Lessons in Practical Resilience
What to Do When You Feel Crispy 🥓🥪
I’ve been in a pretty depleted part of my illness lately.
It’s the kind of chapter that forces you to take your life down to the studs and figure out what you actually need to keep going.
Not in an abstract, spiritual way. I mean: what are the absolute minimums my body, mind, and spirit need to not collapse?
This piece is for anyone who feels a little crispy— on the edge of burnout, in a flare, or overwhelmed.
Especially for activists and organizers who are used to pushing through and solving problems for everyone else first.
Resilience, for me, isn’t about toughness or bouncing back. It’s about maintaining the basics to the best of my ability, even when I’m at my lowest. That’s it.
I wish someone had told me sooner that turning off the lights counts. That turning on noise-cancelling headphones counts. That putting in earplugs because the hum of your fridge is slowly scrambling your brains— also counts.
Those little adjustments aren’t dramatic, but they reduce the load on your system. And over time, that matters.
These are the tools I use to keep going.
The Basics: What Resilience Actually Looks Like
Body
Nutrition - Pay attention to what’s fueling you. The goal isn’t perfection, but balance: protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates, micronutrients. A little awareness goes a long way.
Sleep - Non-negotiable. I build around it. If something has to go to protect sleep, so be it.
Hydration (& meds!) - Very serious. On very sleepy days, I set alarms just to wake up and drink water (and/or take medications if applicable). It matters more than people think!
Mind
Sensory input (or reduction) - Your brain spends energy processing light, sound, and other inputs. Some are regulating (birds, wind, music you choose). Others are exhausting (whining fans, clanging dishes, buzzing lights). Minimize the ones that drain you. Curate your environment.
Inspiration - Something novel, beautiful, or meaningful. Doesn’t have to be deep — could be a meme, a sentence, a flower.
Rest - Not sleep, not screens. Just intentional pause. Close your eyes, lie down, nothing in your hands.
Spirit
Connection - Don’t wait to feel “well enough” to reach out. For awhile I kept putting off seeing nearby friends until I felt better, and too much time passed. Eventually I realized: just call them from bed. A quick text, phone call, or voice note counts. The important thing is staying in touch.
Being seen / witnessed - Someone acknowledging where you’re at, without trying to fix or evaluate it. This doesn’t need to be dramatic. Just being present is enough.
Having fun - Even on low-capacity days, it’s possible! A meme, a dumb inside joke, a game, a YouTube rabbit hole, a comedy special.
This space is better when more people speak up. You’re welcome to join the conversation, however big or small your thoughts feel.
Stackable Hacks
Activities That Meet Multiple Needs
These are my low-effort things that meet multiple needs at once. They’re how I stay resourced when I don’t have much to give.
Nature
Meets - sensory input (good kind), Rest, Inspiration, Fun
Sit under a tree. Open a window. Get flowers delivered to yourself. Low stakes, high return.
Food + Friends
Meets: Nutrition, Connection, Being Seen, Fun
Doesn’t need to be a big event. Just eating with someone makes a big difference. And if you have food intolerances, pack your own picnic lunch, it counts!
Sitting in Silence
Meets: Rest, Controlled Sensory Input, and sometimes surprise Sleep :)
No agenda. No input. Just being still for a few minutes.
Live music / curated sound
Meets: Controlled sensory input, inspiration, Fun!
Not background noise, something you choose to hear. Your brain responds differently!
What to Do When You Feel Crispy
When you’re feeling burnt out, start with the basics. Take inventory. What’s happening in your body, mind, and spirit? Which pillar is crumbling? How can you patch it, even temporarily?
It will always be imperfect. We are building the coliseum in an earthquake. As soon as one pillar starts to look stable, another one collapses. That is fine and expected! You’re doing great. Just keep rebuilding. Imperfect is all we get. And that’s okay.
Make your own hacks. What are the things you do that hit multiple needs at once? You might already have some. Claim them. Build more.
Most of all, remember that staying the same is also progress. Holding the line is work. Sometimes it gets worse anyway — and even that might be progress, because without your effort, it would’ve gotten worse faster. Your wins are real. Own them.
However long I have with this illness, I’ll keep learning from it and sharing what I find. Thank you for being here and witnessing me in my learning process. ❤️
I read every reply. You don’t need to say anything “profound”—just write what’s true for you. Hit 'reply' or send me a message below.
How do you do it?
Spread so much light, even ill?
Here you show us how.
I so look forward to your Friday postings Bri, and you always give me something meaningful to take into my weekend. Thank you for this! Today's was powerful for me in multiple ways, and this line in particular is going to stay with me: "It will always be imperfect. We are building the coliseum in an earthquake." I tend to read too much into imperfection, often in a self-deprecating way, and this wisdom is an antidote to that--not only personally but collectively. You are a beautiful soul shining a very special light! May the weekend nourish you as you nourish all of us. ❤