Current e-Journal
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January 27, 2026
Medicine for stressed-out changemakers
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Invitations and Announcements
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: Medicine for Stressed-out Changemakers
- Resources to Further Your Practice
For All You Strategic Planning Consultants…
“Things are so uncertain, we can’t plan beyond the next few months.” We’ve all been hearing this, sometimes from planning experts themselves. Unfortunately, that is a recipe for always playing defense, during times when communities need those organizations to step into the power they DO have. That’s why we designed a webinar just for consultants, to help your clients create plans that simultaneously react AND create what is possible. Find out how…
For Readers in the U.S.
This has been a tough few months, and it is getting tougher. If you are not sure what you can do to make a difference, there is an excellent guide for taking action via the Instagram account of The Financial Diet. The guide breaks down activities by risk tolerance, from donating and posting online to active civil disobedience. Because not everyone is cut out for doing everything we see on TV. And especially because EVERY ACTION contributes to the whole, and every bit of it is needed. You can find this simple guide (including a list of folks to donate to) at this link.
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
Medicine for Stressed-out Changemakers
This week’s eJournal celebrates the birthday of Creating the Future’s co-founder, Dimitri Petropolis.
While Dimitri is in charge of many things around here, perhaps his most important role is CWO – Chief Whimsy Officer (or perhaps Chief Wacky Officer). Dimitri has always insisted that the most serious work still needs to be fun, upbeat, and goofy.
Just writing those words feels almost frivolous right now.
The events of the past few months, and the events of just this past weekend, are leaving so many of us reeling. Watching folks in Minnesota, fighting for their lives in -10°F weather, we are simultaneously inspired and exhausted.
Watching the unthinkable unfold in Iran, in Sudan, in Gaza. We are watching in horror – some feeling helpless, some feeling exhausted, some feeling both and then some.
To work for social justice in 2026 will take courage and strength. We will need to be the sharpest, wisest, most creative versions of ourselves.
That is precisely why Dimitri’s mantra of fun
has got to be part of our daily routine.
Yes, daily.
Because Catalytic Thinking is rooted in brain science, here’s what we know:
Constant stress directly harms our ability to think clearly, rationally, and creatively.
When we feel threatened, the brain releases cortisol to help get us out of danger. Cortisol slows down functions that aren’t immediately necessary for escaping danger. Functions like digestion or our immune system will sap energy from our ability to fight or flee.
One of those “unnecessary” functions is access to the frontal lobe, the area of the brain in charge of our creativity and reason. When you are under stress - paying constant attention without any relief - if you find you can’t think clearly, it’s not a sign of spiritual weakness. It’s biology.
To be at our best - especially in these difficult times - brain science tells us that we need to ditch that stress, even just for a little while. And that we need to think of that as medicine.
That is why, in honor of Dimitri - and in honor of all of you who are working for a world that is healthy and equitable for all of us - this week’s newsletter is dedicated to your brain’s health during these times when we are not feeling particularly healthy.
Yes, get good sleep, eat well, and exercise. Your body needs that right now. But also take steps to ensure that your brain is working at top capacity. Because the world needs you to be at your very best right now.
Try this
Here is some of what is keeping us sane here at Creating the Future. If you have other ideas, please hit reply and share them with us, so that we can share with everyone in this community.
Pay attention to good news
With the painful images we are constantly exposed to in the news streams, it’s not always easy to remember that there are positive things happening in the world. Seek out and follow news outlets that are dedicated to that good news. We’ve included a couple of our favorites in the resources section below. As you read and share these, think of it as medicine for your brain. Because that’s what it is.
Take time in nature
We humans are biological creatures who were meant to be in the natural world. Your body needs to feel the sea breeze or smell the forest or feel your feet on the desert floor. Just as you would schedule a doctor’s appointment, schedule a weekly walk in the wild (not just in your neighborhood). Sit on a rock and stare at the sky. Hildy and Dimitri have started ending every week with a long walk in one of Tucson’s beautiful national parks. Making this a weekly appointment is not a frivolous indulgence; it is medicine for your brain.
Take a break from ALL input
24 hours of no social media, no email, no news. No phone, no laptop, no TV. Not even a book. Rest your brain and your spirit. Go for a walk. Work in the yard. Cook something new. Play with your kids. Play with the dog. Try it and see how much sharper your brain is the next day. Yup – more medicine.
Laugh. A lot.
Laughing is a biological function, part of our DNA. Babies laugh before they can talk. Laughter releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that we relate to a runner’s high. If you think about the last time you laughed until it hurt, you know that deep, raucous laughter is absolutely a physical activity! Tears are flowing (biology), your sides hurt (biology), you’re out of breath (biology).
Funny movies. TV shows that crack you up. Netflix comedy specials. The more intense the laughter, the better, as laughter releases your body’s own feel good drugs.
The key to all these tools is to take them as serious medicine. If you would take heart medicine or diabetes medicine or antidepressants every day, you can get in the habit of laughing or reading good news. This is about your health. Not your “mental” health, but your health, period. Our bodies are not split into “mental” and “physical”; it’s ALL physical. It’s all biology.
So take your brain medicine. The next few days and months and years will need you to be as strong as possible. And that all starts in your brain. That is why Catalytic Thinking is rooted in brain science.
Resources to Further Your Practice
- LAUGH: Two of our favorites are the Last One Laughing series (Canada was our favorite, but there are hysterical episodes from all around the world), and Taskmaster (we love the British original, and the Aussie version is definitely a close second). If you don’t already have a streaming service that provides those shows, there are clips - and sometimes whole shows - on YouTube for free.
- WATCH: There are so many TED talks about the power of laughter to heal us. About the power of nature to heal us. About the power of unplugging. Type “TED” and any of those phrases into Google and see for yourself. (Extra bonus: The ones about the power of laughter are funny!
- GOOD NEWS: This is another one you can type into Google or whichever social media you follow. Some of our favorites include Nice News, where they share uplifting news in general, and Positive News where they share stories about what’s going right specifically regarding social progress. On YouTube, we are inspired by Sam Bentley, who creates videos about positive solutions, focusing mostly on environmental progress.
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eJournal Archives:
If you’re new to our eJournal, or just want to remind yourself of past practice exercises we’ve shared, check out our eJournal archives here.
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