The Healing Power of Connection in Difficult Times
In light of the events that have unfolded in our country over the last few days, I felt it was important to pause my trauma series and speak to something we all need right now: connection.
It’s so easy to get swept up in the endless stream of news, social media posts, and emotional reactions. We take in not only the information but also the emotions of others, while still trying to regulate our own nervous systems. Every time we read a heartfelt or triggering post, our bodies respond. And right now, much of our country is responding with fear, anger, grief, and outrage.
But connection is the key to all of this.
Our world feels fractured. We’ve lost the ability to sit with one another, to hear another perspective without immediately retreating into disagreement. Sometimes, “agreeing to disagree” is healthy—but too often lately, it’s become a dividing line that tears apart friendships, families, and even communities. This inability to communicate with compassion outside of the internet is one of the great downfalls we face right now.
When we distance ourselves from the lived experiences of others, misunderstanding grows. Fear grows. The “other” becomes someone to avoid, rather than someone to learn from. Yet if we can lean into safer, more open conversations—if we can step outside our comfort zones and truly listen—we plant seeds of openness, diversity, and curiosity that have the power to bloom into something better.
Because at the core, we all need each other.
Parents want to send their children to school without fear. We don’t want our children to practice lockdown drills. We don’t want to turn on the TV and witness violence. We don’t want to lose loved ones because of the values they hold or the rallies they attend. We don’t want to live in fear of one another.
It’s important to acknowledge that it’s okay to feel fear, sadness, or anger in times like these. These emotions are part of being human. They remind us of what matters to us most. But we don’t have to carry them alone—sharing them with others in safe, supportive spaces can help lighten the load.
What we are experiencing now as a country is collective trauma. Trauma happens when our minds cannot fully process the weight of what we’re experiencing—both emotionally and logically. And the truth is, healing from trauma requires connection.
We heal when our voices are heard. We heal when our stories are validated. We heal when we feel understood by others.
And connection doesn’t have to be complicated. It can look like calling a friend, sharing a meal with a neighbor, checking in on a loved one, or joining a local community gathering. Small steps toward each other are powerful reminders that we are not alone in this.
So, in this moment, let us choose to reach for connection. Let us sit with one another, not just online, but face-to-face. Let us speak, listen, and truly hear. Let us seek understanding over fear.
The path forward is not easy—but together, we can create it. If each of us takes even one small step toward connection, we begin to shift the story we are living through.
