Many of us are not ok these days. And we all have different ways of not being ok. Tolstoy might have said, "Happy voters are all alike; every unhappy voter is unhappy in their own way.”
Maybe you are reaching out. Maybe you are withdrawing. Maybe you feel enervated. Maybe your energy is manically high.
Some of us are coping by doing what we always do: I saw many early morning runners before I'd even had coffee, and they amazed me.
Some of us feel arrested, like an ant walking across a drop of tree sap.
I personally am under the covers. As I write this.
Whatever you are doing, check in with your emotions and let them breathe. Give them time, food, air, and good company.
Here are three ways to cope:
What a Long Journey It Has Been
We started “Resources for the U.S. Election Year” 35 weeks ago. When we announced it, we wrote that “If we are to walk through this election together, we will have to stay in touch with our bodies, settle our bodies, and harmonize our bodies.”
We hoped that these weekly features would help ground you amid chaos, encourage you amid despair, and multiply your sense of solidarity and purpose.
There has definitely been a need for grounding, encouragement, and solidarity.
Since Super Tuesday, we have seen a debate that debased democracy; we have seen a true Washington insider, incumbent, and candidate step aside just days before his party’s convention; we have witnessed an historic “first” (the first black and South Asian presidential candidate for a major party); we have seen one attempted assassination live on TV and a second prevented by the Secret Service.
And all of this has played out as genocide intensifies in Gaza and Uncommitted Voters feel disenfranchised by a two-party system unwilling to intervene.
Now that voting is underway, Election Day is finally here, and the waiting for results begins, it feels right to reflect on some of the practices we have suggested.
We invite you to review them with an eye towards putting together a self-care plan for these tense and uncertain days.
1. Take this voting ritual to the polls with you, to remind yourself that, regardless of polls or results, voting is always an opportunity to register our most deeply cherished values.
2. Fear feeds fascism. Nurture right relationship with fear through these exercises from Resmaa Menakem.
3. Personal lives don’t take a break for politics. Don’t just watch the news and worry: Take care of yourself and others; listen to good music; take in a live show; read a really good book.
4. One form of self-care might be prioritizing time spent with people who feel safe and share your values. If you must communicate across the divide this week, use these techniques and feel encouraged by the happy ending in We Need to Talk, Part 2 (a follow-up to We Need to Talk).
5. Remember that, whatever happens nationally, there are profound ways to strengthen democracy right where you are. Functioning democratic spaces may be as close as your neighborhood dog park. (And in any case, we recommend spending time with animals this week. They are fuzzy and totally apolitical.)
6. If you feel activated by strong emotions, stop and pay attention. Try one of these practices by Resmaa Menakem: “Check Your Body’s Checkpoints” and “A Resource Toy Box.”
It has been a journey to get here, and I am so glad we have gotten here together.