remember to breathe
Be informed, but don't let it paralyze you. Remember to breathe, move, and pray.
As the ICE raids and protests in Minneapolis ramped up—resulting not only in anguish among the targeted but fatal attacks on the protestors —I found my own anxiety growing rapidly without quite knowing what to do with it.
My first thought was that I felt the need to be as informed as possible in a moment of crisis. My wife had occasionally forwarded me Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter, so I decided to subscribe and started reading every day…or at least, most days. Then, to make sure I wasn’t getting stuck in an echo chamber, I paid for a subscription for The Dispatch, a more center-right news outlet (though one well-attuned to the perils of the moment.) This, layered in with some features and podcasts that gave a bit more of a longform perspective on what’s happening.
Being intentional about my news diet was indeed a good choice a good choice. But even reliable news, when it comes in a relentless flow, can be emotionally overwhelming.
At first I also took in more social media, thinking I needed to see more first-hand evidence of what was happening. Friends, this was not such a good choice. The reality of algorithms is that they compound what we’re seeing, feeding us more and more of the same. Social media is good for outrage, but not so good at perspective and context. And the truth is, most of us only need to see a tragic video once or twice. Steady replay is bad for the heart and hurts the soul.
We don’t know how long the crisis in Minnesota will continue, or what areas of the country could be affected next. That’s why it’s important to stay informed and stay connected, but also to remain bound to the source of life that transcends our anguish.
In this moment, or in any other moment of crisis, remember to take time to pray. If you can take a walk, do so (though here in Cleveland we’re largely stuck indoors with the coldest winter in a century). If you can’t do that, move in whatever way you can.
Be aware of yourself: how you’re taking in information, and what it’s doing to your body as it flows through you. Then close your eyes, center yourself, and breathe.
In hard times, we must remember to care for ourselves—not only so that we can endure, but so we can be ready to offer healing and recovery to others when the time comes.