Where will we find light?
Happy Solstice! Today is the day with the least amount of light in the Northern Hemisphere. While I am not a fan of winter’s early darkness, I do love the cultural traditions that have evolved around it - St. Lucia’s day in Nordic countries, Christmas lights, Hanukkah menorahs, the Hopi celebration of Soyal, Yalda in Iran. Each of these traditions is about finding light and hope in darkness. That feels especially important right now - going into the second Trump administration.
I’m hearing the same question from a lot of people: How are we going to make it through the next four years where it will often be quite hard to see the light?
To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not here to share some rosy view of how we’ll all be okay because we absolutely will not all be okay. But there are some lessons I’ve learned from the last time around that I lay out below. Get out your journal and brew a cup of tea as you go through these reflections.
First, think about how you got through the first Trump administration. What did you do? How did you cope? Be specific; it will help you answer the journaling questions and reflections below. Importantly, also remember that you did make it through those four years, which means you can do it again.
Below are the reflections that came to me as I answered these questions, along with some journaling prompts for you.
Protect Your Peace. One of the hardest lessons I learned in 2017 was that I needed to actively have ways of finding peace, joy and fulfillment because working on behalf of people who were losing their rights every day was brutal (and obviously infinitely worse for them). I had to quickly find things that helped me calm down, restore equanimity and that I enjoyed doing.
After the election this year, I found myself signing up for yet another coaching certification (this one for ADHD coaching!). When I reflected a few days later on how I made it through the first Trump era, I realized that that’s when I first became a coach, and filled my time with three separate certifications. Can you tell I love to take classes? It’s one of the ways I protected my peace then, and one I am carrying forward next year.
What are the things that ground you? How do you restore calm in trying times? What can you start or stop that will feel great? Take some time to journal and write down your ideas. You don’t need to do all of it now; make a list that you can refer back to when things are tough. Include big and small things - pizza and streaming with your beloveds, walking in nature, your garden- whatever comes up for you.
Take Supreme Care of Yourself. Seriously. We cannot let them take our health. The effects of living in constant stress are well documented. High cortisol levels are very, very bad for our bodies, contributing to heart disease, chronic inflammation, high cholesterol, and numerous diseases. Take some time to honestly, and without shame (I know, it’s hard for me too), assess how you’re doing with the following:
Getting adequate sleep (7-9 hours per night)
Moderate exercise most days
Limiting caffeine
Eating nutritiously
Regular connection with friends and community
Laughing often
Are there changes you would like to make in the New Year to any of these? If so, develop a realistic plan - you aren’t going to go from no exercise to running a marathon overnight. Take it slow and steady. For more on developing habits, see the piece I wrote on habit formation. And, I will admit that taking care of myself is really a struggle for me. I’m right there with you in making changes to support my health.
Do Not Try to Do Everything or Help Everyone. We know that they will try to sow chaos by throwing more awful things at us than we can handle. It is straight out of the authoritarian playbook to create chaos and then weaponize it (more here if you’re interested). We will not be able to help everyone or do everything that needs doing or even be the kind of ally we want to be all the time. Do not feel bad about this or allow it to keep you from action or from taking supreme care of yourself. Acknowledge that it’s happening and it feels terrible - because it does. And then move on to what you’re going to do (see below).
Pick Where to Go Deep. Where you want to use your limited energy? What are the most important causes to you personally where you want to give your time and money? What actions or issues give you energy rather than sucking your energy? Instead of spreading yourself thin trying to help everyone, pick where you want to go deep and make a plan for doing so. We all have roles to play in liberation; what role would you like to play?
Know You Are Not Alone. We are in this together. Truly. There’s a Buddhist metaphor called Indra’s Net that envisions a net that stretches across the universe and at each connected point in the net is a multi-fractaled jewel. Each jewel reflects every other jewel in the universe in its fractals, and all the jewels are connected through the net. That’s how I think of what we are together - beautiful, connected jewels that reflect each other's light. None of us is alone.
The solstice and the coming days before 2025 are a wonderful time to get quiet, go inwards, and journal about what we truly want. I hope you are able to take time to yourself over the next two weeks. And if you need to talk through anything that comes up, I am happy to help.
Solstice blessings, my friend. Here’s to finding more light, together.
XO,
Patty