Today is Election Day in Trinidad and Tobago and our opportunity to have our say in the kind of country we want to live in.
Voting during a pandemic is a first for us, so it's natural for our anxiety levels to spike. Try these everyday mindfulness practices to help keep calm and steady while waiting in line:
✨ Set Your Intention For The Day – Before you leave home, set a conscious intention for the day. Take a few slow, deep breaths, and choose a few words you’d like to embody for the day, for example Calm, or Faith, or Peace. Whatever feels authentic to you.
✨ Practice Gratitude – When you get to the polling station, take a few moments to silently express gratitude to all those, past and present, who made it possible for you to be able to vote today. Try to extend your awareness as far out as possible. For example, start with those in the home, and then expand your awareness to include those at your place of work, those encountered in your commute, at the polling station etc.
✨ Do A Body-Scan Meditation – While waiting in line, take a few slow breaths and begin to systematically and slowly scan your body from head to toe, noticing anywhere you may be holding tension or experiencing sensations. Make no judgments; just become aware of your body. Use your time in line as an opportunity to practice patience and letting things be for a while. When you're done with your scan, see if you can soften any body parts where you may be holding tension.
✨ Stay In the Moment – After you’ve cast your vote, resist the temptation to immediately pull out your phone or otherwise distract yourself. Take a few moments to acknowledge and be present with whatever emotions you may be experiencing. As best as you can, try relating to thoughts and feelings with kindness. Take a few deep breaths, and mindfully continue with your day.
Today the lines may be long, things may move slowly -
Vote anyway.
Every vote counts.
Elections are won by the people who turn up.