After the US election

Authoritarian leaders thrive on making the individual feel helpless, hopeless and fearful.

This page has been set up in the aftermath of the US election result of November 2024, to pull together resources that may help your brain, your body, your spirit and your heart move through this turbulence and reconnect to power - no matter where you live in the world.

I wanted to email my list with a collection of useful resources - but emails with a lot of links can fall foul of spam filters. So here we are.

Don’t expect snazzy design or beautifully crafted copy! I’m doing this as a down and dirty thing.

I’ll be adding to it as new ideas and resources come to my attention, so you might like to bookmark it and come back any time you want to.

Feel free to share it with anyone in your network who needs it.

And if you have a resource you think belongs here, drop me a note via the contact form at the end of this page and let me know. Thanks!

Immediate help for your body and brain:

  • a simple somatic practice from my friend Tanya Dee, for times when your body is responding to fear of something far greater than you

  • work on reducing your chronic stress - you'll find a free resource for this on my pcloud account by clicking here

  • recognise that this result IS a traumatic event for many of us: borrow some powerful techniques from the world of trauma healing - resourcing, titration and pendulation can all be adapted for when your system is feeling rocked by big emotions in the now

  • do not make big decisions in the midst of this turmoil - while your emotions have not yet been fully felt, your brain isn’t going to make reliably solid decisions

  • check in with your body from time to time and ask her what she needs -

  • you are not in danger RIGHT NOW, though you do have big emotions wanting to move through - use sensory pleasure as a way to soothe your nervous system:

  • use deliberate, defiant joy as support for your brain and body. Deliberate joy means taking three clear and purposeful steps: plan something that feels like a treat (a bath, a meal, a nap, reading in bed, a fresh coffee), do the thing, then bask in the delight of having done the thing and how good it felt. Your body will quickly recover its equilibrium when its own delight is treated as something precious and delightful. Do this more than you think you’ll need to

Life in a post-election world:

  • my friend and colleague Lisa Marie Hayes created this collection of very smart strategies for anyone who needs to lay low, especially in terms of their digital presence

  • access to abortion is likely to change once the anti-choice agenda begins rolling out. Plan B has a stable 4-year shelf life (handy!) and for now, women of any age in the USA can buy Plan B, One-Step, and Next Choice at a pharmacy without a prescription or visit to a health care provider; in addition, access.org will mail discreetly and work with you on prices. Do with this information what you will. And of course - you know - don’t be an asshole and hoard giant quantities; get what you might reasonably need and leave plenty for those who need it now.

  • do the things listed in this publicly accessible BlueSky post by Sarah Einstein: Tante Sarah’s List Of Things You Should Do Before January 20th

  • and maybe consider switching to BlueSky for a more friendly social media experience

  • if you’re using a cycle tracking app, consider switching to Clue. It’s based out of Berlin (controlled by EU), so the US will not be able to subpoena them for your data. Clue has promised this to their entire US user base. And if you’re not 100% confident about this, go back to good old pen and paper.

  • for any Black History, Culture, and Politics Educators, if you’re using any PBS documentaries as part of your pedagogy arsenal, you may want to secure physical copies of those resources before January 2025

  • if you’re experiencing any kind of crisis, and you don’t want to risk police being contacted, check out Don’t Call The Police

  • if you’re from a vulnerable community and in need of urgent mental health support, check out the listings on Inclusive Therapists - services are listed with transparency about their reporting practices (eg to police, social services, etc)

  • strictly curate your incoming feed, whether that’s the news on mainstream media, social media or something else - approach with caution, and be swift to block attacks rather than engaging with them - they are not deserving of your precious energy right now

When you’re ready to re-engage and eager for some juicy activism:

  • check out Elizabeth Warren’s inspiring IG reel and be reminded of what has been possible even in the darkest times

  • read the full transcript of Kamala Harris’s concession speech to see strength, courage and grace in defeat

  • proactively protect your nervous system and your energy body, especially before engaging in conversations or going on social media or engaging in activism - I shared my favourite method for doing this, on a podcast episode with the delightful Laura Jane Layton entitled 'Secrets to Shielding Your Energy in Style'

  • activate the core strength of community - if you’re familiar with, or already linked with, activist communities, see what they have planned and decide if it’s still a fit for you; if you haven’t been in an organisation before, it’s one of the best ways to feel grounded and supported, and it’s not hard to find your people - join a virtual, online community fighting for justice, or find a local neighbourhood community where you can receive and offer support around a specific topic

  • tap into some of the vast array of good resources for avoiding burnout and compassion fatigue, both very real occurrences in activism world - almost every coach has something free that you can use or adapt, including me (you might want to ensure you’re getting resources from people who have a little experience in this realm - business resilience is similar to, but not the same as, activism resilience)

  • if you’re brand new to activism, remember there are many of us who did it before - and while the mechanics have changed, the fundamentals of organising disparate humans for a common cause have not. It’s still all about relationships and community

  • depending on where you personally sit in the framework of privilege (eg I’m white, cis-het, able-bodied - all zones of privilege - although I’m a woman, which reduces my privilege slightly) - you and those you love will have a real relationship with actual risk of harm if you live in the USA. Use your caution and your awareness before making rallying cries, because it may be that not everyone in your community is going to be as safe as you are.

Reach out

I’m not here to pitch you anything. But if you want to connect with a suitable partner / ally / collaborator for your journey forward, or if you just need to chat with an emotional support Aussie, drop me a note here.