It’s the week after the 2024 Election, and a lot of people are hurting. I would say that the vast majority of people in this country have some anxiety right now, ranging from mild to debilitating.
Here are some thoughts:
— If all you can do right now is sleep, rest, take medications, eat, and shower as best you can, that’s actually really big, and it’s okay for this to be enough.
— I think generally, it’s good to acknowledge big fears and honor how they feel, but also try as best we can to live in the day we’re in, both in its gifts and its challenges. A lot of the things we most fear haven’t happened yet. Some have, but others haven’t. Some might, and we can be proactive. But they also might not. And we have some very real ways of shaping those outcomes, even if we don’t control everything that happens.
— My biggest advice is to get involved in community. And I mean this in more than one way. Way number 1: If you are able to do it, get in the presence of other human beings, especially those we love. This calms our nervous systems, and we all deserve to feel that. We can cry, or just be, or have fun with abandon. We may need any or all of these. Way number 2: Find a community (you might already have one) where you can get involved in actions that care for others and meet people’s tangible needs. It might be a knitting club, a running group, a house of worship, a nonprofit organization, an activism organizing collective, a neighborhood circle, a friend-circle, or a political organization. Find one of these that is providing community care for group members and working actively to build positive change for people beyond the group itself. Be all-in in one of these communities or multiple of these communities. Don’t let anyone tell you that this isn’t valid, or “not the right kind of activism” (caveat, unless it’s actually hurting people) or “not enough” or “not worthy work.” It is. You have particular circles and gifts that are not replicable by all people. We need everyone’s uniqueness in building a better world — everyone’s best abilities and commitments, and everyone’s access to particular relationships with specific needs.
— You matter. You matter. You matter.
— Your neighbors matter. Your neighbors matter. Your neighbors matter.
— The communities of people you hear on the news are people who have names. Remember them. And allow yourselves to imagine that some of them may be remembering you (even if they don’t know your names).
— Think of people who have believed in you and your communities: the elders who sheltered you, chose you, mirrored you, and told you you’re the cat’s pajamas. (Maybe they didn’t say that exactly, but you are). All the things they saw in you have been and are real. Make them proud.
— You are loved, loveable, and capable of loving.
— If you find yourself thinking that none of it matters, or that your best work is just being washed away, grieve in ways you need to grieve, or get angry, but know this: Caring for one another in our communities is never fruitless. It wasn’t then; it isn’t now.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 