Self-Care Guide for Nasty Women
Are you feeling exhausted in the aftermath of the recent election nightmare? Got the mean reds? Wondering how to cope now that life has pulled a Trump card? [Yikes.] We hear you. The girls at Boshemia got together this week to come up with our self-care guide to surviving the next four years of political dread.
From L:
Schedule in time for things which make you happy and use this time to take a break from the internet. Get out of the house, walk to the shops and treat yo self to chocolate or cake or good coffee, go to the cinema, have close friends over for a good ol' wine-drenched soiree.
At times such as these the internet can become a venomous pit of hate and terribleness. If you're constantly absorbing that hate and constantly being forced to see his big orange grinning face that is bound to make you feel like shit. And in that vein:
DO NOT read the comments. I repeat, DO NOT read the comments. This is prime troll and snake territory. You're bound to see phrases such as "get over it" and "fair election" and "crooked Hillary" thrown casually around. Not good. Stay out. Don't pollute your head.
Channel your anger and energy into things which will make a difference. Feeling fired up and restless? Good! Go and volunteer or donate or be an advocate for marginalised groups, amplify and organise and show your support through your actions, not merely through safety pins and thin limp Facebook statuses. Keep the conversation going, stay alert and be a -real- ally.
From Q:
Take a nap! None of this power napping nonsense where you down a coffee beforehand. I'm talking full on tucked in bed sleepy time nap. Who cares if you end up going through a full REM cycle? When you're asleep, you can take your mind off the current state of affairs and pretend that you're in a wonderful world of President Clinton where there's no Brexit and no war and everything is wonderful. Sleep is the best you guys. If you're lucky, you might not even wake up! (no no no I take that back, don't do anything brash!) Honestly though, this whole thing has been emotionally exhausting, so make sure you're well rested and ready for a day of fighting the good fight.
Go Shopping! Hey gurl, treat yo self! Yass kween, you deserve it. No for real, though, in the distant future in the barren apocalyptic wasteland, new shoes won't matter so embrace your materialistic side while you can. I mean, while the economy actually exists. Try to forget how terrible people are by reminding yourself how great shoes are. I bought some this weekend and I feel brilliant. No. Really. Everything is fine. I'm not depressed about the state of the world at all. Shoes. (NB, you can buy things other than shoes. )
Angrily tweetCNN, SNL, People Magazine and pretty much every outlet that's helped with the normalisation of Trump. I mean, it won't help but you know, sometimes it's nice to cap off your rage in 140 characters. Frankly, what else is twitter for. Maybe Trump will even do a "Celebrities read mean tweets" on Jimmy Kimmel. Haha, it's normal, we are having fun.
From E:
Consume more print mediums [literature! graphic novels! zines! cookbooks!] than digital media. As a total news junkie and someone who works in media, I know there's a difference between being on the beat and inundating yourself with dread. Read the news responsibly and without total abandon. Consider regulating when you let yourself check your NYT or Guardian app or turn off your news updates altogether during your workday. For me, I try not to read the news or interact with social media whatsoever after 9pm, partially so I can unwind, and mostly so I don't have nightmares of the orange-dusted American dystopia.
Binge listen to podcasts. This helps you tune out while still engaging meaningfully in what you care about. Gives your tired eyes a rest, too. The Racist Sandwich, Call Your Girlfriend, The Splendid Table, How I Built This, and Backtalk are my standards.
Create daily rituals for yourself. Maybe you've been neglecting your skincare or your flat is a nightmare of takeaway boxes and your floor-drobe. Moisturize! Organize! Finding a gentle rhythm of this kind of self-care and tidying can be seriously comforting.
Take care of your darling friends, too. Make them a big meal, give them wine, play your granddaddy's records, make art together, and commiserate.
It's going to be a long four years, nasties, but we've got our wits and gals about us. Rest up, fight on, and have a drink.
-EQL