Taking A Nap On A Battlefield

These are not normal times.

Seriously, not normal.

While you may be rolling your eyes and muttering, “obviously,” I feel like that is a really important statement to make.

These are not normal times. It is not normal to have a government that is toying with the idea of dismantling habeas corpus. It is not normal to have a white house ignoring rulings from the Supreme Court. It is not normal to be living in fear.

This is an intentional move on their part. Flood the news cycle with so, so much that we get overwhelmed and just give up. It's an effective strategy, I will give them that. And that's why it can work if we let it.

It’s definitely not normal to try to deal with the collapse of society, all while making sure your emails get answered and your bills get paid.

I was speaking with a friend on the phone this weekend. She lives in a different state than I do, with different, but equally concerning problems. We have a lot in common, especially in regards to potentially becoming mothers in the current climate, and we’ve been good friends for over a decade. “I’m just so tired.” She sighed, exacerbated by a work issue she’d been telling me about, “I just don’t know why I’m so tired.” And then we laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement, because, of course, we know why we’re tired. *gestures to the surrounding horrors.*

We laughed, we cried a little, and then we made dinner on the phone together.

What else can you do on a Wednesday night?

It's okay to feel like the world is collapsing, because, honestly, there is an element of truth to that. We are scared for a reason. But we can't let it overtake us. That is what they want. They're counting on it. So think of this as your realistic pep talk from someone who is also very overwhelmed and anxious.

How millennial of us.

Some of the best advice I have ever gotten goes something like this. If you hate everyone, eat something. If you hate yourself, take a shower. And if you hate the world, take a nap. I wish I knew who to credit this advice to, but I don't. It has honestly changed my life.

If we’re going to keep going, to keep fighting, which we absolutely must do at this moment in time, we have to make sure to care for ourselves in the midst of the war. It is not normal to be in a constant state of fight or flight, to have a cortisol level running high constantly, to live in a state of burnout. If I’m describing you, I want you to know that you are not alone. There are thousands, probably millions of us, feeling the same feelings you are. We will keep fighting, we will move through these unprecedented times together, and we will prevail. It’s okay to take a nap while we do it.

This is going to be a war, not just a battle. So we need to make sure we are prepared, and that we first and foremost, take care of ourselves.

I don't know what self-care looks like for you, but whatever it is, do it. Nap, turn off your phone for a night, play a game with friends, scream into your pillow. Whatever. You know yourself better than anyone else does.

So get off the battlefield, just for a moment. If that's all you have, a moment, take it. Get somewhere safe, and care for yourself. The fight has just begun, and we need you. Weary bones and all.

Love you all,

Alys