Whether it be a comment you hear, something you witness, or standing up in an even bigger way, vow to speak out against sexism, racism, xenophobia and other inequalities. In the words of the great Martin Luther King, Jr., "there comes a time when silence is betrayal".
KNOW YOUR POWER
Work on being direct and assertive in all areas of your life. Express what you want and learn to say "no". Believe you are capable and worthy. You will be amazed at how your relationships change, how much you accomplish and how great you feel.
DONATE
Support the organizations and charities out there that are fighting for the causes you feel passionately about. With Trump taking office, we are going to need to fight hard all across the board- for women, for immigrants, for the LGBT communities, communities of color, our planet, etc. Support the people and organizations out there doing the good work and fighting for all of us. Check out a list of some of my favorites here.
STOP APOLOGIZING
Apologizing when we have hurt somebody or have done something wrong is absolutely necessary in order to repair the social fabric that keeps us all positively connected. But saying sorry for anything else invalidates us, gives others the impression that we are less capable, and reinforces feelings of low self-worth. "Sorry" takes up airtime that should be used for making logical, declarative statements, expressing opinions and relaying accurate impressions of what we want. Read: 6 Things To Stop Apologizing For.
STAY INFORMED
Stay up to date of what is happening in the world around you- your community, your country and internationally. It can be very depressing and difficult to keep up, but turning a blind eye is a large part of the messes we find ourselves in. Staying informed and aware is excellent motivation to get involved and be a part of positive change in the world.
FIGHT!
Long gone are the days where informing yourself and posting on your social media was "good enough". Stop feeling guilty about the state of the world without doing anything about it. Given our political climate, we all must all do our part in the fight for peace and autonomy, the fight for our planet and for this country. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you aren't enough to make a real difference. It is the collective force of ordinary people that brings the most change.
BE GRATEFUL
It is not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy. It is easy to get caught up in our stresses and worries and what is going wrong in our lives or in the world and forget all we have to be thankful for. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others.
CHANGE THE CONVERSATION
Stop saying negative things about the appearance of women, including yourself! The idea that our value lies in our appearance is created by a male-driven society. Avoid critiques and judgements in every situation whether it be gossip among friends, social media or even judgments silently in your head. Vow to only speak positively toward and about women, and resolve to only find positive things to say about yourself as well! Get creative with your compliments- they don't, and shouldn't all be, about appearance. We have to lift each other and protect one another, now more than ever.
Labels:
Awareness
