And, because the pace of the last two weeks have felt like a sprint, I’ve sprinted.

And I’ve felt tired and disheartened and sometimes guilty for what I perceive as not doing enough.

I’ve struggled with remembering that the next four years will be a marathon and that I’ll have to pace myself and practice rigorous self-care and strategic, sustainable engagement if I want to see the race through (so to speak).

And because I’ve struggled with all of the above (and because I doubt I’m alone in this!), I’ve written today’s blog post as a reminder of the basics: the basics of self-care and the basics of what it may mean to sustainably remain engaged, sane, and resisting over the next four years.

Drawing on my training as a licensed psychotherapist and how I’ve been taught to navigate secondary trauma and compassion fatigue in my career, I outline suggestions for ways we can take care of ourselves and each other without losing our minds (or losing our outrage!) as this highly unknown, highly triggering, brave new world unfolds before us and we fight back.

This article isn’t a prescription for the best activism steps to take (though I’ll share some of the action steps I’ve personally decided to participate in laced throughout the article), rather, it’s a universal reminder that may feel helpful no matter where and how you are choosing to spend your energy and time these days.

So keep reading if you, like me, are looking for a reminder of ways to practice good self-care and how to sustainably engage over these next four years.

The ABC’s Of Self-Care & Sustainable Engagement Over The Next Four Years.

A is for awareness.

Awareness of what’s unfolding, yes, but more importantly, awareness of what your own personal needs, wants, and capacities are. For media consumption, for time devoted to political action steps, for the ability to even have a conversation about certain news items at the end of a long work day. Only you are the expert of your experience and it’s up to you to become aware of how much you can or want to show up given the context of your life. Pay attention and practice awareness of what your own capacities are in these times and be compassionate and gentle with yourself if this may look different than someone else’s.

B is for boundaries.

Boundaries are the invisible physical, psychological, and energetic fences of our lives. Being able to recognize where and what your own boundaries are is critical, I believe, to being able to practice good self-care. If you need a refresher on what boundaries look like, check out this article I wrote. Examples of boundaries when it comes to self-care and sustainable political engagement may look like: knowing how many minutes a day you’re willing/able to spend consuming the news…