The Self-Care of Staying Awake
Monday, January 20, 2025: MLK Day Observed, A Fascist Takes Office
I’ve not watched much of the news since the election, but I spent some time over the weekend considering what self-care looks like for me for the next four years, and concluded that my own, personal self-care can NOT include:
* Pretending it’s not happening. So I’m watching the news for the first time since November—specifically coverage of the inauguration, because it’s happening no matter how much I wish it wasn’t happening.
* Throwing my hands up in the air, declaring all news as false and corrupt. We’re about to be hit with about 200 executive orders in the next day or two, and I want to know what’s coming, why it’s important, and the immediate and long-term effects to myself, my friends, my neighbors, my communities, and my country.
* Capitulation. Just because I momentarily feel overwhelmed, heart-broken, afraid, and powerless, capitulation will only perpetuate the experience of overwhelm, heart-break, fear, and powerlessness, while speeding up the slide towards a dictatorship while impeding the creation of a world in which I want to live.
And, in addition to the above list, and taking care of my body, mind, and soul, my personal self-care MUST include:
* Paying attention. The lives and safety of all of my friends depend on it.
* Reminding myself that my thoughts and feelings are worthy of my acknowledgement, validation, and appreciation.
* Reminding myself that the validity of my thoughts and feelings does not affect the dynamic and impermanent nature of my thoughts and feelings. And that my ever-shifting thoughts and feelings do not supersede my free will in deciding what kind of human I want to be, what actions I choose to take, and results I intend to create.
* Faith in myself and ability to employ critical thinking skills, common sense, and educated discernment to distinguish facts and expert analysis from conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation.
* Supporting sources of information and analysis that have integrity and seek the truth regardless of bias.
* Lovingly remind myself that we’re all humans who are biased via our perception(s) of the world. While this inescapable bias shapes narratives, bias does not automatically equate to “false narratives.” Biased or unbiased, the quality that matters most in ourselves, our information sources, and our leaders is integrity.
* Build bonds and community, both near and far. We’re all in this together, and staying awake while caring for ourselves and each other is a team endeavor.
“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
