Confused by the Election results?

November 11, 2024

I spent most of the day Tuesday, navigating reactivity as my body was in a fight, flight, freeze, fawn response given the recent election results. I found myself caught up in what I call a cognitive emotive loop running through all the potential awful future possibilities.

I used many of the breathing techniques I know of that help move the anxious energy out of my body so it doesn’t get trapped and still found it hard to simply BE yesterday.

I felt sad, scared, angry, helpless, and fatigued.

My spiritual practice was to simply accept myself in the moment. To not add resistance or push against what was happening in my mind and body. I found it challenging.

I know that many of us are baffled and are asking “How could this happen, again????” from confusion. I completely understand this. I too feel the part of me that is baffled and confused.  

And I am all about allowing myself to feel the feelings that come with those fears, concerns and confusion.

The thing is, I know that confusion is a flag that I am trapped in fear. I also know that the only thing I can create from fear is conflict and drama (which by the way I ended up doing with my husband later that evening—no big surprise).

When I am triggered and in a reactive state one question I’ve learned to ask myself is “How is this for me?”

This question serves as a pattern interrupt to my addictive, fear-based, confused thoughts and serves as a springboard for me to shift to curiosity.

I would like to invite you into this inquiry with me.

I began asking this question years ago after my divorce when I also found myself very stuck in my righteous beliefs about the way things SHOULD be from my limited perspective.

The thing is hindsight is 20/20. Today it has become very clear to me why my divorce was the best outcome for my family even if it was traumatic, disruptive, sad, challenging, and simply HARD at the time.

I now can see how my divorce transformed me and was the exact medicine I needed to evolve and has led me to become the person I am today–stronger, far more self-aware and way more empowered. I would NOT be the mother, wife, friend, coach, teacher and leader I am today without the lessons I learned during that time in my life. In fact, I needed the divorce so that I could transform into a higher version of myself.

One of my mentors and coaches challenged me years ago suggesting that I was addicted to comfort. At first, I resisted his “accusation” that was lobbed at me with nothing but love, yet received with resistance. 

His “accusation” was actually an invitation. Even though I didn’t like it, I knew it and I once again began asking, “How is this for me?”

I began to see all the ways it was true and face all the parts of me that did not ever want to be uncomfortable again.

The truth is, we human beings do not grow when we are comfortable. There is no motivation. Our discomfort is the inspiration, the kick in the pants we need to take action and take responsibility for what it is we really want to create and experience in this lifetime. (or in our lives)

It is so easy to get caught up in the righteous rhetoric about what is right and wrong, how things should or shouldn’t be, who is right and who is wrong and what needs to happen instead.

We can spend a LOT of time and energy bitching, moaning, complaining, debating, and arguing about what is. That is an option.

Or we can commit to curiosity as a portal to new possibilities.

Like my divorce, I think this election is an invitation.

Not an invitation to skip over or bypass feelings of anger, rage, fear, or sadness. Instead it is an invitation to fully step into all that is moving through you so that you can grow, evolve, transform and step into true empowerment.

Growing pains are real my friend. And our country is experiencing a massive shift which I can only see as an opportunity to:

• Take radical responsibility for the role you play in co-creating today’s reality with Love
• Feel your feelings deeply and fully in service of expansion and evolution
• Get clear and committed on what is yours to do
• Get deeply curious 
• Grow, evolve and expand

Here is one thing I know for sure. As a woman you are here to be a powerful presence and have a significant impact on the people closest to you, your communities, and the world. You are not here to get caught up and lost in drama that our culture is so addicted to.

That my friend, is a seductive ploy intended to drain, disempower and distract you. And it works.

Today, I am inviting you to play a new game with me.

One where self-awareness, personal growth, transformation and evolution are the cornerstones of a life fully lived, beyond fear and toward a higher purpose. Where you are stepping into your power, taking up space, standing for what you believe with confidence, knowing your presence, purpose and impact matter deeply.

So, as you move through these turbulent and uncertain times, maybe consider asking yourself, ‘How is this for me?’—and allow it to open a doorway to deeper understanding and growth. 

This question invites you to lean into each experience, trusting that even the discomfort has purpose and potential. By choosing curiosity over fear, you can begin to turn challenges into catalysts for transformation, allowing each moment to shape you into a more empowered, conscious version of yourself. 

Let your commitment to curiosity and growth be your compass, guiding you toward creating a life that reflects your truest values and highest intentions particularly in the most challenging times.

PS: Here are some breathing techniques I use when I struggle with anxiety and fear (alternate nostril breathing, box breathing, diaphragmatic breathing-are all useful tools to help MOVE the energy and uncomfortable sensations you might be experiencing when you are triggered)

in trust and gratitude,

Annmarie Chereso
Author, Speaker, Coach, & Meditation Teacher