Whether the person you were hoping for won or not, there is a great deal of fear in our world today. It shows up as bullying, violent crime, suicide and more. And the intensity and negativity of this campaign brought much of it to the forefront.
While I don’t have a nice pill to make it all go away, I do have some thoughts that might be useful.
It’s vital to honor and feel your feelings.
This has been an incredibly intense experience for many, many people. Emotions have been wound up, sometimes intentionally. Anyone with a history of trauma or who has felt threatened in some way will have even more heightened emotions, especially fear and anger.
Your emotions are valid. Honor them.
And – make sure that you’re not taking on other people’s emotions. You might need to take a break from social media (or friends or family). Pay attention and see what’s yours and what’s not.
It takes a great deal of courage to simply sit and be with your emotions. It can feel hard, painful and scary. But the beauty is that when you can allow them and stay with them, they will naturally move through and release.
Once you can be with your thoughts and emotions, without judgment or resistance, a natural shift toward openness, spaciousness and peace will begin.
Situations that feel upsetting, turbulent or scary bring up our unresolved crap.
It’s not about what’s “out there.” Life is always going to happen. There will be things you love, things you fear, things you want to escape from. The bigger issue is about what it’s bringing up inside you.
The gunk that’s coming up is what paralyzes you or makes you so angry you can’t hear anyone else. You’re responding more to your fears or something that happened in the past than you are to what’s happening right now.
“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.”
― Viktor E. Frankl (Nazi concentration camp survivor)
Just as no part of our society should be marginalized, no part of YOU should, either.
Take time to listen to all the little voices inside you. The ones expressing fear, judgment, criticism. Those are all the voices of fear. What are your fears? And what’s the loving intent beneath the fears?
Try not to fight against what’s happening or what you don’t like.
What we resist persists. By struggling against intolerance, for example, you become intolerant of the intolerant. You just get and create more of the same. Instead, focus on being tolerant.
As Mother Teresa said, “I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.”
Focus on how you choose to show up.
What’s really important to you? Financial security? Love? Inclusion? Peace? Then show up for that.
How you show up includes your attitude and mindset. One of my clients this morning said, “I choose to show up and embody love.” Do you feel the power of that? Your intention directs your actions and the choices you make, so choose consciously and intentionally.
Tweet: Your intention directs your actions and the choices you make, so choose consciously and intentionally.Whatever you choose, remember that it’s important to show up for yourself that way, too.
Be the leader you want to have.
In these situations, it’s easy to sit back and look for someone else to lead, to get things started. Someone else to start the conversation. Someone else to say no. It’s time for each of us to step up, in the way we can, to be the leader that we are. Whether it’s in your family or in front of hundreds, it makes a difference.
Get support.
Find or create a community where you’re supported emotionally, and also supported in being your best self in the world.
Look at the groups you’re a part of. Do you feel more loving and expansive in them? More grounded and confident? Are there people being MORE leaderly, confident and loving than you so that you have good role models to learn from?
My hope for all of us is that we’re able to start national and international dialogs that bring healing and connection. It’s time for truth and reconciliation here. It’s time to really hear each other, and to share what we’re all most scared of and most hurt by. This is an opportunity to create something new, something better, something that truly serves, and we must work together to do that.
I led a free call on Monday to send good energy to the election. It‘ll help you release your fears and emotions, and create more peace in yourself and your community. Here’s the link to download it: Raise the Vibration of the Nation.
I’d love to hear anything you want to share about this. Just leave a comment below.
