It’s been a year.
Today marks one year since Donald Trump took office. For communities of color, immigrants, queer and trans folx, Indigenous communities, disabled folx, and anyone less-resourced and more marginalized— the past year of DT’s presidency was fraught with injustice, fear, rage, disbelief, powerlessness, and grief.
From both my clients and my immediate interpersonal circle, I was asked “how am I supposed to get up every day and do ‘normal’ things, when I know nothing is ‘normal?’” How were people supposed to go to work, take their kids to basketball practice, prepare meals for family gatherings, take their dogs to the dog park? How could people go on about minutia of living while contending with the actions of our government, the frequent incidents of violence, and the seeming indifference of many toward human rights and healthcare access?
Given the distress experienced by marginalized communities in 2025, and given that 2026 has already started out with some devastating parallels, here are my top 5 pieces of advice to those struggling with the current climate:
Clarify your values. Where do YOU want your focus to be? Your family? Your work? Your neighborhood? In what ways do you want to show up for yourself and for others? You can only show up as yourself, so who do you want that person to be? Feeling grounded in your values and connecting them to your day-to-day actions can leave you feeling more empowered.
Find your people. You do not have to do this alone. Connect with out-of-town friends via phone or video. Look into local meetup groups. If you’re shy, perhaps you find a safe virtual support group. While connecting with other like-minded people can at times seem intimidating, having support and fellowship can improve your mood and decrease feelings of isolation and powerlessness.
Reframe your ideas about resistance. I’ve had several clients tell me that they don’t feel like they’re “doing enough” in the face of U.S. dystopian tyranny. Resistance is not all day/every day protests and marches, boycotts and calling senators. I encourage you to take a look at what you’re actually doing each day. Are you raising children who will help dictate the next generation of thinkers and decision-makers? Are you spending time with friends so that you can create reciprocal communities of care? Are you keeping yourself healthy so that you are prepared for what comes next?
Give yourself permission to freak out a little. To check out. To cry. To worry. To say no. It’s not realistic to have it together all of the time. Also, tears are one of the ways your body releases tension. So go ahead, let it out. Allow yourself to be on your B game, or C game. Your A game may not be attainable 24/7, but you’re more likely to be able to tap into it when needed if you haven’t been so demanding of yourself or critical of feeling your feelings.
Consider those who came before. This is hardly the first time in history where people have had to organize to fight for freedom, for safety, for just treatment, for equality. While we’re used to thinking about these movements through the images from books and in museums, we tend to forget that these same revolutionaries still had to pay bills, get their children to school, and fix leaky plumbing. Their lives couldn’t be dedicated to active protest all of the time, because they still had responsibilities that couldn’t be ignored.
REST. It’s important to remember what we’re fighting for— to remember that life can be filled with joy and purpose and peace. By resting, by intentionally seeking out joy, we remind ourselves that the fight is actually worth it. Historically, we have seen great music, art, and writing borne of tumultuous periods of history. Recharge, tap into your creativity, nourish yourself so that you can remain as whole and healthy as possible. And remember, that in a capitalist, patriarchal society, choosing to see your worth beyond financial productivity is a blantant act of resistance.
- by Nakita Noël Mitchell, LCSW, OSW-C
