What Can I Do When Everything is On Fire?

I’ve been feeling frustrated, discouraged, angry, sad, and scared about the state of the world. It’s easy for those emotions to overwhelm me if I let them. I’m not rich or powerful. I’m not famous. I don’t have a huge online platform.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing I can do. I can do my part, and hopefully others are doing the same. A collective push for change can push the scales with time and patience.

What I’m doing:

• DON’T BANKROLL OLIGARCHY. We shop locally whenever it’s possible. We might pay slightly more in the short term, but it helps the local economy and (if we all collectively vote with our wallets) helps ensure that, eventually, billionaires can’t buy politicians with cruel intentions ever again. Boycotts work. A change in long-term shopping habits works even better. No more Amazon, Target, or Walmart.
• When I must shop from larger retailers, I choose ones that don’t throw their money at autocrats with hate-filled agendas. If you want to know how to find out which companies are involved in stuff you don’t like, look them up on Goods Unite Us. I’ve used it for a few years now, and it’s been really helpful.
• I got rid of my Facebook and Twitter accounts several years ago. I thought I’d miss them, but I don’t. Once we are finally moved into our house and have permanent phone service, I plan to get rid of my Instagram account as well. Right now, I have friends I can’t reach any other way, but eventually, that won’t be the case. Again, I don’t want any more billionaire-sponsored government. You can find me now on Bluesky instead.
• I fully intend to do my part in the community I’ve chosen here in France. I plan to volunteer to help people here who need it. I want to be active in my commitment to the country and city where I live for city beautification, community gardening, and other opportunities to be useful.
• Just as we were working to reduce our carbon footprint back in the US, I intend to do the same here.
  • We’re going to install heat pumps and insulation in our new house, electrify all our appliances and utilities, and eventually add solar panels, to make sure we’re doing our part to help the city reach net zero. It’ll cost money to make those changes, yes, but it won’t take long for those changes to pay for themselves.
  • We had an Chevy Bolt EV which we sold last year when we decided to move to Europe. Now that we’re here, we aren’t going to buy a car for the foreseeable future. This city has good public transportation, and we are walking 3-5 miles every single day. I want to buy an electric bike. If, after we’ve been here a couple of years, we decide a car is something we actually do need, we’ll get another EV.
  • We’ve done organic gardening for the last ten years, and we intend to continue that here. I love walking out to pick fresh veggies for our meals. There’s no way we’ll ever be totally self-sufficient, and we don’t intend to try. But we can supplement our diet with healthy foods and help support the environment with natural, non-toxic growing methods and companion pollinator plants that improve the ecosystem in the entire area.
  • As in the past, we will compost our food and lawn waste so it doesn’t go into the landfill, using the resulting soil to supplement our garden.
  • We also plan to continue using rainwater collection to use in our garden.

Beyond these changes, I’m also working to change my doomscrolling and constant oh-my-god-ing. That doesn’t mean I’m hiding from the news. Knowing what’s happening is essential so we can plan and stay safe and help others. But I can’t help anyone or myself if I’m in a state of panic every single day.

So what do I do instead?

• Read books offline.
• Walk.
• Cuddle a pet.
• Write in my journal to empty my head and stop panic-driven rumination.
• Listen to music.
• Make gratitude lists to remind myself of what’s good.
• Plan one positive thing I can do each day. I can’t fix everything that’s happening. All I can do is use the skills and abilities and resources I have to take one action at a time. It adds up. And if we all do it, it can become a movement.
• Cook healthy food to feed your body and soul.
• Learn something new. Right now, I’m practicing my French every day and learning about the history of this area of France. Once we are in our house, I’m going to be reading a lot of how-to books on home-improvement and gardening.
• Nurture my creativity. Write fiction. Paint or draw. Knit or sew. Decorate the home I live in to personalize the space. Sing or play music.
• Spend time outdoors, watching birds, observing the changing seasons, and stargazing.
• Talk with friends, either face-to-face, on the phone, or online. It’s so important to keep a social connection for your mental health and sense of belonging.
• Volunteer for something to stave off a sense of helplessness. Even if it’s something small like picking up trash in your community or helping a stranger on the bus, it’s putting positivity into the world, and we all need that. I got involved in politics back in the US, and I plan to do what I can to continue helping in whatever ways I can to improve things for others. Find something that matters to you, and direct your energy into bringing hope.
• Use your voice to be a cheerleader for others. I’m doing that here and on social media as well as with with my writing. Boost the voices of marginalized people, whether they’re writers, artists, musicians, journalists, or entrepreneurs. If you like what they created, tell them to keep it up. Let them know their contribution to the universe matters. Give them a reason to continue.
• Show someone you love them with words and actions. You never know what someone else is going through.

These are the things I’m doing. I hope you’ll make your own list, friend.

Sending hope and light to you, wherever you are.