Breathing and recalibrating for the US election

Much as it seemed to be becoming more and more of a possibility over the past few weeks, I wasn’t prepared for the shift last week from Biden vs Trump to Harris vs Trump.

I’ve trained myself to set realistic (ie low) expectations over the past 8 years and… it felt like we were a lot further away from electing a Black and Asian woman as President than we suddenly find ourselves.

It was easier to have some critical distance when it was two old white guys duking it out.

Now it feels personal.

It’s not that Kamala Harris represents all women of color… but that most of us have been through and are still going through some version of the patterns that are now playing out on the global stage, from the racist and misogynistic attacks to the quieter misassumptions, dismissal, and devaluing.

It’s now blasted wide open for the world to see. And that’s a good thing, but it’s also a hard thing.

I’m realizing it’s going to require emotional boundaries and care that I have in fact been preparing for but wasn’t quite prepared for right this very second.

This isn’t the election I thought we were going to have.

And I find I am having to remind myself to also lean into the excitement, the building energy and momentum, the support and… dare I say it… hope. Even understanding that the systems are gonna system even in the best case scenario in this election.

I’m taking time to breathe and recalibrate through this change, to ground and shore up my inner sources of energy. Even good change can have an impact on the nervous system, especially when everyone everywhere is having so many reactions about so many things.

How are you resourcing yourself for the months ahead? How is your team planning on supporting one another as there are bound to be more twists and turns yet? How can you build in processing time for those you work with as the election approaches? Are there meetings or deadlines during the week of the election that should perhaps be moved in anticipation? What are you and your team going to need?

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