Navigating Post-Election Distress: Self-Care for Queer Individuals

I’ve had several people reach out to me about the recent election results. The feelings people are experiencing are all over the place—some are fearful, some are angry, and others are grieving. If you’re feeling good about the election, this blog probably isn’t for you. But it might still be worth reading to develop empathy for those who are struggling with what happened.

If you’re feeling any kind of distress right now, it’s important to give yourself time and space to process. The key thing to remember is that your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health comes first. You can’t help others effectively until you’ve taken care of yourself—just like how, during an emergency on an airplane, they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t have anything to give to others. By putting on our own oxygen mask first, we ensure we have the strength and capacity to support those around us. Many people are experiencing the election results as a crisis, both personally and within their communities. The best way to be helpful in times like this is to prioritize your own well-being, so you can then support your broader community.

Emotional Self-Care

Let’s start with your emotional health. The best advice I can give is not to avoid your feelings. Let yourself feel whatever comes up. That’s the first step to taking care of your emotional health. Dividing our experience into different aspects—emotional (feeling), mental (thinking), physical (sensation), and spiritual (intuition)—as Carl Jung described, can help us understand our experiences more clearly.

We are starting with the idea of emotional self-care, but it’s important to remember that all four aspects of self-care—emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual—are interconnected. If we only focus on our feelings, we might get stuck in them. By integrating mental, physical, and spiritual self-care, we create space for our emotions to move through us more effectively. The combination of all four aspects supports our emotional health and allows us to experience our wholeness.

Emotional Intelligence & Healing

We’ve mentioned the iPhone and Android app How We Feel several times at Folx with Faith, and it’s one of the most helpful tools I know. The app lets you set check-in times to monitor your emotions, helping you expand your emotional intelligence by giving language to what you’re feeling. Emotional intelligence is key to working through emotions because it helps us understand, label, and make sense of our feelings. When we can accurately identify our emotions, it becomes easier to determine what we need in order to heal and respond more effectively. Over time, you’ll find yourself becoming more emotionally literate just by regularly checking in and exploring the definitions it provides.

Beyond monitoring emotions, the app offers tools for emotional regulation. Emotional regulation tools are crucial because they help us navigate difficult emotions in a healthy way without becoming overwhelmed or avoiding them altogether. When you check in, you’ll find a “tools” button with scientifically supported practices like breathing exercises, mindfulness activities, and physical movements to help manage emotions. Breathing exercises, for example, activate the body’s relaxation response, which can help reduce anxiety and bring a sense of calm. Mindfulness activities help us stay present and reduce the tendency to ruminate, while physical movements release built-up tension. These tools are invaluable—not for avoiding your feelings, but for learning to regulate them in healthy ways.

If you have access to it, a good therapist can also be a great resource for working through your emotions. Joining a support group can help as well. If you can’t find one, consider starting your own. For years, I led my own support groups by starting book clubs focused on healing, spirituality, self-care, and emotional wellness. When you genuinely seek to grow, others tend to grow along with you.

Mental Self-Care

The next layer of self-care to consider is mental well-being. My spiritual journey has been deeply shaped by two traditions: mystical teachings and New Thought. In New Thought, there’s an emphasis on the power of thought—our experiences are shaped by our thinking patterns. Even if something is not happening to us directly, our thinking shapes how we experience the world. Thoughts create our experiences, and the way we think about a situation often determines how we feel about it. By becoming more aware of our thoughts, we can start to change how we experience our lives. This has resonated strongly with my own life.

Albert Einstein once posed the question, “Is the universe a friendly place?” He said that he believed it was the most important question facing humanity. This question speaks directly to the power of our thinking. If we believe that the universe is friendly, we are more likely to see opportunities, experience hope, and feel supported by life. On the other hand, if we believe the universe is hostile, we may be more inclined to see challenges as threats and become stuck in fear. By consciously choosing to view the universe as friendly, we shape our experiences in a positive direction. Thoughts create our experiences, and by shifting our perspective, we can create a more supportive and nurturing reality for ourselves.

A helpful first step for mental self-care is becoming aware of what you’re already thinking. Mindfulness practices or meditation can be beneficial here. If you’re new to meditation, start small—just five minutes a day. After two weeks, try adding another five minutes, and keep building on that until it becomes a comfortable habit.

Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness and meditation are among the best ways to become aware of your thoughts. When I’ve taught people how to meditate in the past, I often encouraged them to observe their thoughts like clouds drifting across the sky. Another helpful technique is focusing on a word, a short phrase, or an object in your environment. If you find your mind wandering, just gently bring your focus back to that point.

Create New Beliefs

Another helpful self-care technique is changing the beliefs that no longer serve you. I’ve heard people say, “You can’t change your beliefs; they’re just what you believe.” But I know from experience that this isn’t true. I grew up in a very rigid religious system that instilled a lot of beliefs in me—many of which brought me fear and pain.

I remember my mentor once telling me, “James, if you truly loved yourself, you wouldn’t scare yourself.” That was a lightbulb moment. I realized that I was scaring myself by telling the same fearful stories over and over again. What is a belief anyway? It’s just a thought you keep repeating until it becomes ingrained. That’s why affirmations—and sometimes denials—are used in New Thought. These are tools to reprogram your mind, and in my experience, they can eventually transform your beliefs. Affirmations help us shift our mindset, and as we consistently use them, we begin to notice changes in how we perceive and experience the world. While manifestation is often discussed in New Thought, I want to focus here on how our thoughts shape our experiences. By changing our thoughts, we change how we feel and interact with our reality.

Affirmations & Denials

Affirmations are positive statements that help create new beliefs. Denials, on the other hand, are not about denying reality—they’re about denying power to anything but the divine in your life. For instance, if you’re worried about not having enough money, you might use a denial like, “Lack has no power over me. Divine abundance flows into my life now.” Denying the experience of lack doesn’t mean ignoring your circumstances; it’s about rejecting the mindset of scarcity and inviting abundance.

For those struggling after the election, especially those who fear that recent results may bring harm or uncertainty, here are some affirmations and denials that can help affirm your identity, safety, and worth:

• Denial: “Fear and hatred have no power over me. I am always surrounded by love and acceptance.”
• Affirmation: “I am a valued and loved member of my community, and I deserve to be treated with respect.”
• Denial: “No external force can diminish my true identity. My gender and sexuality are sacred and cannot be erased.”
• Affirmation: “I am whole, I am worthy, and I am exactly who I am meant to be.”
• Denial: “The negativity of others has no power over my sense of safety. I am divinely protected, and my existence is valid.”
• Affirmation: “I am safe, I am loved, and I am seen. The universe supports my authentic expression.”

Using these affirmations and denials can help shift your mindset and provide a sense of empowerment during uncertain times. They remind us that, despite external circumstances, our inherent worth and identity remain untouched. We are divine beings, and nothing can take away our value.

Dealing with Worry

Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life… Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” The message here is that worrying doesn’t change anything. In Luke 12:25 (NRSVue), it is written, “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” Worry steals time from us; it does not benefit us at all. We aren’t living in tomorrow’s reality; we are living in today’s.

It’s natural to be concerned, especially when facing an uncertain future. I’ve heard the dire predictions people are making. I read sections of the Project 2025 document and it is not on my recommended reading list. However, even with hearing and reading these things, I find serenity in my understanding that none of these things have power over me. I have the ability to create my own experiences and I choose a life filled with love, joy, and peace. I’ve also learned that the only real moment is this one. We should pay attention and stay informed, but avoid getting lost in fear-based speculation. The best way forward is to stay present, cultivate hope, and focus on what we can do now.

Physical Self-Care

Physical activity is crucial, especially during times of distress. Moving your body in healthy ways helps release tension, process emotions, and improve your overall outlook. Yoga is a wonderful option, but anything that gets your body moving—walking, dancing, stretching—can make a difference.

Another technique that’s helpful is grounding. Grounding, or “earthing,” involves connecting with the earth’s natural energy to stabilize and calm your body. You can do this by standing or walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil. If going outside isn’t an option, you can try a grounding exercise indoors by focusing on your senses—feeling the texture of the ground beneath you or imagining roots growing from your feet into the earth. Grounding is known to reduce stress, balance energy, and improve mental clarity.

Spiritual Self-Care

Prayer can also be a powerful form of spiritual self-care. Positive prayer can be especially beneficial as it focuses on affirming the good, connecting with the divine, and fostering a deep sense of peace. When we engage in positive prayer, we open ourselves to experiencing the presence of love and support in our lives. It helps shift our focus from fear or worry to trust and hope, which can be profoundly healing. Prayer can also reinforce our sense of safety, worth, and connection, which is essential in times of distress.

There are several spiritual practices that you can engage in to expand your overall self-care practices. Meditation, which we already discussed, is both a mental and spiritual practice.

Prayer Practices

Below are some positive prayers that can help during challenging times:

• The Christ presence within me is my unwavering source of strength and love. I trust that divine love guides me in every step I take, and I allow myself to be led by this higher wisdom. No matter the circumstances around me, I affirm that I am deeply cherished, infinitely valuable, and deserving of all that is good. I am enveloped in divine love, which protects me, uplifts me, and moves me toward my highest potential.
• Divine love fills my heart with peace, courage, and understanding. I release all fear and know that divine wisdom is guiding my actions. In this moment, I open myself to the deep knowing that I am supported and that my needs are met. I am calm, I am safe, and I rest in the knowledge that the universe is conspiring in my favor. I hold this truth close, knowing I am exactly where I need to be, and that all is well in my world.
• Divine wisdom flows through me, lighting my path and opening me to the highest truth of my being. I am whole, I am sacred, and my gender and sexuality are a beautiful expression of the divine. No external force has power over my true self; I am divinely protected. In my heart, I hold the affirmation that I am deeply connected to a community that loves and values me, and I attract people who honor and celebrate my authentic self. I am safe, I am loved, and the power of divine presence surrounds me now and always.
• My most holy spirit lights my path and opens my awareness to the highest truth of my being. I am whole, I am sacred, and my gender and sexuality are a beautiful expression of the divine. No external force has power over my true self; I am divinely protected. In my heart, I hold the affirmation that I am deeply connected to a community that loves and values me, and I attract people who honor and celebrate my authentic self. I am safe, I am loved, and the power of divine presence surrounds me now and always.

Prayers like these can help focus your mind on the positive and support your connection with the divine, providing strength and reassurance in difficult times. Let me know if you need further support or adjustments!

If you don’t know how to pray, you may want to consider some written prayers. One of my favorite prayers is The Prayer for Protection, written by James Dillet Freeman during a time of global crisis:

The Prayer for Protection

The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
The Mind of God guides me.
The Life of God flows through me.
The Laws of God direct me.
The Peace of God abides within me.
The Joy of God uplifts me.
The Strength of God renews me.
The Beauty of God inspires me.
Wherever you are, God is! And all is well. Amen.

Praying with others can be incredibly powerful and comforting, especially during challenging times. When we pray with someone else, like a prayer chaplain, we tap into a shared energy of hope and support that can be deeply healing. If you need someone to pray with you, many religious organizations have prayer chaplains available. You can also reach out to a trained prayer chaplain anytime at (816) 969-2000.

Other Spiritual Self-Care Methods

Another way to support your spiritual health is to read uplifting literature. There’s a beautiful connection between mysticism and poetry that can deeply enrich your spirit. One of my favorite collections is Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky. These poems remind me of the divine love present in all things, and they’ve been a constant companion in my spiritual practice.

For some people, attending a religious gathering can also be a helpful method of spiritual self-care. Joining others in worship or prayer can foster a sense of community, belonging, and shared strength.

Self-Care through Supporting Each Other

As you take care of yourself, it becomes easier to support others. I believe we are here to bless and support each other, but we can only give when we ourselves are nourished and supported. This isn’t a time to panic—it’s a time to care for ourselves, strengthen our communities, speak up, and support each other. The best way to do that is by cultivating hope and building the future we want.

Remember, nothing can take away your divine identity. You are an expression of divine love—nothing and no one can change that. You have the power to help create a world that reflects that truth. So, take care of yourself, and let’s move forward together, nurturing hope, community, and resilience.

I love you!

James Masters (he/they)