hi friends,
is the world stumbling its first steps into a global revolution? one might say so. my country and my continent have been seeing some of the biggest grassroots movements of the last decades, and maybe you’ve been seeing this in your home country too.
i took part at last week’s protests against tyranny and violations of human rights; and it inspired me to make a short guide on nervous system regulation and energy protection during times of global unrest.
how do we walk through these times without falling into terror, despair, dissociation or numbness? how do we keep a regulated nervous system and a sense of inner calm when living through such a chaotic timeline?
rage and sadness are quite human emotions to experience when we witness (directly or indirectly) high levels of injustice. i consider rage and sadness to be sacred, and they can be channeled into direct action, such as awareness campaigns, community work and volunteering, donations, partaking in protests or boycott.
before sharing the strategies i use to regulate my nervous system during these times, let us not forget that the systems that we live in are built on capitalism, racism, sexism, ableism, colonialism, exploitation of the poor, war and discrimination of all minorities.
most of us (the global majority) must survive in systems that were built to oppress us. that alone is enough to have our nervous system on constant alert and permanent dysregulation. but on top of that, many of us will also have experienced the oppression on our own skin, being victims of direct physical, emotional, psychological, institutional, economical and financial aggressions and oppressions.
this is why our spiritual quests must go hand in hand with social justice and a commitment to creating a safer and juster world for everyone.
every aggression that we directly or indirectly witness wounds our nervous system’s regulatory capacity. it thins our window of tolerance. the more trauma we experience, the less capacities does our body have to deal with whatever things life throws our way. so, be gentle with yourself.
if you find yourself in overwhelming distress, i suggest you reach out to a therapist to receive tailored support and care. this guide is not meant to treat PTSD and other severe symptoms arising from trauma and nervous system dysregulation.
this article is meant to offer some strategies for the mildly regulated or mildly dysregulated folks to get through and stand their ground during these times of intense change.
i have been personally taking it to the streets: marching with my fellows, reclaiming our power, our freedom and that our political elites respect human rights and international law. i am a pretty sensitive person with a somehow divergent sensory system, and being in crowded spaces can be quite triggering for me. however, over the years, i have found many ways of dealing with distressing situations and keep my nervous system fairly regulated.
here below i share my strategies so that i could feel fairly regulated and empowered through days-long protests, where the air is intense, adrenaline-filled, full of every emotional range and even potentially dangerous:
- stimming.
stimming means self-stimulatory behaviour that helps regulate our nervous systems. stimming is a word usually used in the neurodivergency field (especially for ASD), but everybody stims, just at different grades and needs.
stimming refers to rhythmical, repetitive body movement or sounds. some common ones are tapping feet, hands or fingers; fidgeting; rocking back and forth. rocking from side to side is proven to have a very soothing effect on the nervous system. in my case i find it soothing to have something in my hands to play with, or i have some roll-on relaxing oils that i like to smell when i start to feel out of place. walking also regulates a lot of people, and it can be considered a form of stimming because of it rhythmical, repetitive pattern.
- protective stones and amulets.
gemstones naturally have healing and protective effects, while amulets are objects that someone charges with healing and protective spells. the nice things about amulets is that you can make your own, while the nice thing about gemstones is that you just need to wear it and/or be around it. if you buy the gems from a store, make sure that the stones have been sourced ethically. most importantly make sure you don’t buy anything from mega stores famous for their worker exploitation and pollution such as amazon, temu or shein.
during these week’s protests, i’ve been marching wearing amethyst for spiritual protection and obsidian to keep negative energies away. when i felt a bit overwhelmed, i noticed that i was spontaneously touching the gemstone in my necklace, which was both a stimming movement and a way to connect with the protective powers of the stone. i’ve got my gemstones from Otterspirit, a woman-led company who also donates to otter environment protection for each purchase. we’ve collaborated and you can now shop on their website with 20% discount using my code: WAVES20.
- moments of silence.
whether you are marching on the streets or at home, make sure that you get some moments of (inner) silence. i meditate in the morning and i often walk silently when in protests, simply observing and taking in all the information. put the phone aside, let the messages linger around unanswered for a while. i find most effective to set timers, especially for checking things such as social media, news outlets and emails. learn to sit in silence doing nothing and hold space for boredom. in these times of modern technologies and hyperconnectivity we process way too much cognitive information and our brain needs some rest. sitting in silence with your eyes closed with no mental focus whatsoever can result highly restorative. - rest.
goes without saying, but we cannot show up for anything when our energies are depleted. something i learned from days-long protests is that one cannot always be there. one needs to go home, take a shower, lay down and forget the world for a moment. we are not machines and we cannot be reclaiming our human power without reclaiming our right to rest. what i also learned is that this wave of social revolution is bigger than me, and that it will keep moving with or without me. that gives me the privilege to lay low for a while until i am ready again to show up. it has been extremely moving to see how a sea of people showed up to protest: i clearly felt that i was a drop in the ocean, and while the ocean is made of droplets and each one is so important, i am also not indispensable. the ocean will still be.
- talk about it, express.
we need to get out all of the intense things that we are feeling about the global unrest. maybe it’s through an intimate conversation with our dearest, a talk with a stranger or a social media post. maybe it’s a song about it or an expressive dance. maybe a painting. humans are a naturally expressive species – our body is basically an instrument of expression. and we need to express what’s inside of us and what is affecting us in order for us to feel emotionally balanced. there is something deeply healing about letting someone else witness our thoughts and emotions. especially in times of collective hurt, sharing our voice can help us feel at peace with ourselves, knowing that we’ve expressed what think and what we stand for.
- coregulation.
friendship and community are great sources of coregulation. this can look like a hug, a conversation, holding hands or just sharing a space.
- any actions that help restore a sense of power.
whatever small act we can do to resist the system of oppression that has been ruling on our planet will help us foster a sense of empowerment, which naturally strengthen our window of tolerance. some examples: awareness campaigns, community work and volunteering, donations, partaking in protests or boycott.
- refuse to accept a world order that is based on power, money and domination.
defend your ideals and trust that things will end up turning out for the better (no matter how long it will take). keep your hopes alive – even if you’re alone, as long as you are not giving up on your faith in humankind, that scenario will still be possible.
- lean into softness.
lean into love. it’s easy to get carried away by despair and resentment, but we can’t fall into that trap. strong emotions can be catalysers of awakening and change, and for that, i don’t believe that we should repress them. it all depends on the inner attitude that we have in front of those emotions: are we feeding despair with more despair, or are we giving it love? there are intense emotions arising in our individual and collective field, and we can hold space for all them from an inner space of softness, acceptance and surrender to a higher power. those moments of silence and meditation can show us how to do this.
it often means to just take a big breath and accept things as they are, knowing that we are doing what we can to create a world worth living in. in face of injustice and collective suffering, we can choose to choose love and lean into the softer parts of ourselves. it is a vulnerable choice, but a choice that i hope we are willing to make everyday.
thank you for reading. i would love to read about your personal experience during these times of change, (in the comment section and in a private email): how are you keeping a regulated nervous system while staying grounded? what is helping you and what not? i am also taking the chance to remind you that i have openings for 1:1 sessions (gestalt therapy, decolonial anthropology and yoga talks with me) and that i am available for online correspondence.
take care and i hope you get to channel your fire into action and keep it alive through the flame of love.
in softness,
sara
purifying waves of love 