Like so many Americans right now, Wise Women (WW) are feeling anxious about the election tomorrow. We decided to face this anxiety head-on in our women’s groups. Often anxiety is an amorphous feeling coursing through us creating tension in the body and a racing heart and mind. We needed some structure to give our feelings a form so we could get it out of our bodies and onto the page where we could process our experience. You are invited to try this experiential to help you process your election anxiety as well.

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EXAI (Expressive Arts Invitation):

Make a 3-5 second movement and sound that represents how you feel about the upcoming election.
Using color, marks, and lines, visually represent your movement and sound. (We used tempera paint sticks, but use anything you have lying around.)
Write a haiku of your experience. (Think back to 5th grade when you clapped out syllables for 5-7-5.)
Reflect on what you created. Feel free to share any part of your experience here or in our A Space for Wise Women Community Space.

Take Care:

Your final step is to identify one thing you can do to care for yourself as you feel anxiety about the election.

Check out the Wise Women’s Wisdom to give you some ideas.

Wise Women’s Wisdom on Election Anxiety Self-Care:

VOTE!
Knock on doors
Plan for a difficult day/week and consider giving yourself some breaks from obligations
Set loving limits on media
Other WW plan to run head first into obsessively watching political news
Set boundaries on people stuck in an apocalyptic vision
If stuck in fear, envision a hopeful scenario
Curate your social media algorithm to cat videos or to something hopeful
Soothe yourself with listening to or making music
Move your body with a high intensity workout, walk, or yoga
Distract yourself (watch a funny TV show, clean, read, movie marathon, “anti-watch party” with other Wise Women needing distraction)
Indulge and comfort yourself
Use your hands to create (art, craft, knit, bake, color in your Empowerment Practices Book)
Use mindful, grounding skills to be present in the moment
Remind yourself that you are safe in this moment

Every WW copes differently. However you need to get through this moment, give yourself permission to do so.

Take exceptional care of yourselves, Wise Women!