Darth Vadar Hates Social Workers

The Washington Post ran an article recently about the emotional toll the Trump layoffs are having on federal employees. They are experiencing severe distress; some have even committed suicide. Those of us in the social services aren’t that far off the mark in terms of people this administration wants to disempower. Everything we do in the social services field is under direct fire. The neverending reports about federal cuts and diminished funding make it impossible not to worry about what is happening.

The effect on the psyche is real. 

It doesn’t seem possible to achieve burn out after only one year on the job, but burnt I am. To a crisp. The threat to job security is deeply unsettling. Feeling targeted just for trying to help people is a mindfuck. Social services are hard enough under favorable conditions. The notion of what will happen without the safety nets is overwhelming. Not just the safety of resource assistance, but also the safety of knowing your government and community care about you.

It’s hard not to take that personally. Trying to help people get the assistance they need while constantly fearing that your own income might disappear and your own needs will no longer be met is a total mindfuck. And according to the Washington Post article, it is deliberate psychological warfare. The idea is to render opponents to these policies powerless, too overwhelmed to act in defiance. 

How did caring about people and working for their well being turn into something to be mocked and denigrated? I don’t know about you, but I am finding it hard to feel okay. My nervous system is susceptible to being hijacked by the anxiety and loss of hope so many are feeling. 

Don’t go there. Orient to safety and goodness in any way you can. There are strong, smart people lining up to defend goodness. Find them, follow them, join them. Prioritize self-regulation, whatever it takes. Don’t compare yourself to others who might seem unaffected. Trust your gut. If you need to slow down or step back, do it. Give your body and your truth space. 

It’s not you and you’re not alone. This barrage of bullshit is designed to overwhelm you. The faction in power scoffs at trauma as woke propaganda, but they know it’s real. And they’re invoking it deliberately, to disempower opponents and voters. 

Take a deep breath. Feel your feet on the ground. Move your head and look around the space you’re in. Ground and orient. If you’re not an expert on your own nervous system yet, now is the time to become one. Let me know if you need help with that. Do the things that make you feel better, so you’re not in fight or flight all the time. Reconnect with your body (if that is safe for you), reconnect with the earth, reconnect with your tribe, reconnect with your joy and your art.  

You are not alone. You are surrounded by beauty and love. I’m not saying you’re not surrounded by other shit as well. The Evil Empire is real and it is here. But the love and beauty are also here. Let yourself see them. Feel the force, Luke, and keep going.