A Quiet Act of Resistance
3 ways to self-care in times of political turmoil
In America we’ve gone through nearly seven and a half years of certain politicians’ lies and self-serving manipulations to weaken our democracy. In my rural NC mountain county a majority of voters have just elected several extremist Republican candidates with ties to national right-wing organizations.
As Democrats, on Election Night we turned a corner only to find that the road ahead is steeper and longer than we had hoped.
Last week I wrote “Postcard from a Democratic Outpost” from an observer’s point of view, because I was looking for a way into what had happened to our county. Some readers’ comments to my post expressed dejection, but in the end all affirmed our shared purpose. Here are a few:
The election results around the country are uplifting. … [W]e must keep that hope alive. That said, I am down in the dumps right along with many others.
The dinosaurs will die off and the Gen Z TikTok generation is showing us the way!!
We have to keep the conversations about the issues going.
[Western North Carolina] is only a small island of blue … and it is excruciating. … Maybe the younger generation … will see things differently when they become voters.
We can celebrate that the actual voting process went off without violence. That is a tribute to our democracy.
It concerns me that some of our friends may carry feelings of despair. I myself just yesterday fully realized what we’re facing — two more years of defending our values, protecting our public institutions and speaking up for a healthy community against the odds.
I felt exhausted in body and spirit.
I’m looking at an article our daughter sent me after the bitter mid-terms of 2018, “Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance” by Shelly Tygielski. When we start on a journey that will be long and hard, she says, we must realize that neither fight nor flight is sustainable.
[But we can aim for] two new responses: empathy and action. And I believe this starts with self-care. After this election I need that message and I am sure I am not alone.
She urges us to accept that we feel discouraged and tired. Take time to rest and to focus on good company, being in nature and creativity.
Allow yourself to (finally) unplug from news and social media for a few days.
Know when you need self-care and take time to respond, no permission needed.
Write a list of relaxing things to do, that are hard to think of when you’re stressed.
So what is needed now?
I’m thinking of last evening, one week after Election Night. It was our monthly Democratic Party meeting, and we talked about the election and where to go from here. But most importantly, I came to realize that I was in the presence of trust, kindness, shared purpose and great friendship.
And that was enough, for now.
I enjoyed this essay very much and I’ve come to the same conclusion. I am unplugging for the rest of the month and most of December and will just do a little volunteering and get back to reading some good books and catching up on movies. I am not going to worry about when I get up either.
Having ALL Republicans on both the County Commissioner and School Boards can never be a good thing for an area. Diversity and different areas of expertise of ideas are key to keeping a town and county vibrant.
Our Town, our County and State will now face an up hill struggle to be competitive and progressive. But the voters have spoken via our democracy. It's most unfortunate that progress lost.