I've had many conversations with women since the January 21st Women's March that brought over 6 million women together worldwide. And I hear the same question emerging again and again: Now what? How do we keep the momentum and spirit strong, especially during this fast-paced slide backwards into the opposite of the kinder, gentler and more unified world we want? How do we stay balanced and healthy without being sucked into the energy-draining vortex of fear, anger and urgency ramping up on many fronts all at once? I have three very specific suggestions to share, all sourced from sacred conversations with the wise women in my life, suggestions that nourish and support the whole of who you are, rather than add more duties to your "to do" list to do more, give more, be more.
#1: Self-care has never been more important.
The rapid erosion of compassion in politics is leading many of us to enter head-spinning PTSD mode. While it is important to stay vigilant and engaged by petitioning our government representatives, it is equally important to take breaks from the fray.
We mustn't lose the perspective that what is happening in Washington is not all that is happening. Far from it. Stay focused on local and unified action that aligns with your values and feeds your sense of hope and engagement. Act, but also take time to be deeply nurtured by favorite pastimes, immersion in nature and silence, meditation and yoga, relationships and family.
Activism is like breathing, we must take time for the nourishing in-breath and that means we don't stay glued to the TV or set an impossible standard to be engaged as an activist every single day.Treat yourself with compassion and care. Take time off to refresh and renew.
Mantra: You are not on duty. You are on purpose.
#2: Having a tribe that shares your values has never been more important.
If you do not have a tribe, consider starting a women's circle. You can find one using the DF App or you can get free support from Gather the Women Global Matrix, a world-wide all-volunteer network of women who support women's circles. Their work is based on Christina Baldwin's and Anne Linnea's book The Circle Way and Jean Bolen's book, Millionth Circle.
Mantra: You aren't saving the world alone. Together we rise!
#3: Disengage from the "hooks" of the old "Never Enough" paradigm,
which include partisan conversations, the need to be right and make others wrong, ingesting fear-based messaging from the media, and taking it personally when someone attacks an idea or person you support. Realize that all of these hooks provide a CHOICE to either engage in "never enough" thought patterns of separation, anxiety and fear or not.
Realize that your energy and time are always better spent focusing on what you can control and what you can contribute. Support things and people who share your values and know that doing so is perfectly enough. We are doing this together and the shift from never enough to enough is (from a wider perspective of evolution and history) inevitable as human consciousness evolves from a "me" perspective (survival of the fittest) to a "we" perspective (global, unity).
People on the planet today represent a wide spectrum of consciousness, but the collective direction is always towards more inclusive and more compassionate. Your part is to be the best representative of your current level of consciousness that you can be, and to resist engaging your precious energy at a lower level. That means not sliding back into either-or thinking, blaming or shaming. Stay positive, clear and focused on what you want to manifest in the world and know that is perfectly and divinely enough when you do so.
Mantra: What you focus on grows, so move from blaming and
shaming to decisively claiming the world you really want.
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Laurie McCammon is the author of Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word and editor/co-author of the upcoming Enough! A Companion Guidebook.
Laurie will be presenting this month at the 25th Annual Women of Wisdom Conference in Seattle Washington February 17 (Opening Keynote) and 18 (One Day Intensive). A la carte pricing.
Laurie McCammon is the author of Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word and editor/co-author of the upcoming Enough! A Companion Guidebook.
Laurie will be presenting this month at the 25th Annual Women of Wisdom Conference in Seattle Washington February 17 (Opening Keynote) and 18 (One Day Intensive). A la carte pricing.
FB: LaurieCMcCammon
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