Finding a Sense of Place & Comfort
It has almost been a month since the Presidential election, and I have to say I have been actively avoiding most of the news coverage’s attempt to normalize the President-Elect and his antics. I, like many Americans stayed up all night watching the electoral votes come in and was filled with feelings of sadness and anxiety. While I tried to remain hopeful that this result would not happen, I knew in the back of my mind that unfortunately Hillz losing would probably be the outcome.
As a woman of color that has lived in several states, I have encountered all types of people and knew not to underestimate that some people’s hatred of others blinds any and everything else. When I lived in a place as diverse and liberal as New York City, many people I encountered could not comprehend Hillz not winning this election. The one consistent question I heard was, who is voting for him? As he won the nomination and gained more traction throughout his campaigns, I noticed that more and more people kept saying is this really happening? Often times this question was posed by non-people of color, colleagues, or my friends of color that grew up in the bubble that is NYC. Although NYC is an extremely diverse place, it is very easy to stick to your race/society bubble because it is possible to find self-representation within the 5 boroughs. This can be both a blessing and curse, as I do believe a lot of people in these super liberal pockets of the country were completely blindsided. When something like this happens, it is hard to find the words to explain how you are feeling, it is much easier to temporarily withdraw from society in an attempt to find solace. As the results rolled in that night, I knew that I would need to find some sort of comfort moving forward.
When I am feeling untethered, I turn to self-care to recharge and move forward. I believe that you have to invest in yourself, just as much as you invest in others. In these past few weeks post election, I have had so many enriching conversations within my friend circles. These conversations along with several other things have lifted the fog from what has definitely been a WTF year and allowed me to reclaim a sense of hope and positivity for what lies ahead.
Here are the ways I have found comfort/sense of place post election:
¨ Surrounding myself with my closest girlfriends, from group texts to impromptu gatherings
¨ Instagram- Seeing what others are creating and experiencing always transports me to a happier, more carefree place
¨ The Obamas- Their last few months in the White House has provided so much joy- from the influx of cover stories in my favorite magazines, to the coverage of their final parties and White House holiday events. It always makes me smile to see so much love from a first family that looks like me.
¨ Laughter, Laughter, and more Laughter
¨ Consuming lots of film and TV as well as bingeing my favorite podcasts.
¨ Immersing myself in some exciting projects that I can’t wait to share in the near future!
¨ Faith and Family time
I hope you all have found your own means of comfort to help lift the fog. As we near Christmas, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and forget to check in with our community and ourselves. We must make a conscious effort to not only carve out time for self-care, but to then arm ourselves with the tools needed to be an agent of change.