On Coping with Political Stress & Climate Anxiety
In a world that often feels overwhelming, finding ways to cope with daily stress and uncertainty is more important than ever. In this episode of the Out of Session with Kindman & Co. podcast, therapists Steve and Logan dive deep into the emotional and psychological challenges we all face, offering practical advice and thoughtful insights. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, burnout, or just trying to stay grounded, this conversation provides valuable tools to help you navigate life’s ups and downs. Read on for the full transcript and discover how you can build resilience in today’s ever-changing world.
Out-of-Session Podcast: Episode 12 On Coping
Steve (00:14):
And my name is Steve,
Logan (00:15):
And we're out of session with Kind and Co, a Feelings Forward podcast where we leave our therapist selves at the door and have messy real conversations about being human. Today's topic is how to manage stress, anxiety, and all the feelings associated with January 20, 25.
Steve (00:32):
January has been the longest year of my life. There's a lot going on, so we're going to talk about some of it in the next 30 minutes or so, and just kind of talking about how we're managing and contending with all of the forces out there, stuff going on in politics, climate change. If you live in Los Angeles, the wildfires, queerphobia and transphobia everywhere. War for and conflict, racism, misogyny, just to name a few, but if you can name it, there are all kinds of big systemic stressors stressing us all out right now. So how are we dealing with all of this? It's coming up a lot for both of us as therapists, but also as human beings. So how are you doing, Logan?
Logan (01:22):
Yeah, it's definitely been a lot, and I think you really said it just to name a few. That was quite the long list.
Steve (01:30):
It is a long list, not to overwhelm anybody, but I feel like maybe we're already kind of overwhelmed in general, all of us. So I think hopefully the conversation today will help us find some strategies, maybe or methods to cope with some of it so that we can move back into feeling our feelings not being so overwhelmed and being more engaged with what's happening. Because personally, I definitely feel the pull to disengage from some of it. It's been a lot going on. I'll just check in personally. It's been, like I said, the longest month of my life this January has felt really extreme. Wildfires in Los Angeles displaced me, a lot of my friends, a lot of the folks that I work with, and I'm lucky that I feel I am safe and my home is safe, but it was a really hard way to start the year in the midst of all that Donald Trump's inauguration happened, and following upon that, all of these executive orders that have thrown so much into chaos, it just feels really overwhelming and I found myself just disappearing from social media, not checking the news, wanting to bury my head in the sand a little bit, but I know that's not the way forward, but it's been the way that I've been managing so far, and it's been really stressful. I think just to put that out there, it's been an interesting time to be in a helping profession, helping people, but also feeling like I could use some of that help too. So it's been a lot. How's it been for you?
Logan (03:13):
Yeah, I can really relate to that pull to disengage and to not check social media, not check the news, and I think I've been really going back and forth between consuming too much news, checking all the updates, what's happening now and not looking. So definitely the theme of the month for me has been balance or seeking balance. I don't know if we've arrived, but yeah, I think it's definitely been interesting being a therapist and a human right now, especially being in this position of listening and being there for folks who are going through a lot of the same things as us and wishing I had the answers and being aware that I don't.
Steve (04:09):
Yeah, I really like what you were saying about balance, and I think that what comes up to me in those conversations about balance and all of this is that it's a really dynamic process. That balance is never fully. It's not like we arrive there and we're just there and it's like, okay, fixed it. And I think that's on my mind a lot about how things come and go and the chaos rises and then other people rise up to meet the moment. We're constantly trying to find that balance, but it involves being engaged with it, which I think I'm hearing in what you're saying, okay, how do I engage with this without getting overwhelmed? How do I step back from it without being completely disconnected? Finding that balance is hard, but it's an active process, so hopefully some of this conversation helps.
Logan (05:04):
I hope so. I hope it helps for any listeners out there.
Steve (05:09):
It definitely helps me to talk about it. I think getting into the meat of the discussion that one of the things that can really happen is that it brings up a lot of the stuff that has been going on lately is stuff that brings up fear, a lot of anxiety, a lot of worry, hopelessness, powerlessness. It can feel like I don't know what to do. Like you said earlier, I don't have the answers and wanting to have the answer or the fix for it all, and I just want to point out that there's nothing wrong with that, not expected to have all the answers. Having these feelings of fear and worry and a desire for things to change is a totally reasonable response to unreasonable times.
Logan (05:57):
I can recognize that it's okay not to have the answers, and yet I wish that I did or somebody did, but...
Steve (06:09):
Having that response to all of this is it's totally normal. It's okay to be afraid if we weren't afraid about a lot of our queer friends being fearful for or feeling like their identities are being erased or their lives are threatened because of that. For folks who are just trying to live their lives feeling unsafe because of their immigration status, to feel fearful about those disruptions is totally reasonable, and I think that I just want to spend a little time normalizing that that fear is a very adaptive response. I think we give a lot of our emotions value assessments. That's a bad emotion. To feel angry is bad, to fearful is bad. Where so many of us, at least in my family, we're taught that some of these feelings are not okay and not welcome, but to actually have fear and anger around things that are scary and unjust is kind of the right way to feel, and I'm curious how that feels for you.
Logan (07:18):
Yeah, no, I think that makes a lot of sense. I think if we weren't feeling afraid right now, maybe that would be something to explore. I also think that there's been a lot of confusion recently. It's been very disorienting along with being really scary. I mean, it feels like we've gotten to a place where things feel so surreal and feels a little a different kind of fear than before, that we're getting to a place that things are happening that weren't on the bingo card and really easy to wonder what could be next and what the future holds.
Steve (08:07):
Yeah. I appreciate that you're going to like, okay, what can the future be? Because I think so much of this can lead to feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, and I think knowing that there is a future and that history moves in cycles isn't always comforting, but it is helpful reminder that losing hope can happen, but that staying in touch with the feelings about it can really help us move out of that hopelessness helplessness. I think hopelessness to me feels like an avoidance of the very real feelings that I'm scared, but there are likely things that I can do about that and fear and anger can point me in the direction of where I need to go in order to avoid that sense of helplessness, which is why I think they're really useful. I think those bad emotions bad are useful for us in those ways.
Logan (09:08):
Yeah, I think they're definitely important to pay attention to value. I think they're telling us something that something's wrong or that there's something to be doing, but we know when you bring up that helplessness and hopelessness, that almost feels like the really pervasive feeling right now. Thinking about what everybody, not everybody, but how many feelings are around how many of the same kinds of words I'm hearing clients and friends, and I don't know. That's just been something that's difficult to sit with, that shared loss kind of feels like a grief in a way of some of our hope and some of our power. I mean, also, I don't want to say that we don't have power, although it can definitely feel that way sometimes.
Steve (10:03):
Sure. I'm curious, what are your go-tos or what advice do you give when you're encountering hopelessness and helplessness or maybe what feels good for you when you're in that space?
Logan (10:18):
Yeah, I think just finding, really seeking joy where you can, seeking connection where you can and really savoring that even when they're little things. For me, something that gave me a little bit of energy and motivation this week, I found joy in a seven-layer bean dip and
Steve (10:41):
Love a bean dip.
Logan (10:42):
I know that.
Steve (10:45):
Yeah. It's called comfort food for a reason, right?
Logan (10:47):
Yeah,
Steve (10:48):
I love that.
Logan (10:49):
And although that realistically we won't do a whole lot with all of these things that we've just talked about, this list that we've named, I think it's so important that we're rejuvenating ourselves so that we can continue being engaged and continue taking action
Steve (11:08):
Totally.
Logan (11:08):
And not get totally burnt out.
Steve (11:10):
I really love that, and this is something that I share as frequently as I can. Somebody that I've worked with who told me self-care is community care, and I think I'm not talking about goop style self-care, like let's go to the spa sort of thing, which is fair and valid, but eating a seven layer bean dip because you just want to feel comfortable and good and eat something tasty to replenish yourself and feel some joy is a really important part of self-care so that you can be ready to show up for the rest of your community. And I think taking care of yourself, it is important for you and it's important for the rest of us. I want you to be feeling your best so that we can participate in whatever sort of movement we want to create in the future and make the world feel better for us. Amen to that.
Logan (12:06):
Yeah, I totally agree. I think also, I've heard from some folks that it can feel difficult to take care of themselves, that it can feel selfish, but I think bringing that into the picture that it's good for our community to be taking care of ourselves so that we can be showing up is so important. I'm curious, what kinds of things have brought you some hope or some joy or rejuvenation recently?
Steve (12:32):
I think that one of the things that has always been really helpful to me is dancey pop music and just finding a way to move my body or to sing along in the car in a way that just feels unbridled and fun. Some people like to do it at the club. I prefer to do it in the car, but you do it where you want to do it. But listening to just trashy pop music is so good for my soul and it helps me just feel a sense of joy that is often not present when I'm sitting with clients or reading the news or evacuating with my dog and my partner. It's hard to feel joy in those moments, but on that car ride away from LA several weeks ago, I was listening to Ava Max pop music, and that was great. And so being able to just find that joy singing in my car was really helpful. So that's something I usually do at least once a day.
Logan (13:40):
That's awesome. I'm going to steal that from you.
Steve (13:42):
Do it. Yes. It's kind of a good segue to the next thing we wanted to just have a little laugh or get into was there are definitely some over the top ways people are coping. I think you and I are talking about very reasonable, eat some good food, listen to some good music, but just to highlight how outrageous times are right now, we wanted to point out some wild ways that folks are actually planning to deal unquote deal with everything as an example of, wow, this really is unreasonable. These are unreasonable times. And one thing that came to me or was in the news a while ago was that there is a four year long cruise vacation happening for the very low price of $320,000.
Logan (14:37):
Not bad.
Steve (14:37):
So you can be on a cruise ship for four years to avoid the Trump presidency, which I'm not sure if being on a cruise for four years feels very relaxing to me. But would you do that?
Logan (14:51):
I wouldn't normally, but I've been considering a lot of things I wouldn't normally consider recently.
Steve (14:59):
That's fair.
Logan (14:59):
Certainly feels hard not to think about what happened at the end of the last Trump presidency, and that wasn't a great time to be on a cruise, but I don't know. I'd be open to learning more about it. Not sure that it's in the budget though.
Steve (15:22):
Yes.
Logan (15:22):
Would you consider going on a four year cruise?
Steve (15:26):
I've actually never been on a cruise and considering what happened at the end of the last Trump presidency, we're talking about the pandemic being on a cruise ship was not a great place to be. They kind of turned into floating disease vectors, which wasn't a great place to be, so I don't think I would make that choice. But also, you're right, not in the budget, and this brings to mind another issue of the time. It's like wealth inequality. There is coping available to folks that have incredible resources that so much of what is thought of as self-care is expensive and resource heavy,
That it makes it feel like there's nothing you can do if you don't have the financial resources to do so. The other thing that for some reason was popping up a lot in the news for a while was these one Euro houses people could buy in Italy, and the idea is that, oh, that's so affordable. It's so cheap, but these are ramshackle falling down sheds that would require a lot of investment to make happen. These big over the top responses just feel like ways of privileged folks really getting to escape by using their privilege, and that doesn't feel like buildings, any sort of community back here where we are all still committed or required to live.
Logan (17:02):
Yeah, yeah, it's an interesting thing to think about, but it's also, it's tough because you're so right that not everyone has that opportunity and does feel complicated thinking about folks with privilege leaving and folks who don't have the means being kind of left behind to try to deal with this. It's so funny. I was on a phone call with one of my good friends the other day, and we were actually yesterday and we were talking about the one Euro houses in Italy, and we said, should we learn how to fix houses and change our lives? But I also recently joined some Facebook groups for traveling therapists or therapists who live in other countries, but still practice virtually in the United States, which has been interesting. That's not a path that I am seeking out right now, but I'd just like to have the information. And something that was interesting I saw was that there's already people who said that they left during the first Trump presidency and have been in Portugal or in the UK or different areas of the world and Bali, and they post a picture of their view out the window, and it can be tempting.
Steve (18:25):
Sounds pretty nice, but it's interesting to hear that there are folks who have already done this, and I think it's a weird place we're in where we feel like we're kind of going for the sequel of a really bad show that we've already seen with this second Trump presidency. And at the same time, it does give us the sense that we've been there before. People have been through this before. People have already gone through their first version of like, okay, here's what I did to help myself, including I moved to a foreign country and if I can work remotely, here's how I did it. So I think there's something to be gained out of that we've been here before.
Logan (19:07):
That's true.
Steve (19:08):
And seeing how people have made it work for themselves and sharing those stories is important.
Logan (19:15):
Yeah. Yeah. I think something else that I've realized is we've not only been here before the Trump presidency, but with all of these changing policies, rights that we're losing or at risk of losing, we've also been there before where those rights did not exist. And I don't expect that to be pleasant, but I think there is a power and people that maybe we can survive this. There's a hope there too.
Steve (19:43):
I think I appreciate that a lot because it's something that I've seen emerging a lot more where it's the sense that laws and executive orders are such a strange construct that we're all kind of required to live by, but at the same time, it doesn't actually invalidate my identity, even though you would like to try to erase all queer people by saying, oh, just two genders. But queer people have always existed and they will continue to exist regardless of whatever some state decides is their official policy. And I'm feeling a lot more of that sort of inherent self understanding, this kind of like I exist, I say I do, and that feels like a type of rebelliousness that I love to see because it's really empowering. It's like I get to be here because this is who I am, and I think that energy is really hope inspiring me. So more of that.
Logan (20:49):
Yeah,
Steve (20:49):
I love it.
Logan (20:50):
Absolutely agree.
Steve (20:53):
Okay. I want to transition to getting into some of the real examples. We can't all move to Bali. I even have issues of moving to Bali. Me a white man therapist living in Bali, just feels like it comes with certain issues.
Logan (21:11):
It does.
Steve (21:12):
So how do we actually live here? How do we make our lives in this place where we're feeling so overwhelmed by so many things? What are some real coping and seeking safety that people can do if we don't have the means to go on a cruise forever or live in a foreign country or make those types of really drastic changes if we're staying put, what can we do?
Logan (21:42):
Yeah, what can we do? And I think that's the question that so many people are asking, and I think so many people are reiterating being connected and being in community, and I think there's a lot of value to that. Scary things feel so much scarier, alone, and powerlessness feels so much less powerful alone.
Logan (22:11):
For sure. So yeah, I've been really encouraging people in my life, people in my clients and reminding myself that that's important because I don't know, I think everyone has their own styles, but I think it can be easy to isolate.
Steve (22:29):
Yeah, it's really easy to isolate. I think you and me two fairly introverted folks, and if you're listening to this and this is you too, it can feel like the first response that I have to go to, I just need to be alone because that's how I best know how to cope with all of this. And while that can be a nice way to regulate, I think actually moving forward requires us to be together.
Steve (22:56):
That loneliness doesn't help that sense of powerlessness, like you said, and finding community and connection, it amplifies joy. It makes us feel like we can do more. It's going to take a while to get to where we all want to go toward liberation and political freedom and all of that, but no one person does it by themselves. And so finding community to be a part of all that is really important. I think. I like that you bring that up first because that feels like the umbrella for everything else that we're going to talk about, that finding connection is the most empowering and helpful thing that you can do at this moment. The other thing that I hear a lot of people talking about is this sense of dissociation. I feel like if there's a theme to what I've been hearing, it's a lot of folks being like, I am not even here right now.
Steve (23:49):
I'm feeling really dissociated. I'm feeling really distracted, disconnected. And I just want to point out that coping is coping. There's a push to say that certain coping mechanisms are bad, and I think that that comes from a medical framework of things are unhealthy or they're healthy or they're good or they're bad,
(24:10)
But from a more harm reduction standpoint that people need to cope, life is overwhelming right now. And dissociation is a strategy that we have developed as human beings in order to deal with things when they feel like too much for us. And so I think that it's important to kind of pathologize some of that and be like, if you feel the need to dissociate, recognize that, and that's saying something. And that doesn't mean that you're doing anything wrong, but that perhaps there's overwhelm that you're not confronting or feelings that you're not able to feel right now. So it's important to find some balance, like we said before, finding the place between being immersed. Sorry, immersed is the word I'm looking for, or overwhelmed and burying your head in the sand. There is a balance there, I think. So if you're finding dissociation happen, that's okay, but what's out of balance for you I think is important to look for? Curious for your thoughts about dissociation.
Logan (25:16):
Yeah. No, I love that you bring up the kind of pathology and the medical framework that views dissociation as a purely negative thing. I think we develop these reactions, these ways of coping for good reason. And I think that framework of seeing things as black and white that that's always bad, is actually really harmful for a lot of people and creates a lot of shame and guilt, and that can make it even harder to engage or even harder to take action or be involved or be in community or all of these things that we want to be intentional about doing to take care of ourselves and our community. Because I don't think it's a good thing to be 24 7 thinking about the horrors of the world around us,
Steve (26:05):
The horrors. Yeah, for sure.
Logan (26:07):
Yeah,
Steve (26:08):
I agree with you. It's really overwhelming. And so I think it is important to be able to be in touch with those feelings, but we can get overtaxed by all that feeling and even being in this profession, we love to sit there and the hard feelings and deal with the difficult stuff that comes up, but part of it is recognizing that it is important to step back from those things and knowing what your limits are. And I just fully want to point out that can be a privilege to be able to do that. There are folks who are dealing with constant pressures, whether it's being able to live in a safe place. This is very present in our community right now here on the east side of Los Angeles.
(26:57)
So many folks that I've spoken to can't go back to their houses or don't have houses to go back to anymore. There are real environmental concerns like drinking water. The air can be unsafe to really take in because of the fires. So it can be a privilege to be able to step back. And I just want to point that out and that overwhelm is a very real possibility in these moments. There are people in this world dealing with warfare and actual worries for their safety. And so dissociation is at times a helpful way of dealing with some of that, I guess. But hopefully we can find a place to create some safety so that you can come back into your body, your feelings, your humanity without being disconnected from it all. And I think that's where community and connection comes in. That feels really helpful.
Logan (27:53):
Yeah, and I agree, and I think you bring up a great point that privilege is part of the picture here, and that for a lot of people, they can't not think about certain things. And that almost, I guess in my mind increases the importance of taking care of ourselves so we can continue in this marathon really, so we can continue being there for our community and continue doing those things that
Steve (28:23):
It is a marathon. You brought up a good point about staying constantly engaged with stuff, feeling like it can be important to step back from consuming news media. And I think one thing that's been really helpful to me is to look at where I actually get my news from.
(28:43)
And I took some time away from social media. It felt chaotic and it was doom scrolling and just kind of shocking pictures coming to me that were just not helpful for me to find a sense of security. Same with scrolling through the news app on my phone, just didn't feel good. Traditional news media sources didn't feel really helpful because I feel like they're owned by interest, that I don't trust billionaires that were sitting at the inauguration. So choosing where I'm getting my media from has been really helpful. And to me, it's been podcast episodes from people that I think are trustworthy, who are deep thinkers or they're critical thinkers. They come from perspectives that are the ones that I would respect, folks that have a queer take on the news, folks that have a take from the lens of someone who's a person of color digesting some of that information before it gets to my ears so that I can take it in a way that feels a little bit less shocking. What's it been like for you to encounter news and how do you take it in?
Logan (30:03):
I have been over consuming the news and social media. I'll be honest, it's been on my mind, and I know we've had conversations outside of this podcast about what we're getting our news from, how we're handling the information that we're exposing ourselves to, how we're staying engaged without overwhelming ourselves. So it's been on my mind and I've been really reflecting on that. And I did delete social media for a week right after the inauguration, and
Steve (30:35):
Then I've definitely redownload, so I'm not trying to say I'm perfect about this, but yeah, I've been doom scrolling too, but sorry.
Logan (30:42):
Yeah, no, I mean I appreciate normalizing that. I was like, but yeah, I think there's also so much alarmist stuff coming out that feels difficult and confusing and daunting to sift through because some of that we really need to be alarmed about. Some of them I feel like can maybe be a distraction from the other things that are going on. I think at this point, the curtains have been pulled back a bit more and some of these propaganda tactics are we allowed to say that.
Steve (31:27):
Go for it,
Logan (31:30):
Are really blatant. And I hear you talking about how the news sources are not all reliable, how there's interest in those news sources, that there's money involved, that there's biases. And I see that a lot in social media, of course. And especially after seeing that front row at the inauguration, realizing, oh, these are the people who own all of our social media platforms. Yeah, it's been overwhelming to sift through.
Steve (32:12):
Yeah, I think it's just kind of a growing consciousness of that being like, okay, where am I getting my information? It's all coming down from this either Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, I don't even like to say their names, but these folks who are in incredible amounts of control over wealth and power and news media. If we're getting all our information from their places, maybe let's think about that a little bit. Anyway, before we get too far off down this track, I want to move us along because one thing we've talked about a lot is community. And I think one thing that can feel really helpful right now is doing something. A lot of the stuff that comes up right now is I don't know what to do because it all feels really overwhelming. And a lot of what happened the first time around for me and the Trump presidency was like, how do we organize? Let's take action so much doing, so much desire to do. And I think that's great. And at the same time, it can come with this pressure of like, oh my God, I'm not doing enough. I am a bad activist if I'm not in the streets every day or if I'm not knocking on doors. So I just want to normalize and invite anyone who's listening to be kind to yourself. And if you can't contribute as much as you would like or in the way that you really want to, there are other ways of contributing. I think it's all, we can't all do the same thing,
(33:51)
But we can all do our thing to help. And I think it's important to remember that we might have all different versions of helping out and pushing some kind of movement forward, but we have to do what feels right to us. If we're not finding some personnel connection to it, it's not going to help. Yeah,
Logan (34:11):
I think there's so many ways to take action,
(34:15)
And it's easy to boil it down to just a couple of things and to feel really bad if those are difficult to engage in or if you don't have the means to. I remember the first Trump presidency being in the streets all the time, being on the 1 0 1 protesting. And right now, that's just not something that I have the time for and the means to be participating in. But there are so many other ways to be taking action, voting with our dollar, supporting the people that can get out there and protest and doing so many other things. So yeah, I think it is really important to be kind to ourselves and be open minded about all the kinds of different ways we can take action. And to also remember that there's so much that's happening that has been in large part, caused by bigger forces than just us. And that all of these responsibilities being put onto us as individuals is probably part of what allows those bigger forces to continue what they're doing.
Steve (35:33):
I would agree. I think so much of this, I've been thinking as I've been driving LA seeing these billboards that are take out your lawn, it's up to you to save water and create some more low water landscaping, which is a great idea. I'm totally for it. But at the same time, I know that it's not necessarily just individuals that there are bigger forces, corporate forces that are also responsible for environmental degradation. And so I think a lot of the stuff has been displaced onto individuals. Like you just said, it feels like it's up to us to fix the whole thing, which is why I think community and coming together around whatever is important to you is really the answer that we have to be looking for. It's like no one individual is going to change it. And that gives me a sense of comfort too, because no one individual, Donald Trump is going to break everything.
(36:30)
I can't fix everything. He can't mess everything up. And so we're a lot more capable if we come together. So there is some group out there that is going to feel like a good place for you to belong, to move forward in the way that you want to, whether the cause that you pick up is around the environment or politics or trans rights, or you name it, reproductive rights, anything, that there is a group out there that is doing the work to bring that cause forward. And I think that joining and being a part of that sort of thing is so much more empowering than being like, I have to do this. I have to call my senator and it's going to be my one voice. There are groups out there for everyone, and I'm trying to remember that for myself. That community is going to make us all go farther together.
Logan (37:26):
And luckily there are lots of issues to pick from.
Steve (37:30):
Yes. So choose one. You can't do everything. You can do anything, but you can't do everything. And I think that knowing that it's important to accept that we are also limited creatures, but there are a lot of us, and I think there are a lot more folks in the world that want this to go well than a powerful few that have their own interest in mind.
Logan (38:03):
And that when we put all that on individuals, it can build that powerlessness, hopelessness, helplessness. And so it's important to keep that in mind to ward them off, I guess.
Steve (38:18):
Yeah, I think joining forces helps us feel more powerful
(38:22)
With our forces combined. Captain Planet, anybody. Anyway, just to steer us toward the end here a little bit. Other things that can feel really important are creativity. So much of this current moment feels like destruction all around us, whether it's wildfires, whether it's destruction of rights, whether it's destruction of property because of bombing or gentrification or you name it, that it feels like destruction is taking place. So engaging in creativity, building something of your own, building something that helps make sense of the world, that gets us out of our logical mind can be really empowering. So I just want to just point out that making something and engaging the creative forces that all of us have can be a way of combating that.
Logan (39:18):
Yeah. I think that there is resistance in art and it's also good for our souls and our spirits, and that makes me think of also finding time for fun, finding time for laughter, leisure, lighter moments. It can definitely sometimes feel hard to make time for those moments or to really embrace them when they're there, but I think that those are some of the things that I can help us keep going, and this is something we might need to be really intentional about. I think it's very easy to get sucked into the doom scroll of life. So it's really something that we need to make time for celebrating things, for celebrating each other, for being happy, for joy, for queer joy, for all of that. And I know we've talked so much about community, but I think there's a lot of value in doing that together too.
Steve (40:28):
What's been keeping you going
Logan (40:31):
Other than that seven layer dip?
Steve (40:33):
Yeah. Other than that seven layer dip, which sounds great.
Logan (40:35):
Yeah. What's been keeping me going is kind of the smaller things, the little joys, being with my cats and watching them just be cute, not knowing anything about the outside world, but also I have some little cousins that I really care about who are a queer also. And while I know that my identity is valid despite what the government says, I worry a lot about the younger folks. And so that very concrete way, thinking about my little cousins, thinking about all the young people that gives me hope and that gives me this motivation to keep going and to keep resisting.
Steve (41:19):
Yeah.
Logan (41:20):
What about for you?
Steve (41:21):
I love that. I love that specifics around queer joy and finding that and finding that there's resistance and joy. It's hard to choose just when there are so many things. I think my partner and I have been really getting into diving into the Criterion Collection app on our Apple TV and just getting into really beautiful stories. I would recommend to everyone a movie called The Blue Calf Tan.
Logan (41:56):
Okay.
Steve (41:57):
A beautiful story. It takes place in Morocco. It's got queer themes about love, about death. It's like all the big questions, but it does it with such tenderness and sweetness, and there is anger and rage, and there are difficult things that come up, but it's so graceful and lovely that it really gave me a sense of hope that people can change and they do, and that they find love with each other, and that coming together through hardship is actually a really beautiful thing. So I would say movies like that. The Blue Kaftan.
Logan (42:34):
Blue Kaftan. Okay.
Steve (42:35):
Yeah, I'll have to look that up.
Steve (42:36):
That's great. Highly recommended. Alright, so it's been a good conversation. We talked about all the different ways or some of the ways that we can cope. There are plenty more. I think it'll be worth hearing more from listeners, folks on our socials, if you haven't deleted your Instagram account yet to chime in about what's been keeping you going, how are you coping with all of this? But are you going to be on a four year cruise or are you just going to be dissociated for four years? What communities are you joining to help get through this together? The lesson? Let us know. In the spirit of that, we like to bring you to this week's community highlight.
Logan (43:23):
So before we go back into session, we want to bring you to Mutual Aid LA Network. It's a connector and information hub for mutual aid efforts, people and resources across Los Angeles. We are building toward abolition and believe in an abundant world that can be freed of oppression through community solidarity. If you want to check them out, you can go to mutual aid la.org.
Steve (43:48):
Awesome organization. That's great. And one podcast and social media account that you can check in on is a podcast that I've been really enjoying. It's called Vibe Check. It's a podcast run by three queer black men, Cy Jones, Sam Sanders, and Zach Stafford, and their take on pop culture and current events. And if you just look up vibe, check on all your podcast places on your Instagram. I believe they're on TikTok too. They have a really awesome take on pop culture. The News Sight Jones poet always shares some poetry, which gets heart of things. So that's a great way of decolonizing your feed and taking a different perspective on the news. So with that, we will see you all next time when we're out of session,
Steve Wilson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a queer man, and a feminist. He is especially drawn to working with adolescents and young adults embracing queerness. He deeply and personally understands the complexities of queer experience and wants to help other queer individuals and partners, parents of queer and trans youth, and those practicing consensual non-monogamy (CNM) to build thriving, connected, & healing relationships. Fun facts are that Steve has been a teacher, tutor, publicist, recruiter, bookseller, cabinetmaker, and a zip-line tour guide!
Logan Kim, is a queer, non-binary, Asian-American Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. They work with individuals and couples from a relational and social justice-oriented approach. Logan is particularly passionate about their work with queer and trans clients, exploring issues around identity, relationships, and the implications of existing in a cisheteronormative society.
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