Hi Friends~
I’ve been processing how my work – a strength training platform, my time with clients, and my own training – might seem frivolous or even meaningless during these unstable, frightening times. I’ll admit, I’ve been struggling.
Knowing that immigrant people, our neighbors are being quietly picked up inj our city by ICE daily is 24/7 anxiety-producing, always humming under the surface. It helps to use therapeutic breathing techniques on the nights I wake up at around 2am, heart pounding. I have recurring nightmares trying to save young children from a tidal wave, or I’m trying to get somewhere on a bike with square wheels, no handlebars, or no saddle.
Then in the morning I do strength work, wondering whether it’s meaningful.
During the daytime I feel a sense of sadness and unease, lamenting. Working within groups like Asbury Park Mutual Aid Network APMAN, and Trinity Center For Community, and even running for an elected position in our town (more on that in another post) helps maintain a sense of groundedness – that I’m doing something.
And I am coaching strength training…wondering why.
In a discussion group this week I learned something I had never thought about.
We started with a theme of Christian Nationalism. We debated about American flags hanging in churches, and the co-opting of the flag by Christian nationalists. We talked about The Pledge Of Allegiance, separation of church and state in the US, and other countries – social democracies and authoritarianism. The discussion moved on to Palestine, Israel, the continuing war in Iran, and the shifting of global alliances. So much contributes to daily anxiety but…talking about it all among folks we love and trust, we all admitted to a sense of lament, and yet still a feeling of hope.
At the end of the discussion a flyer was passed around, and this is what I learned.
Lament and joy are connected!
I felt a such a sense of real relief learning that lament can serve as a pathway to real joy.
Lament enables emotional release by expressing sorrow, anger, and pain, and can build trust, paving the way for a hopeful joy, anchored in resilience rather than just surface-level happiness, which brought me to this conclusion:
The connection between lament and joy – how strength training can be a catalyst.
Physical strength can be a psychological and spiritual superpower. Show up to do hard things, to do the things you love. Keep doing them and don’t be afraid, don’t doubt yourself.
- Physicalizing Lament: Strength training is an intentional act of processing grief and frustration through movement.
- Building Resilience: When we lift, we physically experience what it feels like to carry a heavy load. It mimics our emotional burdens, training the body and mind to endure.
- Cultivating Joy as Resistance: Regular, intentional exercise is a deliberate strike against despair.
- Releasing Tension: The physical exertion provides a safe harbor for pent-up emotions, mirroring the verbal release of lament.
We aren’t just building muscle; we’re building the capacity to stay strong under pressure, under stress.
When we strengthen our bodies, we aren’t retreating from the world’s problems, we’re preparing ourselves to face them.
As always, I love to know your thoughts.
Onward~
X
Polli
