Return To Joy During Turbulent Times

Feeling spun out by the headlines and the heat online? We name the collective dysregulation many of us are sensing and offer a humane path back to steadiness: grief literacy, nervous system care, and joyful integrity that doesn’t require disengaging from what matters. I share why doomscrolling is a trauma response, how the body interprets constant input as threat, and what conscious, bounded engagement looks like when staying informed starts to cost your aliveness.

Together, we unpack a practical compass for hard times: think globally, act locally, regulate personally. That means honoring limits, then turning attention to small, consistent acts of care in your neighborhood—checking on an elder after a storm, sharing groceries, making eye contact, or supporting a local pantry. We also challenge binary thinking and dehumanization, choosing to see the person across from us while refusing to use hatred as a coping strategy. Joyful presence becomes a form of resistance, a way to stay human without collapsing into apathy or burning out.

You’ll also get tactile tools to metabolize grief and release charge safely: submerged screams in a bath, rage rooms, angry walks in the woods, long exhales that reset the vagus nerve, cold-water resets, and a simple news boundary ritual followed by a hand-wash to signal completion. We close with a joy ledger practice and focused journaling prompts to clarify what’s truly in your control—your attention, your relationships, and your care for vulnerable people nearby. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs steadiness today, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find a humane way back to joy.

Journaling Prompts

• “What am I actually grieving beneath my political feelings?”
• “Where has my nervous system been asking for rest?”
• “What does joyful integrity look like for me right now?”
• “What is one small place I can show up locally this week?”
• “What happens in my body when I step away from the noise?”

Chapters

• 0:00 Naming A Dysregulated Moment
• 2:46 Awareness Versus Overconsumption
• 5:21 Nervous System On High Alert
• 8:30 Conscious Bounded Engagement
• 11:15 Think Globally, Act Locally, Regulate Personally
• 14:35 Micro Acts In Community
• 18:20 Joyful Presence As Resistance
• 22:05 Beyond Binary Thinking

Transcript

Elena Box : 0:00

Welcome to the Ode to Joy Podcast, a show where we talk about joy. How do we cultivate it? How do we maintain it? And what are the things that get in the way? I am your host, shamanic practitioner and death duela, Elena Box, coming to you with another very special episode from our season, all about resilience. I hope you enjoy a hello, dear listener, and welcome back to another episode of the Ode to Joy podcast. It's your friend Elena Box coming to you with another very special episode. And hey, I just want to check in. How's it going? Wherever you are, I want to invite you to just land here, land in this moment together. I'm so happy you're here. I am just, my heart feels really joyful, honestly, to know that my voice is reaching your ears. And I hope that this journey that we're about to go on is gonna be useful to you because I think that is really what we all need right now is a solve for the heart, you know, one of those S-A-L-V-E, like a solve, you know, something really juicy, something that you maybe get at Sephora when you're about to check out and you're like, do I need it? I don't really need it, but maybe I actually really need it. And you need it. I think we all need it right now. So this episode is all about really how do we return to joy during collective and political grief, which, oh my gosh, I can't believe it, but it's true. Like we're all here right now. Um, many of us are here right now. And if you're not, I mean, listen, I don't know. Where have you been? I guess, I guess. So let's just name the moment. We're we're gonna acknowledge the last couple of weeks, which feels like it's just been this ongoing thing, uh, thing. It's kind of when you look back, we're kind of like, well, did it when did it ever really start? When did it ever really end? Like, have we ever not been in this? I think though, we're in this time and space right now where we're in this collective dysregulation. So when we have these huge um events that happen politically or, you know, within the collective, well, in the collective, or when there's a lot of political upheaval, there's a lot of dysregulation. There's this, there is a collective dysregulation. And so every single one of us, no matter uh what your beliefs are, um, all of our nervous systems are on high alert. And so listen, if you've been feeling spun out, you know, you're exhausted or angry or numb, I just want to acknowledge that and normalize it and to just say, hey, you know what? That makes total sense. Okay. So we are all in this right now. No matter where you're sitting, we're all in this together. So I just want to clarify my own lane. Um, this is not a political analysis episode. I left politics a very long time ago. This is more about grief literacy, nervous system care, and joyful integrity. So listen, I again, I left politics a long time ago. And the reason for that was because I needed to be able to tend my own nervous system. And I don't think any of us were meant to live in the 24-hour news cycle. And I have a lot of respect for the people who do live in that world. And obviously, you know, I hope that they have good tools and are able to take care of themselves because yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot that we're all dealing with here. So that's what my lane is, and that's where I'm speaking to right now. So we're just gonna name the moment of grief right now in the collective, which there is a sense of loss of safety. There is a loss of trust, there is a loss of shared reality. And there's also a loss of faith in systems, a loss of faith in leaders, and a loss of faith in each other. So there's a lot going on right now, which really brings so much grief to the surface. So if you've been feeling grief, if you've been feeling a general funkiness or my gosh, again, like exhausted, angry, or numb, all of these things, you know, you're you're, I don't want to say you're in good company, but uh maybe like a little bit like misery loves company. Like we're all, we're all in this, we're all here together. So I think there is a fine line between awareness and overconsumption. So there's there's a big difference between being informed and being flooded. So I think it's so important when we are in these huge moments of political upheaval is to know that doom scrolling is a trauma response. So just acknowledging doom scrolling is a trauma response response because we're almost trying to almost find the, find um like the magic, the magic tool, the magic way to kind of solve it. Or we're kind of just trying to seek something that's gonna help us to make make us feel better about it, or make us hopefully have a sense of safety again, or have a sense of trust again, or any of these things. And, or it's almost like this doom scrolling to just being, you know, kind of wrapped up in this whole world of like, oh my gosh, and it's so terrible, and oh my gosh. And it's and we kind of get into this downward spiral. And I think it's so important to really acknowledge that and know when you're going down those spirals, because there's so many times that we do that in life. And that's what I've been trying to talk about, or that's what I have been talking about in these last few episodes on the podcast, is really acknowledging when we are going down those paths, down those downward spirals, and when to catch it before it goes too far. So the nervous system, when we're in that doom scrolling uh trauma response moment, uh, the nervous system is interpreting constant input as an immediate threat. So the brain doesn't actually really know a difference between, you know, the saber-toothed tiger at the at the cave door and and what you're actually taking in, because you know, the the words and the images and the things that we're seeing are intense and it's a lot to take in. And sometimes we're actually not even prepared for it. I don't know about you, but sometimes when you open up social media, we see things that we might not even be prepared for. And sometimes we like went in there because you're like, I just want to see some, you know, funny little puppies and whatnot. And then we see things that we weren't ready for. And so again, the nervous system interprets that as an immediate threat. So I just want to make this distinction clear. Um, we're not talking about burying your head in the sand and just, you know, ignorance is bliss, and I don't know what's going on. And, you know, here I am, and I'm just, you know, everything's cozy, tozy, tozy room. Uh, but we also don't want to let the news dictate your emotional baseline. So again, we're not burying our heads in the sand, and we're also not letting the news dictate our emotional baseline. We're talking about conscious bounded engagement. Okay. You get to choose how much information your body can hold. Okay. Let that really land. You get to choose how much information your body can hold. Okay. Staying informed should not come at the cost of your aliveness. Okay. I really want to let this land because I think it's so important for us as we're going through these huge moments. We have to take care of ourselves as we're going through it. And you get to choose. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. If you need to, hey, I need to take a break, I need to take a breather, I need to take care of myself before I take in any more information, or I just need to process this. Like there's so much that has been happening day after day that if we don't actually take the time to decompress, to digest, to integrate, we're gonna be burnt out. So again, I want to sort of lead us into we're not also talking about inaction. So we want to talk about action without losing yourself. So if someone's path is protesting, calling your representatives, organizing, beautiful. I affirm that I'm here, I'm supporting you 100%. And activism without regulation leads to burnout and bitterness. Okay. So we want to introduce this core principle. And listen, I love it. I remember hearing it back. I was in this, oh goodness, it was like an environmental class back in college. And I don't think I actually even got any credits for it, but it was just a really cool class. And you've probably heard it before, but we're just gonna bring it back here. So we're going to think globally, act locally, and then we're adding this one in, regulate personally, think globally, act locally, regulate a personally. Okay, so we're talking about bringing it down to the micro. So we want to think about really what our world looks like. And so check in with yourself here. I'm really like, let's come in here together, hand to heart, hand to belly, kind of a moment. And let's be really real with ourselves. So if this has been you, if you have been getting spun out through the news cycle, through the doom scrolling, which it's it's it's easy to get caught up in, I want to bring it back down to the really micro level here. So we just had this huge snowstorm on the East Coast here in New York. And maybe if you were anywhere on the East Coast like me, um, you were also kind of buried in the snow. And maybe you had to also dig yourself out of the snow. So my question to you is like, did you help your neighbor? Did you help, you know, your elderly neighbor down the street dig themselves out? Did you, you know, smile at your neighbor? Did you make eye contact? Have you said hello to the people on the street? Have you said hello to the person that you buy your coffee from on the corner? Did you hold the door for the person or the mom coming in with the stroller to the cafe or the grocery store? You know, were you the person? I don't know about you, but I think there was a huge, my gosh, panic before this snowstorm where everybody was suddenly freaking out. And suddenly they went out and they cleared out all the shelves in the grocery store. I actually had this crazy experience. I did this big grocery order and I put in an order for a lot of things to have, you know, just around the house. And they called me up and they were like, Yeah, so just so you know, there's actually none of the things on your list. And I was like, okay, that's fine, you know. And so she's taking me through the list. She's like, oh, we don't have this, we don't have this. She goes, Yeah, and we don't have the potatoes. And I was like, Oh, but that's okay. You know, just any potato will do. And she says, No, you're not understanding me. We have no potatoes. So no potatoes in the entire store. So we went through this moment of collective panic simultaneously while we're going through this political upheaval. And I don't know if you noticed this, but people were panicking. People were honking. I mean, I saw such road rage and aggression and panic on the streets. And my goodness, I understand we're feeling it. I understand there's a lot of intensity here. And I think what's so important is to bring it down to the micro level, which is how did you treat your neighbors? How did you treat your community during this moment? You know, did you take care of your community? Did you take care of our community members? And maybe we passed a couple of potatoes to the people who were like, listen, I got a couple extra potatoes, you know? I think it's so important to emphasize right now that social media rants does not equal embodied integrity. So you might, you know, see somebody posting a ton of things about really their opinions about what's going on. But I think the question is really, how are they treating the people in their lives? And it's one thing to use your um soapbox for sure to create change. I'm not doubting that. I know that social media has a huge influence on um the information that people receive and the actions that people take. And I think it also really has to carry through in a way that is useful to our community in the outside world. So I just want to emphasize this joyful presence is a form of resistance. Okay. I want you to let that land. Joyful presence is a form of resistance, it's big. Yeah. Okay, my friends. So we're stepping out of this hatred spiral, right? If you've been in that, we're we're can we're gonna name this sort of collective dynamic where we've been in this place of binary thinking. It's right versus left, right versus wrong. And there's also a ton of dehumanization that's happening here. It's us versus them. And this is neighbor against neighbor. It's people saying, well, I can't, you know, I can't sit down and even be in a room with that person because they believe so differently than I do. And I believe that it's so important to actually see the other person as a human and know that probably, most likely, most likely, people are just acting really from a place, maybe sometimes of fear, but also they're making choices for themselves and for their families that they believe is best. And they are also acting from their own place of intelligence, of, of not, I wouldn't want to say that, but it's more about what information rather are they getting. And so I think it's so important to speak this honestly. And, you know, you might not feel aligned with the viciousness. I don't. I don't feel aligned with the viciousness on either side. I'm kind of like, listen, we're all doing the best we can with the information that we have and and the intelligence that we're getting. Um, and we also have to contend with the fact that social media is showing us a very, very different and skewed perspective depending on what information we get. So I really refuse to participate in hatred as a coping strategy. That's my opinion. I don't think it's right to be pointing fingers because we have no idea what the other person has gone through in their lives that has led them to have a certain stance. We can't do that. Of course, there are ways in which people are acting that are very dehumanizing, that are very painful, that are violent 100%. And I think it's so important to come back to a sense of joyful presence. And I know it's easier said than done. I know it, especially when we're receiving information that is very distressing. And I think when we get caught up in those spirals, it's important. Let's come back to joyful presence. So we did a whole episode about this last week, and it's kind of catching ourselves. The moments that we go into those places and the moments that our nervous systems begin, begin to get dysregulated is coming back to joyful presence and coming back to this place of the heart and coming back to a place of compassion and I think leading from there. So I'm really more interested in who we are becoming than who we're blaming, okay? It's so important. Let's anchor this back to the grief work, okay? So remembering that unprocessed grief turns into rage, right? So when we don't deal with the grief that we're feeling, the grief that even if we're just taking in the information and we're feeling sad, we're feeling the heaviness in our hearts, that can so easily turn into rage. And rage looks for a target, okay? Rage needs to be released and needs to have a target. And so this is why I have a whole chapter about it in my book called Kick Up a Rumpus from my book Grieve Outside the Box is we have to be able to release that in a way that is safe, that is not targeted towards a specific person or animal or even a plant. Like we have to be really careful with where with where and how we are releasing this. And you know, joy requires grief to be metabolized, not weaponized. It must be metabolized and not weaponized. Rage must be metabolized, not weaponized. So grief is something that we all go through in life. And so our job as humans here is to release it in really safe ways. So again, I have a whole chapter about this in my book called Kick Up a Rumpus, and it's in my book, Grieve Outside the Box. One of my favorite ways to do it, I mean, my gosh, draw a bath or phone a friend, be like, hey, can I come get your bath? Strange question, but can I come and just have a little bath, please? Scream under the water. Put your head under the water, scream, okay? I don't know if you're a polar plunger, but maybe you get yourself to a big body of water, plunge yourself into the water, scream at the top of your lungs. Like we are talking primal scream here, and we're not directing it to anybody. We remember that earth is our friend and the earth is here to help us transmute all of this, okay? The earth is a tool for you. So if you need to pound your fists into the earth, take yourself out into the woods and really get it all out. Stomp your feet on the ground, maybe just stomp around the whole woods, take yourself on an angry walk. Uh, you know, we love a little punching of punching of pillows if you need to. There are ways to get it out. I love the rage rooms. I feel like the rage rooms weren't a thing when I was first going through my grief process. And my gosh, I think that's a fantastic idea. I was like, all I really want to do is smash a whole bunch of plates. So remember, joy requires grief to be metabolized, not weaponized. It's understandable what you're feeling right now, and it's your job to be able to metabolize it so that it's not weaponized against a specific person. Now, listen, if you are somebody who wants to, you know, get really involved, and if your path is protesting, calling representatives, organizing, we are all down for this. I think what's really important is to approach it from a way that is uh, you know, really embodying that joyful presence. So that is what I want to offer here. Again, again, this is just my own uh perspective. So take what works, leave what doesn't. And the next part that I really want to uh impart on you is to remember that you must return to what is in your control. Okay, so this is the heart of this entire episode. We cannot control the news cycle. You can't control the news cycle, okay? You can't control the election. Now, you can place your vote 1000%. You can uh, you know, you can go, you can speak to people, you can ring doorbells, you know, door to door and talk to people about who you think, you know, all of these things. You can do canvassing. And again, you can't control the outcome of it. And we also can't control the collective reaction. So we can't control how people are going to take all of this news and how they're going to really process it themselves. But what you can do is you can control how you tend to your nervous system, how you show up in your relationships, how you care for vulnerable people and communities near you. Again, we're bringing this back down to the micro level. How are you tending your nervous system, your relationships, and vulnerable people around you? So name your focus. You know, for me, it's family, it's community and small acts done with consistency. And so we want to remember that joy is not denial. We're not denying everything that's going on, it's stewardship. Joy is not denial, it's stewardship. We are stewarding our families, our communities, and the people around us. So I want to speak directly to you. So if you've been feeling overwhelmed, first of all, let's just take a deep breath. I've been talking a lot. Let's just take a deep breath in and take a deep breath out. So listen, if you're listening and realizing that you have been wrapped up in this downward spiral, we want to again normalize it. It happens super easily, even just opening up your phone and And going onto some social media platform, we can so easily get wrapped up in this. So I'm speaking directly to you, and especially for empathetic and justice-oriented people. Okay, it's normal that this would happen. And I just want to offer permission to take a step back when you need to, and soften when you need to, and to come home to yourself. So that's what we've been talking about all about on this season on the O to Joy podcast is all about resilience, which is returning to yourself over and over again. So permission to step back, soften, and come home to yourself. Okay. So you're more useful in the world when you're regulated. You're so much more useful when you're regulated. I can guarantee it. Okay. Burning yourself out doesn't help the causes you care about. It's so important. Take a step back, soften, come home to yourself, regulate. So we're going to talk a little bit about some practical tools, uh, grounding and integration. It's so important. So here's a couple of gentle rituals. They're really simple, super durable. And we're going to talk about just a news boundary ritual. This is a big one we'll tell. We'll love to talk about the boundaries. So perhaps you just choose one time a day to check the news. And then, nice little ritual, wash your hands afterwards. It's like a symbolic release. We're just going to give them a nice little scrub-a-dub-dub, wash your hands, and we can say, and that's and that's all I've and that's all I have for today. And then, my friend, because we are now athletes of joy, we are going to create a joy ledger and we're going to write down three small moments of goodness each day. And then we're going to do a little bit of local care. Okay. So find one thing you can do that is tangible. It's one tangible act per week that supports someone nearby. Okay. It can be super simple, super tangible. Again, this is simple and doable stuff. How can you support someone nearby? Maybe you're donating to the local food pantry. You know, find something that feels really doable for you. And then finally, we want to do a body reset. Okay. So cold water. It's, and we're in the middle of winter, so it's so great to do a little bit of cold water on your wrists or your face. Get your bare feet on the ground, even though it's cold. Get the bare feet on the ground. I've been going out in the snow because we have our sauna. And so afterwards, I go out and you know, putting your bare feet on the ground. Wow, it just really lands you right back in the body. And then also just long exhales, okay? Sighing. And you, if you've been to one of my classes or workshops, you know I'm a big sigher. And we're just gonna take a deep breath in and we're gonna sigh it out. And again, smile to your eyes. So, of course, we have some journaling prompts. I would never leave you hanging. These are in the show notes. So remember, this is an invitation, not an obligation. Okay, here we go. First one. What am I grieving beneath my political feelings? What am I grieving beneath my political feelings? Where has my nervous system been asking for rest? How does joyful integrity look like for me right now? What is one small place I can show up locally this week? What happens in my body when I step away from the noise? So those are your journaling prompts. Maybe you even go take a little rewind, listen back, and perhaps even just pause and answer for yourself, in your heart, perhaps in your mind, maybe even out loud, or you get it down in your journal. Okay, so we're all going through this together. And I just want to reiterate: joy is not apathy. We're not sticking our head in the sand. Joy is not spiritual bypassing. Joy is an ethical choice. Okay. We change the world by staying human. Look into your neighbor's eyes. We tend the collective by tending ourselves. And so I just want to say if this episode has helped you breathe a little deeper, that matters. Your breath staying present in your body, that matters. And so I just want to send you so much love to your heart wherever you are on this journey, however way this news cycle, what's happening in the world, has been landing for you. I hope that you can take some time to tend to yourself, take a step back and soften. And even if all you can do is breathe and smile with your eyes, that matters. I'm sending you so much love. And I'll talk to you again very soon. This has been another episode of the Ode to Joy podcast. It is my sincere joy to bring you these episodes every week. And listen, if you feel called, it would mean so much. If you could go ahead and, you know, drop us a review, maybe throw us a couple of stars. If there are five of them, even better. And just sending you so much love. I'll talk to you again very soon.