By Lynn Buske
I was inspired after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last week, a day that carries deep meaning and responsibility, to share some thoughts with you all. I come as a white woman and as a community organizer, one who has been taught by Black voices, shaped by the lives I advocate alongside, and formed by years of work for justice. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words matter to me not as a moment for comfort, but as a call to action rooted in moral clarity.
This is a time in history when we need his wisdom more than ever. Not to calm our minds, but to fuel and guide our actions.
When systems do not work the way they were designed to work, long-term stress builds. That stress can lead to mental health challenges, burnout, apathy, panic, and despair. Last week we remembered Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who led our society, at least those willing to join him, through chaos toward healing by empowering individuals in non-violent ways.
As many of you have been asking, “how do I cope in these times?” I felt called to share some tools for navigating these challenges. These suggestions come from our Mental Health Task Force, from my own eight years navigating justice work and mental health recovery, from JONAH leadership, faith leaders, and from Dr. King himself. They are offered in the hope that something here speaks to you. They may also steer the next steps for those feeling the need to “do something”.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” – Martin Luther King, Jr
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr
“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. Any law that uplifts human personality is just.” – Martin Luther King, Jr
I want to start by saying the below tools I’m sharing will not make struggle go away or make it “easy” – just more cope-able. This is about acknowledging the struggle, practicing discipline in caring for yourself, taking intentional action again and again, and offering yourself grace when it does not go the way you hoped.
1. Pause before reacting.
When you feel discomfort, anger, fear, panic, grief, confusion, tightness in your body, or even apathy, pause before you speak, act, or move further into thought. These responses are invitations to tend to yourself, to name what you are actually feeling and what value is being touched.
Acting from intense emotion, especially fear or anger, limits our clarity and integrity. There is power in pausing and choosing intention. This is non-negotiable for your energy and for the energy you bring into collective spaces. We need you grounded and clear on your values.
2. Tend to your body and basic needs.
Like putting on your oxygen mask first, take care of what you need before continuing on or helping others, unless someone is in immediate crisis. If you are tired, rest. If you need food, eat, even if you do not feel like it. Stay hydrated. Take vitamins as high stress depletes reserves quickly. If you need to talk, call someone. If you feel called to act, honor that call. This, too, is non-negotiable.
3. Stay relational.
JONAH organizes relationally because relationships are everything, especially in moments like this. Make time to talk with people. Come to our coffee chats. Saying things out loud helps untangle the stories our brains create under stress. It grounds us. You hear your own truth and claim your voice.
From JONAH President, Pastor Jen Barnet at Hope United Methodist, “One spiritual reminder I keep returning to is that we all need a safe place and safe people to unload what we’re carrying, without judgment or urgency. This kind of holy safety is not a luxury. It is how we sustain ourselves for the long work of justice and return with clarity rather than collapse. Unloading happens when people can say what they are actually feeling, even if it is messy or contradictory, without being corrected, minimized, or rushed toward solutions. Safety can also be created with boundaries, such as limiting news or social media intake, choosing specific times to engage rather than constant consumption, and letting others carry parts of the work. This protects people from burnout without disconnecting them from care or responsibility. Also, allowing the body to release what words cannot carry.”
4. You cannot consume or respond to everything.
We do more together, so do your part and trust others to do theirs. If you feel like you are not doing enough, that is often a signal to pause, reflect, and get support.
5. Feel your feelings. Make space for both grief and joy.
Honor and name what you’re feeling – sad, hopeless, out of control, panic, heartbreak, etc. Breathe with those feelings, feeling them move through your body, allow tears. Find time to cry and time to laugh. Let your body release without over-explaining. Gentle movement, safe touch, movies that help you cry, real hugs, these matter. So does laughter. Watch something joyful. Spend time with children. Be with friends. Both joy and grief are necessary for resilience.
JONAH Religious Leader Co-chair and Pastoral Associate at St James the Greater, Christine Warloski shares: “I keep facetiously thinking to run screaming to the Lord! But that’s not helpful language. There is a saying that God’s grace meets our effort, so we need to both be active and meditative, to take time to listen for the voice of God, and to act as best we can to our calling. There is also a saying that we bring our sorrows to the Lord, that he wants us to yell and cry and lament to him; praying the psalms can help as every human emotion is in there. But primarily taking the time to breathe in the peace of Christ and breathe out the stress and worry of the world.
6. Identify your personal values. Name them. Our emotional responses are cues to those but we must be with them first. What value feels violated when your anger or heartbreak arises when seeing the news? What is that feeling of abandonment and betrayal pointing to when a family member you love is speaking seemingly different values than you? Why does that particular truth or activity light you up from the inside out in pure joy? Find your why, what you will protect and uphold. This is where your strength is. Speak from there. Find that language.
Speak it with courage and confidence everywhere you go.
Now, I suggest setting an intention to uphold that value WITHOUT pushing it on, or harming, others. It seems so tricky to live out my values, when others feel it impedes theirs. Sometimes our feeling of being impeded on leads us to take action against others because of it, and causes more division. BEFORE WE ACT: we must pause, feel, and discern a just course of action.
7. Acknowledge powerlessness, and then act.
Feeling out of control is deeply uncomfortable, but within those feelings is often the seed of clarity. These moments can become pivots from despair to purposeful action. We can use those feelings to identify our values and clear direction, knowing this is OUR part to do, and then take an action step – no step is too small.
If you do not know where to start, talk with someone. JONAH members are ready to help you clarify values and next steps. We need your voice and your actions to be clear, intentional, non-violent, non-divisive, strategic, and long-term. Joining others helps you know you are not alone and can see all the good that IS being done by incredible people and amplify it.
Rev. Julianne Lepp – UU Minister, Writer, Spiritual Director and longtime JONAH leader in various roles shared: “Know deep down that you are not alone. We are connected by breath, life, and love on this small, blue green planet, and even in the darkest times love and collective action have shifted the long arc of justice in this world. Draw on your beliefs, values, and find support in community and everyday small tasks that fulfill your spirit and make a difference. And if you need to rest, know that others are helping to lift the load and carry on the good work, because we are all a part of the interdependent web of life, all a part of the love that binds us together.”
In the end, this is about living with integrity, aligning our actions with our deepest values, caring for ourselves and one another, and committing to the long work of justice with discipline and compassion.
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Blessings to you,
Lynn Buske
JONAH Organizer