Election Self-Care

emotions may be running high regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum.  Taking care of our wellbeing allows us to remain engaged and calm in the face of this election and beyond.

Try this:

1. Consider what would be helpful - it might be stepping away from your news feed, surrounding yourself with people you feel safe with, or engaging in something you truly enjoy to bring balance to any uncertainty you might be experiencing.

2. Feel what you feel - it's ok to be angry, to cry, to get worked up from a politically charged experience. Give yourself time to nurture this part of yourself - take a deep breath, go for a walk, journal - then consider how (and if) you would like to respond.

3. Headspace Politics without Panic - From Headspace, a toolkit, curated by meditation teachers and trained mental health coaches, to help you put your mental health first this election season.

At the end of the day, we are all humans sharing this one world together. May we all be free of hatred.  May we all be safe.  May we all live with ease and peace.

The SWC has mindfulness meditations,  yoga offerings, wellness-check-ins, and a variety of other virtual wellbeing supports that are always available as additional tools in your self-care toolbox, but we are also offering some special features of Loving Kindness Meditations (LKM), which uses phrases such as "May all beings be free of suffering, be safe, and live with peace" to help transform election day anxiety to one of grace, connection, and peaceful determination.

Loving Kindness for Peace & Grace (10 min) audio recording 

Also check out our regularly scheduled Mindfulness Drop In Session for a moment of pre-election day calm.

• Monday, November 4 at 4:30-5:00pm

ON ELECTION DAY, take a break with our Yoga for EVERYbody

4:30-5:30pm on Tuesday, November 5th. RSVP here.

On Wednesday, November 6th, come for a respite with Poppy the Therapy Dog from 5-6p in the SWC Living Room Space.

All our weekly programming is available that week. 

Monday, Nov 11th, Rosie the Therapy Dog will visit from 4:45-5:30pm in the SWC.

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Bonus Meditations:
 

Meet Difficult Emotions with RAIN 

RAIN – Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture – supports and builds our capacity to work compassionately with difficult emotions.
RAIN Meditation (15 min)
Light RAIN Meditation (5 min)

Connect to Common Humanity
A meditation to cultivate compassion and grace for ourselves and others.
Just Like Me (10 min)

Election Speaker series: Dartmouth will host a 2024 Election Speaker Series leading up to the Nov. 5 election and beyond, bringing in policy leaders, public officials, and analysts from across the political spectrum to discuss the most pressing issues facing American democracy today. The series is part of a one-time-only special Fall 2024 term Government and Public Policy course, "The 2024 Election," taught by Professor Russell Muirhead, Professor Herschel Nachlis, and Professor William Wohlforth. Hosted by Dartmouth Dialogues and Rockefeller Center.

Dartmouth Votes: The Dartmouth Votes Coalition seeks to educate students, assist them in registering to vote if desired, and encourage civic engagement.