my nervous system) can take.
I only recently heard the term polycrisis, and I wanted to write about it because it perfectly describes how a lot of us are living right now. Whether or not we’re at the sharp end of a disaster, we’re still surrounded by news of it.
So what does polycrisis mean and what can we do to protect ourselves our mental health against this growing list of global and domestic disasters.
What is a polycrisis?
The term originated from Edgar Morin, a French philosopher and sociologist who says it’s where multiple crises or problems occur simultaneously. The crises could be economic, political, social, environmental or health related. They are interwoven and effect each other, which makes it complex in terms of alleviating the individual issues and destruction they create.
If we look at this from a personal perspective rather than a global concern, these near constant crisis that are broadcast to us 24/7 are effecting our nervous systems and ability to think clearly. They are deeply troubling and are causing anxiety, depression and hopelessness.
When we live in polycrisis we can find ourselves in a near constant state of high alert and stress, which is effecting our physical and mental wellbeing.
How can mindfulness coaching help with these polycrisis?
There are many problems that living in polycrisis creates. Practical ones like a reduction in resources like water or food, disruption to your daily life, less access to healthcare, or it might have an impact on your job. But being aware of these polycrisis even if you’re not directly effected by them, cause negative effects to our health and state of mind.
And this is where mindfulness can help.
Being exposed to information about multiple crises simultaneously can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety. The constant worry about how this might impact your life, your health, finances, safety and basic needs takes it’s toll. And it might be that a lot of what we’re worrying about will never happen. But it feels so real at the time.
What also adds to this stress is knowing we have little or no control over these situations. There’s a sense of hopelessness about it all. Watching it all unfold without being able to do anything about it.
TRY THIS
Mindfulness teaches us to bring our attention back to the present moment. To see the facts of what it happening right now, in our environment. We can use the 5 senses technique here to help us to connect with what’s around us and to ground us in this moment.
Note 5 things you can see around you,
Then 4 things you can touch,
And 3 things you can hear,
2 things you can smell,
And finally, 1 thing you can taste.
Doing this helps us to get our of our head with overthinking and worry, and into the body. We can feel a sense of ‘reset’ and clarity here. And once we’ve taken a breath to regroup, we can look at what we can control and if there’s anything we need to attend to.
This exercise brings me a lot of perspective. Really take your time with it too, slow down and really feel into each thing as you work your way through the 5 senses.
Managing overwhelm
I notice how sad I can get if I consume too much news. There’s also that feeling of overwhelm as you navigate the fake news and the facts of what’s happening. It’s exhausting.
TRY THIS
We can use mindfulness to regulate our emotions by using our body as an anchor to bring ourself back to ‘now’, when we feel things getting too much.
Breath, deeply from your belly. Focus on the breath, all the way in, all the way out. Keep your attention on this movement for a few rounds of breath. And if you notice you get lost in thought just begin again and take your attention back to the body.
When you disrupt overthinking and give yourself a moment to re-connect with your body, you’re rebalancing your nervous system and you’ll feel less frantic and frustrated. Give it some practice, it’s worth the effort. The breath is directly connected to the nervous system so by breathing deeply you stimulate the rest and digest system.
Mindful communication
One of the first things I notice that gets a hit when I feel stressed by current events is my relationship. I feel less patient and more irritable and this always impacts how I talk to my husband and also how intently I listen to him. This inevitably means we argue more as miscommunications and misunderstandings increase.
TRY THIS
The pressure of dealing with multiple problems can lead to conflicts and breakdowns in communication. We can reduce stressful communication with loved ones by being honest and open about how we feel. When someone shares vulnerably about how they’re feeling it can help the other person to understand them better and feel empathy towards them. Be clear and kind with how you share what you need, whether that’s some time alone or to talk it through.
The benefits of mindfulness coaching in these polycrisis
Using mindfulness techniques to reconnect with what’s present for us, what’s actually happening in this moment in time, in our environment, helps us to be realistic about what we can and can’t do right now.
Maybe you decide to donate some money if you’re able to, to a charity that’s helping one of those crises. Maybe you volunteer some time to help another cause. But I think it’s useful to remind ourselves of what is possible and what’s not. It’s probably unrealistic that you can drop everything and fly to the Ukraine to fight alongside them. So we have to be kind to ourselves and be realistic with what we can do, and as difficult (and even cruel) as it might sound, to let go of everything else.
We’re no good to anyone if we’re in a constant state of panic and anxiety about the world. So take care of yourself and your immediate environment first.
Case study
As well as major global disasters, we also juggle multiple daily issues on a domestic level. In our businesses and at home. Watch this short video to find out how mindfulness helped a busy executive cope with polycrisis with his various businesses. link
The importance of mindfulness coaching in these polycrisis
The techniques and mindsets I’ve shared here are just a very small element of mindfulness, there are vast resources it offers for maintaining clarity and calm, even in a crisis.
If you’re interested in learning some of these tools, you can book a complimentary discovery call with me to find out if this is a good fit for you.
* main photo of earth unravelling by The Walker Report.
