Put Your Oxygen Mask On...
A Friendly Reminder In These Trying Times
Almost everyone I’ve talked to lately is overwhelmed, running on fumes, and stressed the fuck out.
It’s not just the constant barrage of doom-and-gloom headlines or the endless parade of crises (real and imagined) flooding our phone notifications. It’s the sense that every ping, post, or push alert demands we act or react, triggering a constant state of fight or flight.
So many decisions, so little time. Our brains weren’t made for 24/7 news cycles.
As I write this, I’m recovering from a round of seasonal allergies that decided to level up into a full-on upper respiratory infection. Nothing like being forced to slow down to remind you just how much noise and pressure we’re all dealing with every day.
Yet even from the safety of my sofa, I caught myself reaching for my phone to “stay informed,” only to feel my chest tighten—not from the congestion, but from the stress.
I’m deeply saddened by what’s going on in the world. Injustice, ignorance, and intolerance seem to reign supreme. The steady drip, drip, drip of political madness.
It can all feel too big and too relentless. And somehow, in the middle of it all, we’re still expected to work, care for others, and post something poignant on social media. And let’s not forget to: stay hydrated and keep up with our oral hygiene and skin regimen.
But here's the thing: you can’t pour from an empty cup. And you can’t fight for the world if you can’t breathe. Literally and/or figuratively.
Flight attendants remind us to “put your oxygen mask on first.”
And it’s great advice. For more than just flying the friendly skies.
In a crisis (and let’s face it, most of us are in one or more crises lately), we need to take care of ourselves first so we have the energy to show up for others sustainably, not sporadically or sacrificially.
Self-care isn’t selfish. It's survival. And it looks different for each of us.
For me, it’s reducing my time online. Saying no to a meeting. Or taking that nap.
For you, maybe it’s listening to music that reminds you you're still human. Or turning your phone off while you sit outside and do…nothing for a change. Not only is that allowed, it’s highly recommended. Daily.
This isn’t a post about tuning out forever. We do need to stay engaged. We need to care. But we also need to pause. To breathe. To rest. Because burnout doesn't serve the world—and martyrdom is a terrible strategy for sustainable change.
So this is your friendly reminder (and mine): Put your oxygen mask on first. Breathe.
Drink some tea. Take a walk. Cry if you need to. Laugh if you can. Rest when you must. Then, when you’re ready, re-enter the fray. You’ll be stronger for it. We all will.
Relax, relate, release. Rinse and repeat too.
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. BTW, a big thanks to all who’ve sent get-well messages. I am feeling almost back to “normal.” Yay! Now to slowly play “catch up” on everything I’ve fallen behind on, like editing video and packing boxes. 👨💻📦
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FYC = STORIES + SUBSTACKS
ON THIS DAY = JUNE 18
BIRTHDAYS
1854 = E. W. Scripps = American publisher and E. W. Scripps Company founder
1857 = Henry Clay Folger = American businessman and philanthropist
1864 = Agnes Goodsir = Australian artist 🌈
1877 = James Montgomery Flagg = American painter and illustrator
1903 = Raymond Radiguet = French novelist and poet 🌈
1913 = Robert Mondavi = American winemaker and philanthropist
1934 = Mitsuteru Yokoyama = Japanese author and illustrator
1942 = Paul McCartney = English singer-songwriter
1942 = Richard Perry = American record producer
1942 = Roger Ebert = American journalist, critic, and screenwriter
1952 = Carol Kane = American actor
1952 = Isabella Rossellini = Italian actor and filmmaker
1961 = Alison Moyet = English singer-songwriter
1973 = Ray LaMontagne = American singer-songwriter
1976 = Blake Shelton = American singer-songwriter
1985 = Alex Hirsch = American animator and tv producer
1986 = Richard Madden = Scottish actor
EVENTS
1858 = Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin's own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
1873 = Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
1940 = The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
1948 = Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
1958 = Benjamin Britten's one-act opera Noye's Fludde premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival.
1967 = Big Brother and the Holding Company plays the Monterey Pop Festival, introducing Janis Joplin to the world.
1969 = The Wild Bunch, directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, is released in theaters.
1992 = One Life to Live airs an episode with the first gay teenager on a daytime tv. Billy Douglas, a high school student, tells his best friend, Joey Buchanan, that he is gay. Newcomer actor Ryan Phillippe played the role from 1992 until 1993.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
Video Recommendation By Doug
(Cheers, Doug!)
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird.”
Paul McCartney
“Look, people are allowed their own opinions and they don't always coincide with yours. As an artist you just have to keep plugging on.”
Paul McCartney
I have strongly filtered the news since the Vietnamese War. I actively seek good news - people's loving and caring, their inclusivity, acceptance of diversity, especially from children who are non-discriminatory about sex, sexuality, gender, disability, race and so on. I know that there are bad people, bad things, but refuse to be brutalised.
Not only the news, but sometimes even my friends take my breath away. "Of the two judges, choose the principal one." That's from the Lo-Jong slogans of Atisha, an early Mahayana Buddhist teacher. Meaning, in this case, you do you, boo. All my best wishes.