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Rev. Michelle's Message January 23, 2025

Over the past week, I have come across many different lists with names such as “10 Ways to Survive the new Presidency” or “10 Tips to Stay Grounded During the New Administration.” Regardless of your political leanings, there is no doubt that the first week of this new administration has been contentious and divisive. It begins to take an emotional toll on us all.

 

Psychologists say it is completely normal for us to feel unsettled when half of the country appears to be living in a different reality from yours. As with so many other spiritual challenges, acceptance may be the key. Acknowledging our own feelings and emotions and staying in the reality of what is happening can actually help us feel a bit better. Remember, acceptance does not mean acquiescence, and it doesn’t mean that we don’t work to create positive change. Acceptance is a kind of surrender in which we give up resisting reality, fighting with ourselves internally, or ruminating endlessly on negative thoughts.

 

I decided to write my own list of “Rev. Michelle’s 10 Suggestions for Staying (At Least Somewhat) Spiritually Sane During the New Presidency.” May it be of some small help to you as you navigate the coming days, weeks, and months.

 

1. Keep your spiritual practice strong. Commit or re-commit yourself to daily prayer and meditation. Try out a new meditation app and check out different kinds of meditation and methods of contemplation. If you’re feeling too distraught, don’t just try to sit in complete silence. Allow yourself to be comforted by a guided meditation with soothing music led by a wonderful teacher like Tara Brach, Sharon Salzberg, Dan Harris, Jack Kornfield, or Panache Desai (check out InsightTimer for a free app with tons of meditations and teachers to choose from).

 

2. Limit your exposure to mainstream news and social media. Find less sensational sources of real news in order to stay informed, but stop the doom-scrolling so that you don’t spiral into depression or despair.

 

3. Take time to mourn the sense of loss, the disappointment, the disillusionment. We need to allow ourselves to grieve the sense of division and antagonism among our fellow Americans. It hurts. Try not to numb out.

 

4. Engage in healthy distractions. Listening to an audiobook, watching a feel-good movie, or reading an engrossing book can help stop your mind from ruminating on the what-might-happens and provide a much-needed respite for your psyche.

 

5. Do small acts of kindness. In this way, you can feel that you are being proactive in doing your part to combat the negativity, to restore your own faith in humanity, and to make yourself feel better. In the words of Mother Theresa, “Do small things with great love.”

 

6. Find meaningful ways to make a difference on a bigger scale. Participate in organizations like COPA that work on social justice issues at a local level, where you can really feel like you are making a difference. Give money to organizations that are fighting for justice and human rights such as the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Southern Poverty Law Center, or International Organization for Migration.

 

7. Get out in nature. The trees and birds and squirrels and deer and whales and sea lions don’t care about what’s happening in U.S. politics. Let them give you some much-needed perspective. Go walk in the redwoods, give ‘em a big hug, and let them heal you.

 

8. Get plenty of rest. Constant turmoil, drama, anger, and divisiveness are exhausting. Make sure you are making rest, nutrition, and self-care a priority.

 

9. Prioritize more than ever quality time with friends, loved ones, and family, including your church family! When times get tough, it is our love for one another that will see us through. Keep your dear ones close, hold them more tightly, love them more fiercely. Tell your friends you love them. Make it weird. This is not the time to hold back our love. Let love flow from you in a constant stream of goodness and light and shine it on everyone you know.

 

10. Let go and let God. Trust in God’s divine plan for getting ever more goodness and love and light into expression in the world. Sometimes things have to get really bad before they can get good again. It is always darkest before the dawn. Don’t ever lose your faith in God’s infinite goodness and mercy and love. Keep affirming the inherent goodness of God, of the universe, and of humanity. Even when you can’t see it, believe in it. Stake your life on it. And when you feel you just can’t believe in that goodness anymore, find someone who can help you restore your faith. The good is now, the rest is blessed, and the best is yet to come in our lifetime!

 

This Sunday we will be looking at Unity’s Second Principle and the inherent goodness of humanity. My hope is that this lesson will also give you some comfort and some things to think about as we move through these challenging times together.

 

Blessings of Goodness and Love and Faith,

Rev. Michelle




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