The world is more or less in constant political turmoil, but the rate of change in the U.S. has sped up significantly since the presidential inauguration 18 days ago. News feeds can’t seem to update me fast enough, and I am exhausted. I was having a conversation with my partner recently, where he was talking about a similar feeling of fatigue due to the barrage of changes President Trump has made. “What can you do about it?” I asked. “I can be aware and be in solidarity with people,” he answered. This was not a bad answer necessarily, but they are both abstract reactions, you stay completely still. In order to work through stress, you must move your body.
If the political landscape is making you feel like a trapped animal, here are some things you can do. First, slow down. Take a deep breath. Your body will not feel the release of tension until you let it move through you. Turn on a song and dance around the room. Punch a pillow. Jump, walk and skip on the Asbury trails.
Beyond moving your body, you need to connect with your community. This isn’t the typical understanding in America. I googled “being overwhelmed by the world because it is terrible” and mostly got psychiatric resources. This isn’t a problem that can be solved with individual therapy or individual effort.
A good way to begin connecting is to care for the people around you. It might feel like you need to help those who need it most, but you are likely not close enough to them to help well. Immigrants, a group of people Jesus loved and defended (Matthew 25:35 & 45; Luke 4:18-19), are having their safety and livelihoods threatened. There’s not much we can do about this because we don’t interact with them daily. This doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. We can care for the people around us. Classmates, professors, the people you eat lunch with, these are who you can take care of. You can write a card or get a coffee for a friend to offer encouragement. You can sit next to a friend while they cry. You can watch a funny movie with hallmates to take your mind off things. Dealing with this kind of worry and tension requires a joint effort.
You also have to accept help. I cannot stress how crucial this is. A community is not an opportunity to show off how good you are. Community is an opportunity to surrender and trust the people around you. The level of trust and surrender varies by relationship and situation, but you must let go of control to show up for the people around you. A blog post from Penn State called “The Power of Community: Why Social Support is Key to Mental Well-Being,” sums this up well. It states, “support from the community can help build a sense of validation and assurance which can help individuals feel less alone and more capable of coping with difficult situations.” The world starts to look less doomed when standing next to friends.
We’ve established what can be done to get our minds and bodies back to equilibrium and feeling safe and present. But there’s still the persistent pressure of injustice and natural disasters. All of our efforts to feel less stressed would be pointless if the root cause is never addressed. You are sad because the world is broken. If that sadness is addressed without action toward healing the broken world, it will ultimately exhaust you and make you numb. So how do we find the energy to keep resisting and fighting for justice? Jamar Tisby answers this question in his most recent book, “The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race and Resistance.” Tisby says, “There is a relentless drive in human beings, both inward and transcendent, that demands dignity and propels our progress—it is the spirit of justice.” You do not have to create the energy to resist, it is already a part of you. When oppression rears its ugly head, resistance and activism will always rise up too. Take heart, there is a long historical legacy of people living through injustice and opposing it with whatever power they have. Oppose injustice by living a joyful life and receiving support from your community.
Photo courtesy of Claire Scully.
