it is not your job to fix the world
Let’s be real for a moment, things have sucked lately. Not only are we expected to deal with traditional life stressors but it seems as though the world is on fire all around us. There is so much hate, violence and distrust raging through our communities; creating divides that feel unnavigable. It can be beyond overwhelming to be constantly bombarded with news of political happenings from ICE raids to threat of war. When engulfed by waves of perpetual unrest that are out of our control, sometimes we forget that we do have the power to fight for breath. We do not have to succumb to the ice cold waters that threaten to drown us.
This is a lesson that I am still very much in the process of learning. It is in our nature as human beings to want to fix things. When the world feels broken we want to try to put it back together piece by piece. Do not get me wrong, that is one of the most wonderful things about us as people. We come together to bring about change and unite around caring for each other. I believe it is incredibly important that we all step up to do our part whenever we can. Whether that is taking the time to vote, lobbying for policy or joining a protest. But the part of that sentence that is most crucial to emphasis is “whenever we can”.
In times when we find ourselves bogged down, overwhelmed, sad or even just tired it is more than okay for us to just take a step back. It does not make you a bad person to care for yourself during times of unrest. You are important and your feelings are valid, which means you need to respond to your own experiences. If you need to go home and watch a movie for a night, just do it. If you need to take a sick day because you are mentally overwhelmed, do it. Cry, take a walk, call a friend, sleep it off. Just do what you need. Taking time for yourself is reasonable and if you need someone to tell you that, then here I am. I give you permission to step away.
Now that we have got that out of the way, you may be asking yourself, “well how do I care for myself during all this political upheaval?” In all honesty there is no perfect cure, but I am sure you already know this. Nevertheless, there are some distinct ways that you can try to maintain your wellbeing during these times. As a social work student myself, I have to be very involved with politics and human rights which can feel incredibly overwhelming at times. Dealing with political outcomes that impact the wellbeing of my clients on a daily basis is a lot to take on. So while I know that being aware is crucial to my professional role, I have also learned that it is critical that I understand how to care for myself and set healthy boundaries. At the end of the day, you can not help others if you are not healthy and don’t care for yourself. These are some of the techniques I have found immensely helpful in recent times.
One of the single most healing things I have done for myself is stepping away from the news and political social media. When I am on Instagram, I have curated my feed to be 95% cute dogs. Taking time off from the constant arguing and catastrophizing stories has allowed me to find a great deal of peace. While I recommend taking a step back from the news, it is important to note that I am not endorsing ignorance. It is important to know what is happening in the world around you, but hours of negative broadcasting is not the answer. You could try finding a new source that provides daily or weekly highlights. Or try tuning into a local news channel which may include more wholesome stories. Personally, I have asked a close family member to keep me updated on important news and political updates. Overall, this has provided me the ability to be knowledgeable but also more content.
Another thing that has been a game changer for me is setting clear boundaries in my life when it comes to political consideration. For a while after the election, I found my political worries to be all consuming. I thought about the problems we were facing as a society at all times of the day and it bled into everything I was doing. It did not feel sustainable to me to go on this way so I decided to set some boundaries for myself. I knew that I couldn’t just bottle up everything I was feeling about the political landscape. I need to be able to talk about it and work through my feelings with others. I found that this was something I could do in many of my classes, with my friends in the social work department and at my field placement. Thus, during my classes and at my field placement, I allowed myself to think about these topics and discuss them with others. Other times, such as when I am at home or with friends/families, I put all of my political concerns to the side and live in the moment. I know that these moments are for me and are a chance to be happy and carefree. By giving myself set spaces to both reflect and distract myself, I have been able to take control of my own wellbeing.
This is undeniably an immensely heavy topic. For this reason, I am hoping to end with more of a positive outlook. There is a lot out there right now that is scary and disheartening, especially what is shown through the media. But I also believe that there is so much beauty and love in our world too. It might be harder to see, but there is a lot of goodness out there. Look for it in the neighbor that snowblows sidewalks for the whole block, the teacher that lets students eat lunch in their room or the stranger with a kind smile. Cling to those moments of humanity and use it to heal yourself. When you take the time to care for yourself, you are capable of accomplishing great things. And trust me, we need you.