When the world feels like it is "on fire,' the human brain naturally defaults to a state of chronic hypervigilance. Evolutionarily, we are wired to prioritize "the fire" because the fire is what can kill us. However, staying in that state of high arousal indefinitely leads to emotional exhaustion and a sense of pervasive hopelessness. To find "glimmers" we have to move beyond positive thinking and into the realm of applied polyvagal theory and neuroscience.

That feeling that the world is fundamentally broken and that you are powerless to do anything about it? Mental health experts have given it names like eco-anxiety, climate grief, and political despair. It’s the ambient, background radiation of our daily lives, a constant awareness that the systems we were supposed to inherit are failing. This is your guide to staying sane, engaged, and powerful when the world feels like it’s on fire.