The Wicked Wicked West (WWW)
Keeping your energy and swimming when the current never stops
I call it the Wicked Wicked West.
WWW for short.
It’s the relentless, always-on, hyper-connected, comparison-fuelled, productivity-obsessed culture most of us are swimming in right now. The modern West isn’t just “busy” — it’s a current that never slows down. Notifications, expectations, algorithms, headlines, side hustles, self-improvement, parenting, career, relationship maintenance, health tracking, social media, and the quiet pressure to “be enough” while somehow also resting, healing, and thriving.
As a psychologist I see the toll every week. People arrive exhausted not because they’re lazy or broken, but because the water they’re swimming in is moving faster than human nervous systems were designed for. The body keeps score. The mind keeps score. And eventually the energy tank runs low.
The energy problem isn’t personal — it’s environmental
We’re living in an attention economy that treats our focus like a commodity. Dopamine hits are engineered. Urgency is manufactured. Rest is sold back to us as another thing we have to optimise. The result? Many of us are treading water just to stay afloat, wondering why we feel so tired when we’re “doing everything right.”
The Wicked Wicked West doesn’t care about your circadian rhythm, your capacity, or the fact that you’re a human being with finite energy. It just keeps pushing.
How do we keep swimming?
Here’s the truth…. My recommendation and advice to all my clients and myself: you don’t have to outrun the current. You just have to stay in the water with intention.
A few practical anchors:
- Name the current
Simply recognising “this is the WWW — it’s not just me” reduces the self-blame. Externalising the pressure creates breathing room. - Protect your energy like it’s currency
Every yes costs something. Start asking: Does this move me closer to the life I actually want, or is it just another demand the West is making of me? Boundaries aren’t selfish; they’re survival. - Swim in shorter bursts
Long, unbroken effort is a recipe for depletion. Work in focused intervals. Rest deliberately. Recovery is not a reward — it’s part of the stroke technique. - Find your own rhythm
The West will try to set your pace. You don’t have to match it. Some of us are distance swimmers. Some prefer short sprints. Some need to float for a while. Honour your natural stroke. - Stay connected to meaning
Energy returns when we remember why we’re swimming. Purpose acts like a current of its own — quieter, steadier, and far more sustainable than the frantic paddling the culture demands.
You’re allowed to keep going at your own pace
You don’t have to conquer the Wicked Wicked West. You only have to keep moving through it without losing yourself.
Some days you’ll power through with strong strokes. Other days you’ll drift, float, or cling to the side for a bit. Both are still swimming.
The water is wild. The current is strong.
But you are still here.
And that, in itself, is resilience!!
Keep swimming.
One deliberate stroke at a time.