2026 started with a bang: Venezuela. Minnesota protests. Greenland. Journalists arrested. This political firestorm is pulling at my soul, demanding my attention, threatening to drag me into the spiral of doom-scrolling and helpless rage.

What world am I living in, and how can I survive it without losing myself? A wise woman once told me, “No matter how hard reality seems, hold onto your dreams and your pleasure.” At the time, I thought she meant something abstract, philosophical. Now I understand she was giving me the most practical survival advice I’ve ever received.

My secret weapon against global chaos? Orgasm. Not as escapism, but as a nervous system survival skill.

Why Orgasm?

When I watch the news, my body contracts. I feel my shoulders rise, jaw clench, breathing becomes shallow. My nervous system interprets world events as personal threats, flooding me with cortisol and adrenaline. Fight or flight kicks in, but there’s nowhere to run from the state of the world.

Orgasm does the opposite. It floods my body with feel good hormones of oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine. Orgasm activates the nervous system into the ‘rest and digest’ response that counteracts chronic stress. It forces deep breathing and releases muscle tension. Orgasm proves to my nervous system that pleasure is still possible, that my body can still feel good, that I haven’t been completely hijacked by external chaos.

When I’m resourced in my body, I make better decisions about how to engage with difficult realities. Last week, after watching footage of ICE in Minnesota, I was spiraling into helpless rage. I took twenty minutes to hug my husband and hold his hand.  The next day I self pleasured and afterward could think clearly enough to donate money and call my family who lived in Minnesota to check on their friends instead of just doom-scrolling for hours. When I’m depleted and activated, I scroll and spiral.

My Current Survival Practice

This is how I’m infusing simple pleasures into my life:

15 MINUTE DAILY PLEASURE: Every morning, I give myself 15 minutes to connect with my body. I put on my robe and sit on the balcony with a glass of water or a cup of tea, then I scan my body. I tune in and look for what parts of my body feel good and what areas need attention. Then I enjoy my drink. Sometimes I notice racing thoughts or feeling stressed, I truly enjoy this time alone and the practice anchors me into my day.

ORGASM: Right now, I’m aiming for two self-pleasure sessions per week. Not because I’m always in the mood, but because my nervous system needs the medicine. I prefer afternoon delights when I’m home alone, uninterrupted. Lately, I’m feeling called to massage and nurture my breasts. Twenty to thirty minutes of touching myself, breathing deeply, letting my body remember what pleasure feels like. Self-pleasure has been sustaining me because my partner has had several winter flus/colds. Sometimes the contrast between global suffering and personal pleasure brings up guilt. But I’ve learned that depleting myself doesn’t help anyone. A resourced woman who knows how to regulate her nervous system is more useful to the world than one who’s consumed by anxiety she can’t control.

CONNECTION: On Wednesday nights, I’ve started calling friends, family, and old colleagues. As humans, we co-regulate nervous systems. When I share my fears about the state of the world with someone who holds space for me, my nervous system calms. When I laugh with a friend, oxytocin flows. These connections remind me that beneath the political chaos, love and community still exist. I am not alone.

MOVEMENT: Also, movement helps my body shake off stress and regulate my nervous system.  I’ve committed to hot yoga three times a week. But now with all the world chaos, I’m considering putting yoga on hold for more sensual movement like bachata dancing or pole dancing. My body craves rhythmic, flowing movement that celebrates being alive, rather than being paralyzed by fear.

The Radical Act of Pleasure

Using pleasure and orgasm as a survival skill feels radical because we’re taught that caring for ourselves during difficult times is selfish. That pleasure during suffering is frivolous. That we should stay activated and anxious as proof we care about injustice. But I’ve learned the opposite. When I’m regulated in my body, I can engage with difficult news without being consumed by it. When I maintain my connection to pleasure and joy, I maintain my connection to hope. When my nervous system is resourced, I can show up for others from a place of strength rather than depletion.

Orgasm reminds my body that life includes more than suffering. That humans are designed for pleasure, connection, and joy alongside struggle. That my individual nervous system matters because it affects every interaction I have.

Practice Orgasm as Survival

I believe it’s important to create a pleasure practice that doesn’t depend on external circumstances. World events will always be unpredictable, but your relationship with your body can be a constant source of grounding. Give yourself permission to feel good even when the world feels terrible. Your pleasure doesn’t diminish others’ suffering. Your nervous system regulation actually increases your capacity to be helpful and present.

Orgasm as survival isn’t just about individual self-care. It’s about modeling what it looks like to maintain your humanity during inhumane times. It’s about refusing to let external chaos hijack your internal landscape.

When I maintain my pleasure practice, I’m not just caring for myself. I’m proving that it’s possible to stay soft in a hard world. To remain connected to joy while acknowledging pain. To resource myself so I can show up for others without burning out.

The world needs women who know how to regulate their nervous systems with simple pleasures. Who understand that pleasure and orgasm is medicine, not luxury. Who can hold both grief and joy, fear and hope, resistance and surrender. Your nervous system regulation is your gift to a world that desperately needs people who haven’t been consumed by its chaos. In 2026, that might just be the most radical act of all.

Art tiled “Auhoritarian Power Structure” by Betty Dodson

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