Hello Reader,
I was in the audience of a live show in a packed theater. At the intermission, the venue flooded with the sounds of hundreds of people moving, talking. Even though I saw some friends, I felt sensory overload and related anxiety.
I recognized my state in the moment. I chose to go on a night walk in the cold air around the neighborhood.
I felt kinship as trees swayed in front of homes with soft lights on. I greeted the moon. I breathed slowly, grateful for my long warm coat. I left a voice memo for a friend.
I returned to the event with more ease, open to connection.
Years ago, I might just grit my teeth through a flood of overwhelm or discomfort. I might push through the simple endurance of a loud crowded social setting, despite my desire for a splash of quiet.
Now I was able to honor my needs and still return to enjoy the outing.
Rather then bend into the shape I was supposed to make, I used my interoception to adapt and support myself. I celebrate the milestone when I “happen to notice” in real time.
I observe the movement of walking, how it soothes me. Walking incorporates bilateral stimulation, as do a few of the tools from the Resilience Toolkit which can be done from a seated position.
As my life partner navigates disability, two and a half years in to Long COVID and ME/CFS, he newly incorporates a wheelchair in public spaces to open up mobility.
Where we used to hike and backpack together, we now share forest-bathing at parks and sun-bathing on the patio.
Societal norms rarely bend or adapt in a welcoming or proactive way. It is remarkable how we can still find tangible pathways to pleasure, comfort, and ease as we care for ourselves and each other.
Reflection
What is a space you often have to move through that is uncomfortable? Is there a way you can center your comfort ever so slightly in that environment (i.e. stretch, wear noice-cancelling headphones, do after-care once you leave)?
Resources
My Creative Updates & Offerings
Save the Date for Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT, Powell’s Books in Portland. I will be in conversation with Caro De Robertis for their new book: So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color.
Somatic Sometimes: in-person workshop series at 10 a.m. PT three Saturday’s June 7, 14, 21, at Atrium, The Breathe Building, 2305 SE 50th Ave., Portland, OR. Note: Each participant will receive The Resilience Toolkit digital workbook, with illustrations and tips for sustaining practice. I will teach the tremor, a somatic tool I only typically teach in a series.
Community & Care
ja' / buuts' / t'aan (Water / Smoke / Word) by Patricia Vázquez Gómez, exhibition dates: March 13 – May 31, at PICA, free, 15 NE Hancock Street, Portland, OR.
Applications open for Anaphora, a virtual residency for writers of color. Apply by the priority deadline of April 30th to be eligible for fellowships.
Transgender Law Center's journalist resource "Reporting on Marginalized Disabled Communities."
Doechii created a resource hub for people navigating anxiety.
An essay in The Sick Times by Heather Hogan “The sick soft butch who did: How confronting a racist in my neighborhood helped me claim my Long COVID identity.”
Soft Pants for Your Mind
Joy! Music! Bad Bunny’s Tiny Desk concert dropped on my birthday. I love how at the twenty minute mark he introduces a creative interlude about his history that isn’t a “song” but also the word to describe it doesn’t exist. I love genre-bending. Also, maybe he’s a poet?
A poem Little Bruja, by Leonora Simonovis. The last line took me out.
Some Healthline soothing techniques.
Notes & Citations
https://www.kbia.org/2023-11-03/walking-and-emdr-grounding-and-empowering-one-step-at-a-time
https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/making-sense-interoception
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood
I wrote last year about my partner's journey with Long COVID.
Let’s resource! Let’s play! Let’s happen to notice, together.
In peace,
Vanessa Micale
Founder of Poderosa Voz LLC
(she, they, ella)
P.S. You can show your support by sharing this micro-newsletter with a friend, or you can send me a digital tip and treat me to a pastry.
P.P.S. Sharing resources is one of my love languages. Is there a resource related to somatic and creative realms you want to see or you know of? Hit reply and let me know.
