How to Not Look Away
Being thoughtful about how you approach a challenge means learning to sit with your anxiety
As a therapist, I’m constantly hearing the same question: How do people stay engaged with big problems? Maintaining focus and energy over the long term doesn’t come naturally to most people: We often have a tendency to throw ourselves into a challenge for a short while and then claim victory, admit defeat, or lose interest. We do it when we want to change a habit, fix a damaged relationship, and, yes, even tackle big issues like injustice.
For many of us, this is the question that will define the rest of 2020: How do you stay focused on being responsible in a pandemic? How do you stay active in the fight to end systemic racism? How do you keep thinking about climate change in the middle of the other chaos?
The act of asking is, in itself, a privilege. Not everyone has the ability to look away from these problems or devote much mental energy to problems beyond basic survival. But for those who do, it is our responsibility to think about how we buckle in for the long haul instead of hopping off at the next news cycle.
The reality is that complex problems require sustained effort and thoughtful attention. They require us to put up with the discomfort of lingering in uncertainty, of…
