–Arola Oluwehinmi
The Emotional Aftermath of the Election
To describe the political condition of the nation on November 6th as “emotional” would be a gross understatement. Following the results of the 2024 presidential election, the energy shift that ensued was felt on a spiritual level. Some individuals were more than satisfied with the outcome—and took to social media to show it—while others, myself included, were understandably solemn and visibly distraught. On that Wednesday morning, the despair that permeated parts of the nation was spurred by a rejection of the incoming administration and a genuine fear of the unknown.
And rightfully so. Where does one even begin to recount what’s at stake in this upcoming presidential term? We are entering an era that poses a serious threat to our civil liberties. Entire generations are at risk of being uprooted from their homes. Governmental institutions are undergoing radical changes—and not for the better. Our new president is slowly building an army of yes-men to eliminate anyone who threatens or objects to his agenda. As the first quarter of Trump’s second term draws to a close, citizens are feeling less and less safe in their own country.
In the wake of these monumental developments, I witnessed a range of emotions, ideas, and solutions in response to our uncertain future.
While healing is at the forefront of some people’s minds, action and change are the focus for others. The way I see it, both approaches contribute to a larger process: first healing, then movement.
Let’s start with step one. In certain spaces, a concept that was getting a lot of attention was the notion of ritual. Whether you’re protesting, community organizing, or just connecting with a friend, the effects of this kind of engagement will be felt sooner or later.
And that’s completely normal. Activist Ayesha Khan (@wokescientist on Substack) implores her readers to remember:
“This work will test all of us. So create containers to process the difficult, heavy, jarring emotions that will inevitably rise to the surface like grief, sadness, fear, disappointment, rage, envy—all of it. It is a kindness to ensure we have spaces to intentionally fall apart so that we can pull each other back up and gear up for the next fight.”
Khan also emphasizes the level of intentionality that must be present in this practice:
“There has to be some collective agreement that you will do X at Y frequency. It’ll preserve the long-term health of your collective.”
Now more than ever, this idea of health preservation while exercising civic agency is incredibly important. While this kind of mindfulness may seem intuitive, it’s easy to get swept up in the urgency and excitement of advocacy. It is imperative that we take the time to reflect and reconnect with ourselves. This work is draining, and we cannot bring about the change we want to see if we are physically and emotionally depleted.
Establishing Rituals for Restoration
Amid all this confusion, take the time to establish a ritual that works for you. It could be organized fellowship, some form of exercise, or even scheduled moments of solitude. What’s important is that you find time to rest and be restored.
Similarly, you could also practice self-care. This is perhaps a more familiar and established aspect of ritual, as social media has solidified the phrase as a household term. However, self-care is more than just manicures, takeout, and Drunk Elephant. While there’s nothing wrong with rituals that center yourself, we must begin to consider rituals that center others.
Conrad Cheung, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Virginia, is exploring the idea of “collective self-care.” He asks:
“What might happen if you carve out some time to do things that ultimately are going to make you feel great and feel connected? For example, volunteering at a local kitchen, or sitting around with a local community group and talking about your shared experiences, so that you are at least benefiting other people too while you are taking care of yourself.”
In the midst of our current political climate, we need to start adopting more radical forms of self-care that also contribute to someone else’s well-being. The only way we’re going to get through this is by strengthening our communities. By pouring into others, we can produce unimaginable outcomes.
“Do the things that make you feel good,” Cheung says, “but then also understand that part of self-care is doing the things that involve a little bit of labor and a little bit of concentration [in order] to reveal to you things about yourself that you didn’t realize, and ideally things about the world that you didn’t realize. What if you understood that, too, as self-care?”
Once you have established productive healing practices, the next phase of post-election response is action.
There has been a plethora of hypotheses as to what went wrong during this past election, but a lack of effective and routine mobilization has been a common theme, especially amongst the Democratic Party. As a result, there has been a push to reevaluate our priorities and give civic agency the attention that it deserves.
When it comes to the role of civic agency and mobilization in creative spaces, Cheung sees a larger pedagogical issue:
“Art academia should be responsive to the needs of what is going on in the world. And sure, it’s a practical question on the surface, but it’s more than that. It’s a question of how you want to shape the civic agency of future generations. If you got a bunch of people who are really f*cking good at making films go out into the world and don’t know what to do with that, if all they do is make really beautiful films while the world is crumbling around them, well maybe there won’t be any forums for them to show those films in.”
This perspective is not solely limited to artistic education. Across the board, we need to start viewing our vocations as vehicles for political action. As the Trump administration continues to tighten its grip on our freedoms, we no longer have the luxury of keeping our worlds separate. There needs to be an end to this divide between regular activities and political activities or regular conversation and political conversation. We must begin to integrate our advocacy into every facet of our lives: our education, our occupations, and even our relationships.
Preparing for the Fight Ahead
So take a deep breath, reflect on everything that has happened in our country over the past couple of months, and heal as best as you can. So that when the time comes to fight, you are ready to fight with every part of your being.
Related Articles
