In his recent message, The Election is Over: What Now?, Rev. George shared this “Big List” of 15 ways to care for yourselves spiritually that was crafted by Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon.

1. Take lots of media breaks. Turn off the TV. Log off the apps.

2. Drink lots of water and breathe deep into your belly. Eat food that nourishes you.

3. Move your body: dance, go for a walk, wave your arms in the air, or just gently roll your head from side to side.

4. Do something that feels luxurious. Enjoy a special tea or treat. Take a hot bath. Sit in candlelight.

5. Do something kind for someone else. Get out of your own head. Remember that we live in a world, and we are still connected.

6. Call somebody that gets you. Sit on the phone a while, talking or not talking. Don’t be alone. 

7. Cuddle with a pet, a loved one, or a very soft blanket. (Or ask to borrow Henrietta, the emotional support chicken, pictured above.)

8. Create something – bake cookies, sew, crochet, woodwork, write a poem, draw or doodle, make a collage, sing or play music. Let go of the idea that it has to be any good.

9. Find a way to laugh. Watch funny cat videos. Listen to a comedy special. Put on your favorite funny movie.

10. Make a happy plan for the future, without worrying about its execution. Look into your dream vacation. Plan a surprise outing with a loved one. Plan a beautiful meal that you’d enjoy cooking or eating.

11. Meditate or pray. Call on your ancestors, dream for your descendants, deepen into your connection with the earth, give thanks, share lament.

12. Listen to music that soothes your soul.

13. Journal about it. Get all that internal mess out onto the page.

14. Scream into a pillow. Shake out your limbs.

15. Go outside. Notice the beauty all around you. Stare at the leaves. We are alive, together, on a miracle of a planet. Don’t forget.

---