How to Stay Sane and Useful In Chaos

Summary of How to Stay Sane and Useful In Chaos

by Treat Media and Glennon Doyle

44m•February 3, 2026
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Overview of How to Stay Sane and Useful In Chaos

This episode of We Can Do Hard Things (Treat Media; hosted by Glennon Doyle and friends) is a conversational reflection on living through constant crisis: the overwhelm of modern news cycles, political violence and injustice, and the emotional dissociation that comes with it. The hosts move between horror and grief at national/international events and pragmatic, embodied strategies for staying sane and actually effective—especially by plugging into local, sustained organizing rather than treating protests and social media as the work.

Main themes and arguments

  • The world currently produces a steady flood of crises so intense that planning and creative intentionality feel impossible; many people are stuck in “response mode.”
  • Authentic responsiveness can look inconsistent: “to be truthful I cannot be consistent” (anecdote from Gandhi via Ram Dass).
  • Overwhelm is purposeful: a strategy to keep people disempowered and isolated. The antidotes are grounding, embodiment, joy, and organizing.
  • Protests are the public moment (the “concert”); the long-term, daily work (the “band practice”) is what actually creates change.
  • Local, on-the-ground organizing (often led by Black and Brown women) builds the infrastructure that makes moments of mass action succeed.
  • Collective power arises from networks and infrastructure (phone trees, mutual aid, coordinated logistics), not lone leaders or viral social media posts.
  • Parenting and caretaking constraints are real; the solution isn’t guilt but auditing commitments and shifting collective effort so families aren’t forced to survive alone.
  • Find and follow grounded, community leaders (your “Leslies” and “Fernandos”)—they will make your body feel safe and capable.

Key takeaways (short)

  • Get out of the endless, disembodying news loop; put your body into local community spaces.
  • Prioritize joining and supporting existing local groups doing sustained work rather than only attending high-profile protests.
  • Do the unsexy infrastructure work (phone trees, childcare, rides, food, permits). That’s how movements scale.
  • Replace individualism/exceptionalism with collectivism: change the conditions so families don’t need to “optimize” everything to survive.
  • Small acts matter — donate, show up to meetings, offer concrete help — and can be done even with time constraints (remote listening, micro-tasks).
  • Practice somatic grounding and joy as political survival strategies.

Actionable steps (what to do next)

  1. Pick one issue you care about (housing, immigrant justice, queer youth, climate, voting, etc.).
  2. Search for local organizations working on that issue; attend one meeting simply to listen.
  3. Ask, “What tangible help do you need?” and follow instructions—do the tasks people ask for.
  4. Offer practical support your community needs: childcare during meetings, rides to work, food, social-media amplification, donations.
  5. Build or join local communication networks (phone trees, WhatsApp groups) for rapid coordination.
  6. Audit your life: remove nonessential commitments so you can allocate time/energy to community work.
  7. Limit doomscrolling; invest in somatic practices and joy (art, laughter, time with people) to refill your emotional capacity.
  8. Vote and engage with electoral systems, but place most of your faith in community power and organization.

Notable quotes

  • “In order to be truthful I cannot be consistent.” (Gandhi anecdote via Ram Dass)
  • Protest = concert. Organizing = band practice.
  • “The revolution will not be on Instagram.” (a variation on a well-known refrain: real change happens in community)
  • “Put down the bucket that you’re bailing the boat with and use that effort to patch up the boat.”

Examples and models referenced

  • Gandhi’s cancelled march anecdote (truth vs. consistency).
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott: how Jo Ann Robinson and local organizers built infrastructure (flyers, rides, networks) so Rosa Parks’ act could become a sustained 381‑day boycott.
  • Minnesota’s historical coalition-building (Democratic–Farmer–Labor model) as an example of winning leverage by uniting multiple constituencies.
  • “Leslie and Fernando” circle: somatic and community-based leadership that grounds people bodily and emotionally.

Who this episode is for

  • People feeling overwhelmed, dissociated, or paralyzed by current events.
  • Parents and caregivers with limited time who want to make a difference without burning out.
  • New activists who have attended protests and want to learn how to plug into durable, effective organizing.
  • Anyone who wants practical, local ways to convert fear and rage into sustained collective action.

Short list of practical resources and behaviors

  • Attend local meetings (even just to listen).
  • Donate to local groups doing day-to-day work.
  • Offer concrete, low-friction help (meals, childcare, rides).
  • Join neighborhood or issue-based WhatsApp/phone trees.
  • Reduce social media consumption; practice grounding/somatic work.
  • Vote, but prioritize building local organizing power that forces larger institutions to respond.

Final framing

Change comes from networks, infrastructure, and steady commitment—not from hero leaders or viral moments alone. If you feel lost, find elders and organizers in your community whose presence grounds you; learn, do the unglamorous work, and protect your body and joy along the way.

(Side note: the episode contains sponsor messages for AG1, Osea, NoCD, FIGS, Wayfair, and DoorDash.)