I used to find it so insensitive when people would tweet or post about random things while something serious was going on. It made me think they didn’t care, didn’t care enough or were perhaps embarrassingly uninformed about what was happening around them. 

But then, Friday happened.

1.)  Trump signed an executive order targeting Muslims and refugees, in our country made up of immigrants and on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

2.)  St. Louis Manifest (@Stl_Manifest), a Twitter account in honor of remembering The Holocaust, unapologetically featured Holocaust victims who were rejected by America during the late 1930s. 

3.)  Renowned youth activist Malala Yousafzai rebuked Trump’s actions in a statement.

4.)  The White woman at the center of Emmett Till’s murder admitted decades late that she lied on the young brutality victim. We all knew he was innocent, but the news was still infuriating. 

5.)  People on my social media timelines were still rightfully freaking out about repeals to the Affordable Care Act.

6.)  And then, academics and activists on my timeline were turning up about the implications, historical parallels and the breakdowns of what all this means while providing suggestions of representatives to call, what events to show up for and where to volunteer.

That was a lot to take in for one day, and that’s not even considering the other absurdities of his first few days in the office or what he showed us along the campaign trail. 

Recently, for the first time in a while, my mind, body, and spirit felt scared, overwhelmed by it all. I could feel how freaked out I was. So I powered down all my social media, kept my phone out of arm’s length and went to bed. The next morning, I retweeted an article from Hello Brittnee about how to make your LinkedIn profile pop. I prepared to stay informed while drafting articles about lessons in love and life. Those were my recent acts of self-preservation, and I think we can all stand to be reminded of the power of self-care right now.

We are living through some crazy unacceptable conditions that aren’t totally surprising (because, history) but nonetheless concerning. 

To be clear, I’m not saying that we should ignore the issues and be passive as acts of self-care; that won’t get us free. What I am saying is that the small moment's matter. Sharpening the saw matters. Caring for yourself in the midst of chaos matters. 

I’m aware that I’m sitting in a place of privilege to have a mindset that’s somewhat clear enough to even consider self-care right now. When it’s your life or perhaps your family’s on the line, it’s not easy to just “take a moment.”

By no means will taking time be easy, but, I’m reminding myself that valid reasons to be fearful and infuriated do not negate the necessity of self-care. 

It is not time to stop fighting because things are hard; but while we’re fighting through advocating, educating, further educating ourselves, contacting representatives, attending town hall meetings, conducting teach-ins, planning marches and engaging in other forms of resistance, let’s not forget this ever-relevant Audre Lorde quote that a lot of us need right now: 

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

We must be intentional about creating time for what strengthens us, which can take on many forms. For me, self-care looks like sleep, loud music with headphones and getting in touch with nature. It’s waking up to a reflective moment of calm before checking social media. It’s laughter and smiling. What’s that? Chance the Rapper and Ziggy Marley covered the Arthur theme song? Say no more. It’s watching a TV show or listening to a speech that may or may not touch on politics but makes me believe, makes me think, provides a temporary escape.

To you, self-care might be something different, but find your method and use it, while remembering this:

It's also important to remember this: 

Peace and preservation to all marginalized people during these harrowing times.

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Audre-LordeExecutive Orderspresident trumpSelf CareTrump era