5 Things That Keep Us Whole: Staying Grounded in an Unraveling World

In the face of increasing chaos in our world, Nate turns inward in this week’s Frankly to examine a more personal question: what allows an individual to remain grounded, authentic, and capable of contributing meaningfully in turbulent times? He draws on his own experience to identify five things that help him build personal resilience, taking care to not treat them as any sort of universal formula. Rather, Nate offers a systems-oriented perspective that recognizes that our capacity to engage with a complex world depends partly on the conditions that sustain us as human beings. 

For Nate, those conditions begin with self-care and the knowledge that burning oneself out in service of an urgent – although perhaps just – cause undermines the work itself. He explores the need for both structured routines and slack that allows the mind and body to process experiences, rather than remain trapped in a constant state of simulation. He also discusses how time in nature and friendship help reconnect him to a deeper sense of belonging and self, and the importance of meaningful work that directs our time and energy toward the possibility of creating a better future than the default. Nate’s five priorities form a sort of personal compass that allows him to navigate uncertainty without losing sight of what makes life worth living – he invites listeners to examine their own experiences in order to discover the conditions that help them show up more fully for themselves, their communities, and the future they hope to build. 

What are five things from your own life that help you feel like your whole self? How might you redesign your daily life to create more space for the relationships, environments, and practices that sustain you? And if you had more of what genuinely grounds you, what meaningful work might you become capable of doing?