At the time I am writing this, Donald Trump has only been President for a week. But already he has instituted a ban on Muslim refugees, begun the process of building his wall, endorsed the use of torture, prepared to lift the ban on CIA "black site" prison, reauthorized the Dakota Access Pipeline (which will destroy sacred Native burial grounds), removed the EPA page on climate change, consistently lied to the media about the size of his inaugural crowds, announced a plan to push anti-immigrant propaganda and began the process of creating a mass deportation force.

It is more necessary than ever to do whatever we can to fight back. Being silent means complicity in the violence perpetrated by this new regime. But the necessity of our resistance doesn't mean we can't take a step back sometimes.

On top of being politically difficult, this past week has been personally difficult for many folks, especially for those targeted by Trump's rhetoric. For me, dealing with this past week has meant having a panic attack every time I read the news. For some of my friends, it has meant feeling terrified just walking down the street.

In order to mount a successful resistance, we need to understand that sometimes we need to take a step back to take care of ourselves. Maybe this means taking a social media break for a day or missing a particular rally because your anxiety is too much. It might feel selfish to do so, but if we don't practice self-care, we won't be as effective as we can be.

It is also essential that along with practicing self-care, we take care of each other as well. As any organizer will tell you, anti-oppression work is both physically and emotionally exhausting. No one can do this work by themselves. It is thus essential that we check in with each other within our organizing spaces.

It is important to note that none of this is an excuse for silence. Again, being silent, especially in this moment, is violent by itself. But there is a difference between taking a quick break for your own mental health and ignoring reality.

So if you feel like crying in the wake of the current political climate, don't stop yourself from doing so. But once you're done, get back up and start fighting back.