Tag Archives: Writing

After this U.S. election, fears and tears are common. Many of us voted with hope for a future that favors equity, kindness, and care for people and our planet. What now?

First, take a break. It’s healthy to take time to grieve and rest. Be kind, to yourself and to others. Check in with people you care about. Especially people who feel particularly vulnerable under leaders that value certain people and dismiss or attack others.

Respect your own wisdom and skills. What’s helped you through other challenges in life? Use those strategies now. For me, that includes the deep breathing I practice in yoga classes. Also good: Regular exercise, spending time with caring people, and finding humor (including watching YouTube videos of late-night comedians). And eating chocolate. If you need more help, reach out to friends or professionals. This CBS News article has more strategies.

Then, regroup. Let’s not perpetuate “the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.” So writes Daniel Hunter in “10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won.” (Hunter also says to start by taking care of yourself.) Read his full article on Waging Nonviolence.org.

Unplug. You don’t need to read or listen to all the analysis, especially if it stresses you out more. Spend time with people.

Sleep. And then get up and outside in the daylight, even for five minutes. When we’re feeling out of sorts, we can forget the basics. The basics help.

Read or listen to something inspiring. “People kept the faith in the dictatorships of South America in the 1970s and 1980s, in the East Bloc countries and the USSR, women are protesting right now in Iran and people there are writing poetry.” — American writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit, quoted in the.ink.

We can do hard things. A fellow water fitness instructor regularly says “We can do hard things” to encourage people during challenging moves. (It’s also the name of a podcast.) One exerciser said that mantra helped her get through physical pain recently. You are stronger than you realize.

Keep looking for hope. What we focus on matters. More women than ever will serve as U.S. governors. Delaware elected the first transgender member of Congress. Abortion rights measures won in seven of 10 states where they were on the ballot. And Trump can’t run again.

Updated Nov. 8 to add: “Research shows that hope is a powerful antidote to despair,” writer and research professor Brené Brown writes. “Right now, the thing that is helping the most is micro-dosing hope…. I am asking myself how I can support the people around me… how can I … stay committed to courage, kindness, and caring for others regardless of the choices made by others? Doing the smallest next right thing is hard AF, but sometimes it’s all we’ve got.”