Dear One,
My heart is aching and my soul is heavy. The trials of this year have been relentless, one storm to endure after another. With each brave account told by a survivor, we relive our own story. Every time another patriot steps forward to share her experience, we hear the story of our mothers, our sisters, and our friends. Each news headline adds to the weight in our hearts, threatening to sink us further under the water of our shared trauma.
If you are feeling this, there is nothing wrong with you. You are not overreacting, you are not being too emotional. Our shared feminine wound is being prodded, stretched, and examined by cold and unfeeling eyes. And sometimes, it feels like too much.
But I need you to take a deep breathe. Feel your lungs expand and contract. It may feel like this is the end, like we walked through the dark tunnel only to find ourselves exactly where we started.
This is not the end.
The fight is not over.
We are not done.
We’ve been nailed to the cross of our own femininity, and we’ve been buried in the tomb of patriarchy, but the story is not over. Sisters, we will rise. I promise you, we will rise.
The rising will take longer than we want. Longer than we feel it Right. But we have already seen the beginning, we are moving the stone away and stepping into the light.
We.
Not, you.
You are not fighting this fight by yourself.
We are a chorus of righteous anger… and it is okay to take a breath. Another voice will replace your own. And when you are ready, your voice will give someone else a moment of rest.
So take a breath if you need it. Tune out for a moment. Rest without guilt. The chorus will continue to sing out a song of freedom. And when you are ready, join us again.
Hand in hand, we will walk out of the darkness and into the light. Together we will rise.
You are valued, you are loved,
Alyse
Taking a breath:
Consider stepping away from the internet
Determine what is right for you- a few hours? A day? More? Put electronics away, go dark for a little bit.
No more commenting on bait-like posts.
No more sharing.
Tune it all out for a while.
Go outside
There is something deeply spiritual about hearing the leaves rustle in the wind, feeling the sun on your face, and taking a renewing breath of fresh air. Get yourself to a body of water if you can. Observe the current, the ebb and flow. See how nature keeps its own time.
Read some light fiction
Stay away from memoirs for a bit, or poli-sci. Its okay to read a paperback mystery that’s not on any Goodreads “best of” list or read Harry Potter for the 10th time. Give your running mind permission to follow a different story line.
Be alone or around people
If you have a group of people you can be around without feeling the need to get into it, be around them. If not, take a social break. Don’t apologize for this. If people reach out- tell them you’re taking a break, and you’ll respond when you can.
Meditate or consider contemplative pray
Centering yourself in the present moment is one to the most effective ways to help emotionally heal. In this moment, right now, you are okay. You are safe. Past trauma is real, but it is past. Future work is needed, but it is future. Presently, you are resting. Allow that rest.
Random act of kindness
Buy someone’s coffee. Let someone in font of you at the grocery store. Send a note card to your mom. There are a million ways to see the beauty in the world, be one of those beautiful things to someone else.
