Staying Human Now #3: The Connection You Forgot You Needed

Authoritarian chaos thrives on disconnection. This tiny move helps you rebuild the ties that keep you human.

May 05, 2025

This is Staying Human Now — a weekly series offering a few strategic actions inspired by my viral post 80 Tiny Moves for Staying Human in the Authoritarian Harm Complex which has had over 35,000 likes and shares. These tiny moves are not productivity tips or wellness fluff. They are survival tools for people trying to stay human and strategically grounded inside Trump-era chaos. Think of them as scaffolding to bridge the gap between overwhelmed withdrawal and always-on activism. The goal is to enhance our strategic versatility, range, and agility.
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There’s a kind of slow-motion isolation that doesn’t register as crisis. It’s just the quiet drift—away from the people who used to ground you. Away from those who once helped you name your values, or kept you tethered to who you are when you're not performing for a cause or reacting to a crisis.

I reconnected with one of those people last week. Not a colleague. Not a movement partner. A friend from my recovery circle. Someone who knew me in the granular moments of early healing — when shame was fresh, and small wins felt enormous. Someone who witnessed me through breakups, relapses, transitions, and showed up repeatedly to remind me progress is more important than perfection – and compassion for myself is just as important as kindness for others.

We drifted. They moved. I moved. There was no falling out. Just the pull of time and life.

Since the election, I’ve been pushing back against periods of disconnection. I’ve stayed active — writing, consulting, resisting — but if I’m honest, there’s been a creeping withdrawal. A sense of being more inward. Less capable of accessing the energy that real solidarity and sustained resistance demands.

So I sent a quick message. Nothing heavy. No apology for the silence. Just: Hey, you crossed my mind. Want to catch up?

They called. We talked. It felt wonderful.

It didn’t lead to a project. It didn’t strengthen a coalition. It didn’t serve a measurable purpose. But it reminded me what it feels like to be known outside of crisis and work. And it restored something essential I hadn’t realized I’d lost: the quiet pleasure and deep contentment of being in authentic connection with someone who knows your life. No agenda. No performance. Just the steady act of bearing witness to, and supporting each other.

Strategic capacity isn’t just about mobilizing faster. It’s about recovering the parts of ourselves that help us discern, relate, and respond with integrity. Some reconnections do that. They make you more available to the work — not by pushing you harder, but by helping you remember what matters in the first place.

Reconnect with someone you drifted from. No explanation needed—just begin again.

(#79 from 80 Tiny Moves for Staying Human)

If authoritarian harm thrives on fragmentation, then reconnection is a counter-strategy.

It doesn’t have to be public or dramatic.
Just one relationship. One thread. One act of relational continuity in a time built to sever it.

Who’s crossed your mind lately?
What would happen if you reached out—without a plan, without a script?

You don’t have to explain the silence.
You just have to decide it’s not permanent.

Begin again.

Tiny Moves, Bigger Than They Look

Strategy doesn’t always look like a blueprint. Sometimes it looks like lighting a candle. Saying no. Checking in. Telling the truth.

If even one of these gave you a foothold, let that be enough for today. Come back when you need another. Or make your own. This is not a finished product—it’s a growing map. One we build together, one small move at a time.

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New moves drop every week. Let’s keep building.

Where This Work Leads

This blog is part of a larger project called Progressive Strategy Now which is more than just my blog’s title. It is my attempt to meet the moment, a growing collection of resources and consultation to help mission-driven people and organizations stay human and stay strategic while navigating moral injury, institutional destruction, and the lived realities of authoritarian harm. If this post gave you words for something you’ve been carrying, you’re in the right place. This is one dispatch in an ongoing series.

Stay human. Stay strategic. Shape tomorrow.

Strategies for Staying Human in the Face of Authoritarianism

If you’re looking for practices, tools, and deeper reading to help you stay grounded under pressure, this growing list is for you. It includes some of my previous posts and a section for other resources. These are starting points for staying human in hard times.

My Posts

The Harms Are Cumulative. Your Overwhelm Is the Goal. Let’s Get Unstuck
Trump and Musk weaponize chaos to exhaust our capacity for resistance. Recognizing the patterns of harm gives us the framework to protect our humanity and reclaim our strategic power.
Befriend Yourself: A Strategy for Staying Whole While They Dismantle Everything That Matters. Trump and Musk want to disappear you into a cell of despair. Kindness to yourself is how you stay human—and begin your escape.

When They Gut Your Mission: Start Here…. You’re still standing. That means you get to choose where to go next.

Blogs I recommend

Invisible Threads. Veteran journalist Kate Woodsome is pioneering coverage at the intersection of democracy and mental health.
The American Pamphleteer. “Because freedom won’t fight for itself—but together, we sure as hell can. Subscribe for bold, unfiltered takes on resisting fascism, building real community, and living with guts in chaotic times.“
How To Resist. Great blog about sustainable ways to remain engaged in activism and mutual aid.
Chop Wood, Carry Water. This blog is full of daily advice to take action and stay motivated.

Other Resources

ACT for Moral Distress, online course by Dr. Jaimie Lusk. “Navigate moral distress with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a powerful evidence-based treatment that allows us to hold our pain while taking valued actions.”
In Tumultuous Times, Think Like a Hostage. “Guidance given to hostages can foster psychological flexibility in tough times.” Very clever article by Dr. Jaimie Lusk.

Please drop additional suggestions for resources in Comments

My Consulting Services

Need a new strategic plan that protects your mission and your funding during hard times? I partner with progressive leaders to navigate threats and build stronger, resilient organizations:

Strategic plan revisions to meet the moment.
Fundraising and communications.
Resilient data system to track unmet needs and the downstream harms resulting from authoritarian aggression.

Let’s talk. Direct message me to start the conversation.

***From Progressive Strategy Now, a publication of Paul T Shattuck LLC. The views expressed here reflect my personal analysis as a researcher and consultant, and do not represent the positions of any employer, clients, or affiliated organizations.