2026.2.11 👉 grounding ourselves when things are tough
The Work Beneath is an ongoing letter from me, Patrin Watanatada, on change for a just and joyful world — in systems, in teams, and in ourselves.
Dear friends and colleagues,
เฮง เฮง เฮง 亨 亨 亨 heng heng heng 🧧🧧🧧
...goes the lunar new year Hokkien/Teochew greeting used in Thai and other Southeast Asian Chinese communities. May the new year bring prosperity and smooth success.
Every day the news reminds us that there's a lot in the world that isn't smooth right now – and I've got to be honest, it's overwhelming.
But I'm finding that three practices help ground me.
- Community and solidarity.
I'm drawing strength and inspiration from watching how ordinary people respond, like the Minnesotans taking fierce care of each other as ICE targets their state. "Again and again, I heard people say they were not protesters but protectors of their communities, of their values, of the Constitution.” [Robert Worth, via Dahlia Lithwick].
Protectors. That shift in language takes the emotional spotlight away from the thing being protested, swinging that energy back to where it should be: on the thing you're protecting, the thing that's bigger than you.
And I'm trying to help build more community myself. None of us are alone in this, and if we choose to, we can sit with things and move forward together.
- Curiosity and empathy.
When I get anxious or angry, my energy turns inward and a tightness builds in my chest and shoulders. Curiosity, empathy, and a few long, deep breaths help release that tension and get me ready to face what needs to be done.
A Stoic exercise called The View from Above invites us to slowly zoom out, like a camera rising into space, from our immediate viewpoint. The idea is to "consider what's happening beyond your worries – which is almost everything, as it turns out," writes David Cain.
It produces a feeling of vastness, of awe. A recognition of how small we each are... but also that we're part of something bigger.
3. Reconnecting with purpose and role
The third thing that grounds me is reconnecting with my purpose in life. It takes me away from worrying about everything that needs doing in the world, and re-centers me on what I am here to do. I don't have to do everything. I just have to do my thing.
Climate journalist Mary Annaïse Heglar wrote in 2020 (another painful year):
The answer [is] quite simple: Do what you’re good at. And do your best.
If you’re good at making noise, make all the noise you can. Go to climate strikes, call your representatives, organize your neighbors. Vote.
If you're raising children (and they do not have to be your children—nieces, nephews, and play cousins all count!), teach them to love the Earth and to love each other, teach them the resilience that shows up as empathy.
If you're good at taking care of people, take care of the legions of weary climate warriors. If you're a good cook, cook.
Make it as sustainable as you can within your means, but more than anything, share it, build a community around it.
I read this as:
What are you good at? Not what you think you should be good at. Try thinking of the things you loved doing as a kid. Or the things others find harder but that come so easily to you.
What do you need to do to take care of yourself so that you can keep doing that thing? What restores your emotional, mental, physical, spiritual energy?
Who needs what you're good at and how can you make it easier for them to find you? Conversely, who do you need to complement what you do? What would it feel like to gather with others working on different parts of the puzzle?
For me, it's (a) spotting patterns and making frameworks that clarify, (b) quiet time, singing, running, and real conversation with friends and loved ones, (c) working on this by organizing gatherings and writing.
What is it for you? I'd love to hear.
💭 🛠️ Other things
— "Believing the world is sacred reshapes how we view the world, approach social problems, and imagine solutions." The case for a sacred movement, where "believing is seeing." Featuring case studies of solutions to social problems shaped by Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous spiritualities, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and interspiritualism. [Fetzer Institute]
— Evidence shows that deep listening – really listening to what's being communicated, while setting aside your own goals and agenda – can be transformative in creating connection across divides. The Othering & Belonging Institute at Berkeley is gathering stories through their Bridging for Democracy Project: organizers who've knocked on 26,000 doors, held 2,350 deep conversations. They tracked not just contact rates but shifts in openness. Three-quarters of residents said they'd welcome canvassers back. [Othering & Belonging Institute]
— As you can probably tell, I crave the sensation of being shaken out of my everyday worldview ("Ohh... I never thought of it that way"). This happened when I experienced Bridgerton from the perspective of someone who is blind or low vision, while reading this fascinating interview with someone whose job is writing and narrating audio descriptions for television shows. It makes you think about language, accessibility, and really seeing – not necessarily with your eyes. [Vulture]
— Tolstoy is spot on: "A person on a thousand-mile walk has to forget the ultimate goal and say to themselves every morning, ‘Today I’m going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.’" [Raptitude]
🎶 Listening and crying
— Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now
What keeps you grounded when things are tough? I'd love to hear your recommendations.
As always, thanks for being here and until next time,
Patrin
PS If you know others who might enjoy this letter, feel free to pass it along — and thank you.