LA is my home community and where I was raised, so I wanted to let you all know that all my family and friends are currently evacuated and/or a safe distance from the fires. I recorded a personal video for all who are navigating this up close. You can watch here.

These fires raging across Los Angeles right now are an undeniable crisis—impacting lives, homes, livelihoods and entire communities. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, scared, or exhausted, know this: you’re not alone.

In times like these, it’s easy to focus on everyone else—your family, your students, your neighbors—while putting your own needs on the back burner. But the truth is, the only way to truly help others is to start by taking care of yourself. Think of the old adage of the airplane oxygen mask: you have to put yours on first before assisting anyone else.

Here are a few simple but powerful ways to prioritize your well-being during this crisis:

1. Secure safety first. Focus on getting to safety and helping others who need help to do so.

2. Take care of the basics. Are you hydrated? Have you eaten? Are you getting sufficient sleep? Even taking a few deep breaths can bring calm to your system.

3. Allow yourself to feel whatever you feel. Crisis, loss, natural disasters - these things bring up radically different experiences in every individual. No matter what you're feeling, give yourself permission to be there... even if you don't know what it is you are feeling right now.

4. Reach out for support. Whether it’s a text to a friend or professional help, you don’t have to navigate this alone. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

5. Mobilize. For those who feel powerless and overwhelmed, mobilizing - finding some way to be of help, service or support efforts - is going to help you move through this acute stress without getting stuck in it.

Here's what we know: Crisis doesn’t wait for a convenient time, and it can leave us feeling utterly overwhelmed and powerless. But by choosing to care for yourself, you reclaim some of that power. You show up stronger, steadier, and more present for those who need you.

Take it one step at a time. We'll get through this together.

With love, Julia Rose

PS - For anyone needing food, my brother's business Everytable is providing free meals. Please call him directly at: 917-319-6156.

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