Yesterday, I stood in a socially-distanced line outside the Centreville Library to vote, and I was struck by how civil and diverse the group of people were. The man in front of voiced very different political views than me, yet we held his place in line when he needed to run to the restroom. A Democrat volunteer helped provide a Republican resource to a voter. As always, the Republican and Democrat tents were directly across from one another, yet they were civil to one another. It turns out, in spite of how divisive the country feels, we are all still capable of holding the same space in respect and grace for one another. It was encouraging for me to remember that we can do this.
This election season has been hard during an already difficult year. Our bodies have been under sustained stress and trauma, so it’s no wonder we are all bumping up against one another emotionally and feeling more triggered by the political divide. Even though it feels as if it has never been worse, the reality is that this isn’t the first time things have been hard and it won’t be the last in our lives. We can do this hard thing.
I would like to encourage you today to begin thinking through a self-care strategy for next week. Perhaps you need to be around people who will make you laugh – try to schedule an outdoor activity with those friends. Maybe you need to turn off your phone notifications or social media for a few days. For some people, scheduling PTO might be just what the self-care doctor ordered. Whatever you decide, it is always a good idea to brainstorm these ideas before your brain has gone into crisis mode. Then, you can always choose to be flexible and do something else if you are in a different mental space than you anticipated. If you’re not sure what type of self-care you need, here is a list of ideas that I shared earlier this year. You can also check out this blog post I wrote about intentional self-care. Hopefully something on that list will speak to you.
You are all loved and beloved. However, so are all the other yahoos who disagree with you politically 😉 Take care of yourself and be kind to one another. We can do this.
