Deliberate, defiant joy

Here in Australia, the week after the US election, the daily announcements of Trump's plans for the military and foreign policy are terrifying.

As is the praise being lavished on him by our own conservative political parties.

My body's response is to zip straight into despair and terror and helplessness - I already fought some of these battles, and now I have to do it all over again??

The antidote to despair and terror is fierce, deliberate joy in the body - not in order to gaslight or bypass the reality of this situation, but in order to assuage the heart's pain and to help the nervous system prepare for strength rather than helplessness.

Deliberate joy is a three step process.

Step 1 - make a deliberate plan to engage with something that brings your body a spark of joy - a favourite book or movie, a cool tasty beverage, an activity, a beautiful place, a work of art, a sound you love, flowers, nature.

Step 2 - do the thing and feel the joy in your body, in the moment (even if it is only a moment) - a taste, a smell, a touch, a belly laugh, a stretch of the muscles, a relaxation

Step 3 - spend a little time basking - chat with your own brain about how enjoyable the experience was: 'oooh, that was the best coffee / gallery visit / kitchen headbang dance ever!'

Repeat as needed, but at least daily.

You might feel like you're doing this as a distraction from the grim reality of Project 2025.

There's no doubt we are going to need those distraction moments in order to catch our breath as the scale of authoritarianism is revealed in full.

But mostly, you're doing this to get your feet back on solid ground, to refuel your heart for the journey ahead, and to help protect and repair your nervous system.

Defiant joy is one way of tapping into our resilience, and connecting with our hearts, with our capacity for love, and each other.

And we're all going to need all of that.