As we’ve been discussing in my weekly practice series, this season naturally ticks up anxiety. It’s a stressful time of year… and on top of that, this year’s election is like no other in our lifetime, compounded by natural disasters, wars, and widespread divisiveness.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that research shows that politics is actually harming our physical and mental health. The American Psychological Association reports that 77 percent of all U.S. adults said the future of the nation was a very significant source of stress in their lives. Regardless of the party we identify with, 72 percent of all Americans are specifically anxious about polarization and social division.

We feel like we’re at war with each other. And this continual sense of separation creates a lot of fear and pain.

In our consciousness and also in our unconsciousness.

In our nervous systems.

In our spirit.

In our hearts.

And many of us feel like we can’t really do anything about it. And while it’s true that we can’t control the world, it’s inaccurate to say that we’re powerless.

remembering our strength in these times

We can draw on our strength to support us in responding skillfully in difficult circumstances.

Firstly, our strength lies in our voice and our right to vote. Our vote is our voice—and a significant source of our collective strength.

We can also remember that our practice fuels our strength by enabling our powerful ability to pause.

Pausing down-regulates our nervous system, which expands our capacity to choose our response in the present moment, rather than resorting to our habitual shutting down—or habitual confrontation style, or whatever we do when we feel stressed.

Remember: When we are stressed in fight, flight, or freeze, we are stuck in the behavior categories of aggression, withdrawal, and avoidance.

Our power resides in the pause.

Pausing fosters a relationship with ourselves that provides the strength we need to navigate and respond to the present moment and to each other from a place of mindfulness, compassion, and authenticity.

a practice to calm our nervous system

The practice I share above in this blog post incorporates the tool of humming, which is perfectly suited for the coming days and weeks.

As your brain is tasked with generating the humming sound, it is distracted from excessive thinking; we simply can’t do both at once, which creates a little more space in between our thoughts. In addition, the vibrations of the sound break up tension and stimulate the vagus nerve, which turns on the relaxation response… creating even more spaciousness in our body and mind.

With more spaciousness and strength, we'll have more agency over how we respond and care for ourselves and each other in this time.

When we take care of ourselves while we are wobbly, it doesn’t only benefit us, it benefits everyone we are in relationship with and everyone we come into contact with.

To me, pausing is the most meaningful form of self-care and community care.

Pausing opens up space for change, for possibility, and for freedom.

Remember, we are not practicing pausing to pull away from this moment—the energy of uncertainty.

Rather, we are practicing to be in this moment with more calm and connection to our agency, power, and strength… so we can make a difference.

“May our practice return us to the space where we can expand our capacity to make decisions and take action from our greater wisdom, compassion, and relationship with the world.”

— jillian pransky

FREE PRACTICES FOR THESE TIMES