I'm not saying you should be doing anything differently, or you're handling things wrong. I'm saying that if you feel like you're getting less smart, or you're exhausted all the time, that's not your fault. That's your brain not knowing how to handle a prolonged stimulus it wasn't built for.

April 08, 2026 - 00:43 UTC

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Your brain wasn't built for juggling existential dread & financial worries & despair for your fellow citizens & fear of pandemics & nuclear threats & divorce & job instability all at once. Your brain was built for, "Shit! A bear! I gotta kill the bear! Wow, that was scary. Hey, bear for dinner!"
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Obligatory disclaimer that I'm not a doctor or scientist. I'm a television writer with a liberal arts degree from a state school. But I have managed depression & anxiety my whole life, including three ROUGH years as a caregiver at the end of my mom's life, & I've learned stuff & formed opinions.
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I mean, I have a degree in neuroscience and one of my mentors was a big stress guy and this is pretty correct. Stressors are supposed to be acute, short term challenges and stress responses are there to get you out of emergencies safely. They become majorly maladaptive if sustained long term 🤷
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🧵 It 'bears' repeating.
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