This email is chock full of resources and links, so get out that cuppa tea and prepare to settle in. Let’s go.
Hello hello,
For a newsletter about hope, I don’t feel there’s much of it in the world, or my world at least, lately. A friend shared a picture yesterday of premature babies in a hospital in Palestine, all lined up together to try and keep them warm, with no medical equipment in sight, and I just lost it. I have these moments every so often, when the full horror of the world just overwhelms me.
How is it possible to go back to your mundane life and everyday quibbles when you have that feeling that everything is arbitrary, meaningless, and cruel?
There are some things to turn to, for myself at least. Making art without videoing it, meditating, listening to ABBA really loud, walking in the fresh air. These things might help restore the balance in my own mind and feelings, but they do jack shit for the horrors of the world.
Plus, there’s that feeling, that without going straight to the site of the crisis, what can one person even do to help?
I googled it, of course.
How to help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Ukraine
Social media is full of misinformation about news stories on the regular, and these big terrible ones are no different. I’ve done a good bit of digging to try and make sure the places I’m donating to are legit & effective.
Obviously donating time is just as important as donating money, but I’m starting with cash first.
Donating money for emergency aid
ActionAid, dedicated to "building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice," with a presence in Palestinian territories since 2007. Learn more at NPR, and donate to their emergency response fund.
Doctors Without Borders make the point that from Palestine and Israel to Sudan and Ukraine, civilians and hospitals should never be a target of war. They’re completed fuded by independent donors: learn more: Donate to Doctors Without Borders.
The Ukrainian Red Cross does loads of humanitarian work, from aiding refugees to training doctors. Donate. Direct Relief is working directly with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and other on-the-ground partners to provide urgently needed medical aid, including emergency response packs intended for first responders, oxygen concentrators, critical care medicines, and much more. Donate.
Donating time for emergency aid
Write to your government. Irish people have been emailing all the TDs in the Dept of Transport to ask them to stop funding the transfer of US weapons to reinforce Israel. US war planes carrying weapons and even prisoners can pass through Shannon airport and refuel there, and the Dept of Transport can revoke this right.
Find your local organisations to lobby your government, through active protesting, marching, and other demonstrations. These resources will change depending on what country you’re in. Search online, and Twitter X and Facebook too.
For your own wellbeing: look for the helpers
This is from an article in Readers Digest Canada. I lived in America as a kid until I was 7, and I don’t remember Mr Rogers at all, so I only really ‘met’ him as an adult. He was a big deal on tv for loads of people though, and here he once recalled his own lesson in coping with terrible news:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
So, the idea here is that by focusing on the everyday people who show extraordinary courage and kindness in the face of horrific things, your faith in humanity will be a bit reaffirmed, and it can help you avoid all or nothing thinking too.
For your own wellbeing: the C.A.R.E. system
Use the CARE system to deal with anxiety caused by world events. This is from Chloe Carmichael Ph.D., in Psychology Today. It goes much more in-depth there than the sections I’m quoting here, so definitely go read it in full.
Consider: The first step is to allow yourself to really consider the situation that you’re facing, and how it makes you feel. This is an important step because many of us get stuck in denial, or we try to avoid our feelings. Feelings are actually important information, and we don’t want to miss them.
Act: Once you have an idea of how a situation is making you feel, you will be better prepared to choose what type of action is healthy and appropriate. Taking action is often helpful because it reduces feelings of helplessness, increases feelings of self-efficacy, and helps convert anxiety or other emotions into healthy behaviours.
Reflect: Once you have taken action, pause to notice how it has made you feel, and possibly how it has made others feel. If you donated your time or money to help people who were most directly affected by the issue at hand, how does it feel to think about the aid you gave?
Ease: Now that you have considered, acted, and reflected, it may be time for you to ease into something else. After all, we do have other obligations and concerns in our lives, and we need to “give ourselves permission” to move forward with our day at some point.
For your own wellbeing: art therapy and working with your hands
I spent yesterday evening weaving without an end goal or project in mind. Working with your hands is such a powerful way to help you process your emotions. It’s important though to release any expectations or attachments to whether the finished piece is ‘good’ or not. That’s not the point of this: the point is the doing. Below are some ideas from 100 Art Therapy Ideas and Prompts. This is such a great list, I can’t even include all my favourites here:
Create with your eyes closed. Draw freely. Feel free of your own judgment by drawing in the dark or with your eyes closed; draw shapes, patterns, or whatever feels right. Draw how you feel. Close your eyes and listen to your breathing and your body. Using drawing tools, draw and color your physical sensations to create an emotional and physical self-portrait.
Lines, Symbols, and Shapes. Draw a zentangle design. Zentangle is unplanned and abstract art that is created by various patterns and symbols, often made by drawing borders, connecting dots with lines, and shading open areas, usually done in black and white. Draw with symbols and shapes. Using lines, shapes, and colours, create images that express your feelings while thinking about why you used the lines, shapes, and colours you did.
Make short-lived art. Using sand, chalk, paper, or water, you can create a piece of art that can easily be destroyed after you’ve created it.
Write on leaves. Create a gratitude tree by writing what you’re grateful for on leaves you find. Then hang the leaves on branches or paste them to a banner.
Create a confident mask. Instead of making a mask to hide yourself, make a mask that expresses how you feel and empowers you. Cover the mask in symbols that make you feel strong.
For your own wellbeing: nature therapy (ecotherapy)
Nature therapy (also called ecotherapy) highlights the ways in which being out in the natural world can boost our wellbeing. I found a lot of articles on this, such as
Here are some techniques, which tie in with other newsletter posts I’ve sent in the past.
Take short adventures.
Thank you for reading, I hope it’s helpful
The usual fare will recommence in my next email, with poetry, sketchbook pages, more plants of the week, and so forth.
Just to remind you as well that Fake Breakdown Crafts is open again and you can buy weavings, altered tins, and zines there. New products added weekly, but in a slow-made, low key kind of way.
Jessica
Thank you, this was helpful.
Lovely newsletter! I especially appreciated the concept of CARE, thank you for sharing this!