The world humans have created feels so dark. War. Climate tipping points. Targeting of the vulnerable. Species extinction. Lawlessness. Cruelty. Greed. The list is so long that if I keep going, you and I might both end up in a dark place.

As someone who works with trauma, I have to be mindful of protecting my inner light. So much suffering comes through my door…it could easily drown me. So let me share some ways I’ve learned to navigate darkness. Perhaps they will help you navigate these times.  

Recognizing your state

What state are you in? Are you manic? Stressed and activated? So shutdown you can barely feel or function? Are you raging, fury burning your stomach? So anxious you can hardly breathe? Are you dissociated, walking around in a daze?

Are you calm and present?

If not, it’s hard to constructively respond to life. So, the first step is to recognize when you’ve floated too far into the deep end and get yourself back. Take conscious steps to help yourself, whether it’s self-care or getting support. Your first responsibility is to you.

Feeding your light

The next step is to actively feed your inner light. What lights you up? What makes you feel alive? These are not rhetorical questions. This matters. A fire will die if it’s not fed.

For me, it’s the fantasy children’s novel I’m writing. But it was also watching birds (such beautiful jerks) at my feeder all winter. And the little leap-hop my cat does when she “catches me” playing tag.

If you’ve been suffering a long time, the answer to what lights you up may be: nothing. In that case, it’s important to focus on small, daily pleasures, like your morning cup of coffee, to start to wire pleasure back into your system.

Otherwise, choose some activities solely because they’re…enjoyable, artistic, beautiful, playful, freeing. Feed your inner light as a panacea to darkness.

Aligning with yourself

There’s an orientation expressed in the I Ching, the Book of Changes, that helps me. It says, in essence: Plow the field for the sake of a field well-plowed, not for the harvest you anticipate.

In sessions, this means I bring my very best to each person, and then I have to let go. In the broader world, it means standing up for what I believe is right, regardless of whether anything changes.

Stay aligned with yourself, regardless of results, regardless of where others stand. Let that internal alignment and cohesion—of who you are, what you value, and how you act—be what you radiate. Be that light for others.

Because you are exquisite. Unique. Needed. If you let your light go out, that just means more of us in the dark.