Pause and Breathe

When I planned our Sunday free community class focus for January and February it was apparent we would need all the strength and resilience we could find. What is happening in the last few weeks makes that more urgent.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was on Instagram Live this week and her first advice in dealing with the crisis in the US is to take a breath. The events unfolding the last few weeks are meant to shock our nervous system, make us afraid, and immobilize us. Once we’ve regulated our nervous system (breathe), then we can educate ourselves and take action.

I’ve been minimizing my exposure to the shock and awe tactics happening in the US. I took Instagram and Facebook off my phone a month ago and that helps. I’m not checking MSNBC. People on the ground in the US need to know the details and to strategize. I don’t. We have an upcoming election in Canada that is more directly relevant to me.

We need to protect our mental health and do all we can to regulate our nervous system right now. This doesn’t mean ignoring what is happening. It means to take some time to sharpen our neuroception (our brain’s perception of safety and threat) to be more accurate and to not panic. We could remember that we live in a different world than we did in the right wing backlash of the 1980’s.

At 71, I've lived through decades of homophobia, when people could be arrested for going to a gay bar and there were laws against us. There was a rise in right wing politics, like Ronald Reagan who ignored AIDS and cut taxes for the rich, paving the way for the 1%. Anita Bryant led the Save Our Children anti-gay campaign and anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly later endorsed Trump.

At that time, most people didn’t think they knew anyone who was gay. Now two thirds of Americans are in favor of gay marriage. Canada legalized same sex marriage in 2005 and that is true of many countries. There is a threat to same sex marriage in the US right now AND the culture and understanding around LGBTQ2S+ people is different.

Now is the time to get serious about connecting in community, engaging with each other with respect, and doing what we can to build the world we want to live in. Regulating our nervous system is foundational. It is the bedrock.

Join us daily at 8AM Eastern for nervous system regulating practices. Check out my Insight Timer Live events and my profile for hundreds of guided practices and courses. This is the link for my Emergency Practices page.

Times like this challenge and drain us. We need to resource ourselves more. Breathe! Dance! Go for walks. Hug your favorite people and animals. Take the time to eat well and get enough rest and sleep. Remember the millions of people who are on our side and take action together.

You are welcome to join us Sunday! Details and link here. If you haven’t participated in January, you can find the 20 minute somatic inquiry practices here. You can also just come and share with us in community.