THE WEEKLY PAGE 📝 No. 232

Breathing for anxiety relief + what to read, watch, listen to and enjoy...

This is not the message I hoped to be writing today — but here we are.

The election didn’t turn out the way so many of us in this community hoped it would. I know your heart has likely been as heavy as mine the past few days. Many of us are scared about how this will directly impact us and people we love. Many of us are exhausted after sacrificing our time, energy, mental health, and safety to elevate a campaign we believed in. Our feelings are more than valid.

I’m still at a loss for words, so you’ll have to forgive me for not having something eloquent to say today. But true to my nature — I do have tools to share. So here we go.

Many of you found the box breathing exercise I shared in my election week post really helpful. I wanted to share this video that I found via Rachel Cargle. Press play and let it lead you through box breathing:

While doing this, you want your belly to be moving — it should expand outward on the inhale and contract inward on the exhale. If your chest is visibly moving, its a sign that you are taking shallow breaths, which can increase anxiety.

I know it’ll take more than breathing exercises for us to get to the other side of this — but we can’t take care of each other if we don’t take care of ourselves…so let’s start there.

---

📚 READ: There are obviously so many books you can read right now to steady yourself after the election and prepare for what might come. Everyone has their list of recommendations, and here’s my shortlist:

The Nordic Theory of Everything - I’ve recommended this book dozens of times over the years, and I still think it’s one of the most important books Americans can read. I don’t think the Nordic countries are perfect, but understanding more about the Nordic model of building community and social safety nets can teach you so much about where people are falling through the cracks in the US.

Books by Sarah Kendzior - Sarah was warning that Trump would be reinstalled for years before this election. Her books mentally prepared me for this moment and help me feel clear-eyed about what’s coming. I’d pick up copies of Hiding in Plain Sight and They Knew and read them as soon as you can.

The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the 21st Century by Grace Lee Boggs - “A legendary, Detroit-based figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisis--political, economical, and environmental--and shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. Her book is a manifesto for creating alternative modes of work, politics, and human interaction that will collectively constitute the next American Revolution--which is unraveling before our eyes.”

📺 WATCH: I watched this film on our flight back to the US in August and thought it was really moving and well done. It tells the story of Nicholas Winton, a british man who helped 669 Jewish children escape the Nazis. His efforts went unrecognized for 50 years until, in 1988, while sitting as a member of a TV audience, he suddenly found himself surrounded by the kids he had rescued, who were now adults. Watch the trailer here:

🎧 LISTEN: This is another resource I’ve shared in the past that people have found really helpful, so I’m amplifying it once again! This is simply a sound at a specific frequency that can help decrease anxiety and make you feel focused. I always say it feels like a deep cleaning for your brain:

🧡 ENJOY: Honestly the only thing I want this weekend is a giant pan of saucy carbs (+ a couch + a good show to watch) and I think this One Pot Spicy Rigatoni looks simple but delicious. Get the recipe here.