Healing our Collective Trauma
Right now, things can seem so heavy and dealing with it call can feel impossible.
While we all may have past issues or traumas to work on, that just does not seem to fully capture what we are going through. What we are all experiencing right now is a collective trauma and grief that goes far beyond the resources we have to cope.
Collective trauma & grief is "when a community, society, nation or world collectively experiences extreme change or loss."
Why are so many of us feeling this so heavily right now? There are so many reasons but here are just a few...
Loss of rights via overturn of Roe V Wade and increasing restrictions placed on our reproductive health.
Increasing number of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced and passed.
Watching an ongoing war and genocide unfold in real time via social media.
Increased cost of living, lack of resources and support, being stuck in survival mode.
Wow, those are big things! How do we even begin to cope with all of this? It can seem impossible.
First, deal with the stress.
With everything going on, we are all in survival mode. Dealing with all of the stressors in the world can seem impossible (that's because it is!) However, when we can't deal with the stressors directly, we can still deal with the stress they cause our nervous system (Our body's physical reaction to living with this collective stress & trauma). Working with our nervous system's response to stress helps put us in a better place to do something to directly deal with the stressors without burning out.
Ways to calm your nervous system include...
Physical movement and exercise – you don’t have to join a gym, but simply finding ways to move your body can help release the adrenaline and cortisol that build up when we are stressed.
Deep breathing – this can help take the edge off until you have time to do more in-depth work.
Laughter – watch a funny movie, listen to a comedian, play a silly game, just find ways to laugh.
Crying – Sometimes we just need to let it all out.
Social interaction – coming together with supportive people can help us feel less alone in it all.
Creative expression – paint, draw, play music, write poetry or a story, dance.
Affection – Find ways to connect with a loving partner.
Ok, we're doing the things and dealing with the stress, now what?
There are a lot of directions to go from here...
Make meaning in your life: Connecting with something larger than ourselves helps give us a purpose and can help guide us in life. This isn't something we just stumble upon and find, we make it. Often people find meaning in pursuit of making the world a better place, some sort of spiritual calling, or in connection with others. Take some time to reflect on what might give you a sense of meaning in your life.
Community action: Even though the issues we are facing today seem so big and we often times feel so small, we are not helpless. Engaging in community action gives us a sense of power to make things better. This can be through art, protesting, getting involved in social advocacy organizations, and more.
Connect with others: Finding a community of people who are also experiencing this collective trauma can help you remember that you are not alone. We are all here going through this together, and through community we will come out stronger than ever.
Reflect on your values: When all else fails, when issues seem so big and our goals seem out of reach there is always one thing we can fall back on and that is our values. Our values are what can guide us in every second of every day. When we are unsure what next step to take, we can return back to our values and take action based on those values. Take some time to reflect on your top 5 values and actions you can take guided by your values.
Here is a link to a values list for a little inspiration: https://qualitycharters.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Hiring-For-Fit_Values-List.pdf
Give yourself space & grace: Remember that we cannot do it all and some days will be REALLY hard. If you need time to rest, to remove yourself from advocacy efforts for a bit, or just feel all of your feelings – allow it.
And Lastly: Make a solid self-care plan so that you are taking care of yourself every step of the way. There are several areas of self-care and ideally a good self-care plan carves out some time for each of these areas. This includes emotional health, physical health, social life, occupational, and spiritual. Head to Mental Health of America to complete a "self-care checkup" to get an idea of where your starting from and areas that need more care.
Find the link here: https://screening.mhanational.org/content/self-care-checkup/?layout=actions_a
If you are struggling and need more support: be sure to reach out to a trained therapist.
Want me to be your therapist? Send me an email and book a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if I am a good fit for your needs! caitlyn@embracesupport.org