WEBVTT

00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:03.380

This is a Stereo Forest production from StereoForest

00:00:03.380 --> 00:00:04.120

.com.

00:00:04.300 --> 00:00:08.120

Information, resources and opportunities to support the show

00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:12.140

and connect with others are available at StereoForest

00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:14.780

.com slash Daily Reconnect.

00:00:15.340 --> 00:00:19.360

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes

00:00:19.360 --> 00:00:22.760

only and is not a substitute for medical

00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:24.980

advice, diagnosis or treatment.

00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:28.540

If you have specific mental health concerns please

00:00:28.540 --> 00:00:30.820

consult with a qualified healthcare professional.

00:00:31.360 --> 00:00:33.060

Now on to the show.

00:00:35.980 --> 00:00:38.360

In this episode we will do an exercise

00:00:38.360 --> 00:00:41.260

that helps you reconnect while reflecting on your

00:00:41.260 --> 00:00:44.200

core values and then we'll discuss some reasons

00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:46.480

why we feel isolated while struggling.

00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:49.740

Welcome to the Daily Reconnect.

00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:53.440

It's March 17th and I'm your host Janda

00:00:53.440 --> 00:00:53.780

Han.

00:00:56.290 --> 00:00:59.530

This brief session aims to help you connect

00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:02.710

with the present moment when feeling disconnected or

00:01:02.710 --> 00:01:04.190

adrift from your surroundings.

00:01:04.510 --> 00:01:07.750

Together we'll rediscover and reconnect with our place

00:01:07.750 --> 00:01:13.250

in this beautiful, wild, distressing, fascinating reality.

00:01:13.470 --> 00:01:16.490

After we complete this practice we'll hopefully gather

00:01:16.490 --> 00:01:19.290

the strength or just the willingness to face

00:01:19.290 --> 00:01:19.770

our day.

00:01:21.990 --> 00:01:24.990

Take the elements that resonate during this exercise

00:01:24.990 --> 00:01:28.250

and feel free to adjust or leave behind

00:01:28.250 --> 00:01:30.190

anything that doesn't work for you.

00:01:30.670 --> 00:01:34.310

This is your time to focus and reset.

00:01:35.150 --> 00:01:38.430

Then you'll hear some encouraging words to help

00:01:38.430 --> 00:01:42.610

you align your actions with these values throughout

00:01:42.610 --> 00:01:43.150

your day.

00:01:44.390 --> 00:01:49.190

This week's episodes offer exercises that can help

00:01:49.190 --> 00:01:52.650

in particular with an inundation of news.

00:01:52.950 --> 00:01:56.190

Something that might affect us even during less

00:01:56.190 --> 00:01:57.310

stressful times.

00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:01.310

The exercise today helps you reconnect with your

00:02:01.310 --> 00:02:05.850

fundamental principles during times of news overwhelm.

00:02:05.870 --> 00:02:08.810

It can provide some steadiness in the face

00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:12.230

of this onslaught by helping you navigate information

00:02:12.230 --> 00:02:15.270

while being able to return to your core

00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:18.570

values to remind you who you are and

00:02:18.570 --> 00:02:19.430

how to proceed.

00:02:20.450 --> 00:02:23.930

So find a comfortable position or a walking

00:02:23.930 --> 00:02:28.870

pace and take several deep breaths as we

00:02:28.870 --> 00:02:29.730

get started.

00:02:31.150 --> 00:02:34.790

As you begin to regulate your breathing allow

00:02:34.790 --> 00:02:38.590

yourself to become curious about what matters most

00:02:38.590 --> 00:02:41.250

to you beyond your daily concerns.

00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:49.640

Think of a moment when you felt truly

00:02:49.640 --> 00:02:52.340

aligned with your authentic self.

00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:56.080

This might be a time when your actions

00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.800

reflected what you deeply believe in.

00:02:59.940 --> 00:03:04.700

Perhaps it was standing up for someone, creating

00:03:04.700 --> 00:03:10.220

something meaningful, connecting deeply with others, or pursuing

00:03:10.220 --> 00:03:10.880

knowledge.

00:03:11.720 --> 00:03:14.480

Notice how your body feels as you recall

00:03:14.480 --> 00:03:18.580

this memory of living or acting aligned with

00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:19.600

those values.

00:03:29.320 --> 00:03:34.140

Now begin to identify specific core values that

00:03:34.140 --> 00:03:35.260

guide your life.

00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.260

It might be a pattern, it might be

00:03:39.260 --> 00:03:42.680

something you keep coming back to, or perhaps

00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:46.040

it's something related to your work or a

00:03:46.040 --> 00:03:46.920

lifelong hobby.

00:03:47.700 --> 00:03:52.820

These values might include compassion or truth, justice,

00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:00.120

your family, creativity, learning, your community around you.

00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:04.180

There's no right or wrong set of values,

00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:06.620

only what genuinely matters to you.

00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:18.300

And now if you can, visualize those values

00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:21.560

as signposts that surround you.

00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:25.120

Or you might visualize a compass or a

00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.800

map if that's easier, or just acknowledge them

00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:31.580

if visualizations are not available to you.

00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:47.740

Now choose one value that feels particularly important

00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:51.380

to you right now, one that might help

00:04:51.380 --> 00:04:53.700

you navigate your current challenges.

00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:58.920

Imagine this value as more prominent in your

00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:03.100

visualization, a bigger sign, it might be glowing,

00:05:03.880 --> 00:05:07.480

perhaps it's a mark on the map, and

00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:11.920

allow this value to fill your awareness.

00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:21.520

Now consider how this core value might guide

00:05:21.520 --> 00:05:24.840

your response to overwhelming information this week.

00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:29.120

Could you return to this when encountering fear

00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:33.360

or anger inducing headlines or some form of

00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:39.680

disinformation, in confusing unpredictable times or situations that

00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:42.540

may lead you to want to give up?

00:05:43.220 --> 00:05:46.600

Could returning to this value help balance emotions

00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.320

that are not useful to you in the

00:05:49.320 --> 00:05:49.680

moment?

00:05:52.650 --> 00:05:55.610

So now take some deep breaths as we

00:05:55.610 --> 00:05:59.650

end our exercise, return your awareness to the

00:05:59.650 --> 00:06:00.690

present time.

00:06:09.960 --> 00:06:13.680

And I want to acknowledge something that many

00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:15.900

of us feel quite deeply.

00:06:18.400 --> 00:06:22.620

In this struggle against oppressive systems, we quite

00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:27.700

often feel profoundly alone and isolated.

00:06:28.460 --> 00:06:32.520

And this isolation, it really isn't an accident.

100

00:06:33.880 --> 00:06:38.580

The systems around us of capitalism and fascism

101

00:06:38.580 --> 00:06:42.440

are designed to fragment us apart, to make

102

00:06:42.440 --> 00:06:48.660

our struggles feel individual rather than collective, really

103

00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:52.060

to convince us that our pain is a

104

00:06:52.060 --> 00:06:56.180

personal failure rather than a problem of the

105

00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:56.560

system.

106

00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:00.220

When you can't make rent even though you

107

00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:04.660

work full-time, or when healthcare remains out

108

00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:07.500

of your reach because of cost or access

109

00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:09.980

issues or both of those things, when your

110

00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:15.920

community faces targeted harassment, these experiences are deliberately

111

00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:19.480

structured to make them feel like they're just

112

00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:21.200

your burden alone.

113

00:07:21.700 --> 00:07:24.800

And the message that we receive is quite

114

00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:25.300

clear.

115

00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:28.260

You're on your own and figure it out

116

00:07:28.260 --> 00:07:29.020

by yourself.

117

00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:33.880

This isolation is made worse because of the

118

00:07:33.880 --> 00:07:37.300

physical and digital parts of our life.

119

00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:41.600

Neighborhoods are not all that walkable for so

120

00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:42.360

many of us.

121

00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.180

They're designed that way.

122

00:07:44.340 --> 00:07:48.420

They're designed without community in mind or our

123

00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:49.560

third spaces.

124

00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:52.520

Those are pretty much completely gone now.

125

00:07:52.820 --> 00:07:56.560

Online algorithms that amplify this division.

126

00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:59.500

Workplaces, they discourage unions.

127

00:07:59.820 --> 00:08:03.740

And the constant grind means that we don't

128

00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:05.900

really have a lot of time for connection

129

00:08:05.900 --> 00:08:06.780

as it is.

130

00:08:07.140 --> 00:08:09.340

But I want you to know that recognizing,

131

00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:15.600

that acknowledging this isolation, naming it and seeing

132

00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.420

it, that's an act of resistance.

133

00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:23.420

And just doing that starts the process of

134

00:08:23.420 --> 00:08:28.040

weakening the powers that are making us so

135

00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:32.960

isolated by discussing it with others, by identifying

136

00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.000

it with somebody else, even more so.

137

00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:41.080

So take a moment and recognize that so

138

00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:45.300

many other people around you are experiencing the

139

00:08:45.300 --> 00:08:49.160

same kind of struggles, the same kind of

140

00:08:49.160 --> 00:08:49.980

doubts.

141

00:08:50.560 --> 00:08:53.440

They have similar moments of despair.

142

00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:57.300

Not because there's something wrong with you or

143

00:08:57.300 --> 00:09:00.260

them or any of us, but because these

144

00:09:00.260 --> 00:09:04.260

systems are functioning just as they were designed

145

00:09:04.260 --> 00:09:04.940

to do.

146

00:09:05.780 --> 00:09:11.060

Unfortunately, your isolation, that isn't a personal failing

147

00:09:11.060 --> 00:09:15.340

of yours, but it was a structural, like

148

00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:19.000

an obstacle that was placed into your path,

149

00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:23.360

really with intention, with forethought, by somebody else

150

00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:25.900

to benefit them, not you.

151

00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:31.600

Now, recognizing this isn't going to immediately transform

152

00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.500

your circumstances, what's happening right now, of course

153

00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.960

it won't, but it shifts something essential in

154

00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:43.060

how we might relate to these feelings, to

155

00:09:43.060 --> 00:09:45.580

relate to this isolation.

156

00:09:45.900 --> 00:09:50.660

It places your experience, it places that loneliness

157

00:09:50.660 --> 00:09:54.940

in a much larger context, and that opens

158

00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:57.420

the possibility of connection.

159

00:09:57.800 --> 00:10:01.180

Even when physical proximity might not be accessible

160

00:10:01.180 --> 00:10:04.000

or might not be possible for some of

161

00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.600

us, there are other ways.

162

00:10:06.020 --> 00:10:10.780

But remember that throughout history, the very first

163

00:10:10.780 --> 00:10:14.700

step in all of these movements for justice,

164

00:10:14.920 --> 00:10:19.120

movements for change, it was when humans recognized

165

00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:24.580

that their individual suffering was connected to a

166

00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:28.360

much larger system, to a larger design or

167

00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:29.100

plan.

168

00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:34.880

Before collective action, before mass movements even came

169

00:10:34.880 --> 00:10:39.440

about, there was this moment of clarity that

170

00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.120

this thing, it isn't just happening to me,

171

00:10:43.280 --> 00:10:45.200

it's happening to all of us.

172

00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:49.140

And in this case, it's not really a

173

00:10:49.140 --> 00:10:51.820

left versus right, but more a top versus

174

00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:52.300

bottom.

175

00:10:52.780 --> 00:10:56.700

So you're not alone in what you're experiencing,

176

00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.480

even when everything might make it feel that

177

00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:00.800

way.

178

00:11:01.400 --> 00:11:04.840

And in the next episode, we'll explore how

179

00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:09.300

to maintain your strength and your dignity when

180

00:11:09.300 --> 00:11:11.980

the systems are designed to break it.

181

00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:16.640

Your struggles, they're shared by many people, and

182

00:11:16.640 --> 00:11:20.240

this shared experience, even when we might be

183

00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.920

physically distant from each other, it contains the

184

00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:29.100

beginnings of real connection and real possibility.

185

00:11:29.640 --> 00:11:32.960

And remember that the world is better due

186

00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:35.540

to your presence within it.

187

00:11:40.950 --> 00:11:44.070

So that's it for today, March 17th.

188

00:11:44.110 --> 00:11:46.490

Thank you so much for joining me in

189

00:11:46.490 --> 00:11:50.570

this brief episode, and let's connect again on

190

00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:50.990

Wednesday.

191

00:11:53.650 --> 00:11:56.250

Thank you for listening to The Daily Reconnect.

192

00:11:56.570 --> 00:12:00.070

Episodes are released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

193

00:12:00.070 --> 00:12:00.930

every week.

194

00:12:01.190 --> 00:12:04.350

This show was created, written, hosted, edited, and

195

00:12:04.350 --> 00:12:05.790

produced by Jen DeHaan.

196

00:12:06.190 --> 00:12:09.050

Links to contact information, ways to support the

197

00:12:09.050 --> 00:12:12.510

show, transcripts, the free newsletter, and our community

198

00:12:12.510 --> 00:12:14.950

discord can be found in the show notes.

199

00:12:15.370 --> 00:12:17.350

This is a Stereo Forest production.