I will post some strategies i have found useful for finding a sense of groundedness from which action can arise during periods of (needed!) social unrest / challenge https://twitter.com/kateschapira/status/1381956360460505089

because i think citing where i learned things and lineage are important, i will say that i have learned much of what i know about this from trainings with Staci K Haines of generative somatics/strozzi institute, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Relational Uprising

& from being on the ground with occupy wall st, with the zen peacemakers in south dakota for socially engaged retreats. I am motivated by the idea that learning to maintain a sense of nervous system health/flexibility, I can extend that to others who are struggling in this work

first, please watch this video on "street somatics" from prentis hemphill https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3RW0uA8CW/?igshid=mil9m6es46vf&fbclid=IwAR3TtEo48XyYPo2XtXPkFLR12v4c_9qCEhvVHTUwJNXIn60pCXLXUHU5Cd0

become familiar with what it feels like in YOUR body and mind when you are in an activated state, how it can sometimes be helpful but how you might also get stuck in it, especially when considering the cumulative trauma of racism and oppression

i tend not to feel things when i am in that activated state, but i can notice when i've been in it too long because my sense of hearing is heightened to hight pitched noises which can trigger anger, i'm doing a lot of repetitive automatic behaviors, i'm wired/tired

i also tend to take on an attitude that taking in as much potentially traumatizing info as possible is my duty as a person who wants to end injustice. i find myself seeking it out. BUT WHAT IF i took the perspective that i need a more sustainable fuel than cortisol?

prioritizing rest and breaks and activities that nourish my nervous system can feel like turning my back on the work that needs to be done. but that expectation of constant output is something our culture of rugged individualism does to us. instead:

i try to remind myself that no one person is responsible or even able to address/undo/dismantle the system that is rooted in white supremacy. it's collective work and as such i need to prioritize relationships. doing that requires me to become familiar with my survival strategies

also, the stress hormones i might be feeling may make everything feel as urgent as possible, but i need to take a longer view of this work. my thriving on stress hormones could be dysregulating everyone around me, as this activated state can be contagious through co-regulation

so, again, grounding tips, that was the point of this, right. grounding and resting WITH THE GOAL of replenishing to continue this work, not to turn away from it entirely.

box breathing if breathing exercises are accessible to you https://www.healthline.com/health/box-breathing

i also find humming a very low note on the out breathe really calming. also: take a bathroom break and run some cold water on your wrists. surprises me with how helpful that can be every time. it might seem so insignificant compared to your fight/flight but it can help.

tunnel vision is real. if you are out at a protest rally etc and things are getting tense, try to see if you can intentionally look at something far away to expand your perspective

even bringing your attention to the feeling of your feet on the ground and remembering for a moment that you are in the present, on a planet, can be grounding while in an activated state.

co-regulation is tough because for some people, the safe/social state is more easily reached just by reaching out and checking in with comrades. for some of us, tho, through previous relational trauma, checking in can feel unsafe.

that;s part of why i find self-regulation AND co-regulation as equally important things to learn about and practice, even knowing that ultimately, relying only on myself reinforces the individualism that part and parcel of so many of these problems

i'll try to post more as i think of them or link old, better structured/thought out threads about this. also please feel free to post your own suggestions/experiences with the topic.

oh also, went back and forth in this thread talking about in person (like at a rally, protest, uprising) and online (like, just being online and researching / witnessing white supremacy in action) but in each case i would say: being able to take breaks is so important

there is a "heroic activist" culture that has internalized the dominant narrative of constant output and pushing beyond limits to achieve goals. but we can not operate with wisdom and nuance and rest from that space. online or offline.