Politics and the Body: The Somatic Toll of Living Through Instability

 

What’s going on

We’re seeing real­time chaos: homes torn apart by immigration enforcement, our federal employees walking paycheck-free, kids facing the threat of no school lunch, and the looming potential of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits being cut right in time for the damn holidays.

• The federal government shut down on Oct 1, 2025 because Congress couldn’t pass funding. 

  

• More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP; with the shutdown dragging on, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) warned food-benefits might not go out on Nov 1. 

• States are scrambling: e.g., Virginia declared a state of emergency to keep food aid flowing. 

• Federal employees (thousands) either furloughed or working without pay. 

• On the immigrant front: enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues while benefits and protections get pulled back. 

Why this matters for mental health

Because when you strip away basic needs such as home, food, and stability, everything else falls apart. When the body senses threat, it doesn’t ask whether that threat is physical, financial, or emotional, it just reacts. Your nervous system is designed to protect you, and it does that through four main responses. Here’s how that plays out in the brains and bodies of folks who are already vulnerable:

• Fight: You might feel angry, restless, or irritable. You’re ready to act even if there’s nothing concrete to fight.

• Flight: You feel anxious, panicked, or on the move. Your mind races. You might clean, work, scroll, or over-plan just to stay ahead of the danger.

  

• Freeze: You shut down or go numb. Things feel foggy. You might lose track of time, feel “off,” or find it hard to make decisions.

• Fawn: You people-please to stay safe, saying yes when you want to say no, over-functioning, or caretaking everyone else to avoid conflict.

None of these are “bad.” They’re signs your body is trying to protect you. The problem is when the danger doesn’t pass your body stays stuck in survival mode. When you’re worried about “Will I make rent?” or “Will I be able to eat this week?” your body is in constant fight, flight, freeze (or fawn) mode. Slow and systemic threats like policy uncertainty or economic instability causes permanent internal chaos. 

Anxiety, depression, PTSD: the new baseline

• When your home is unstable, your food is scarce, you’re isolated: anxiety is constant. Depression creeps in through the cracks.

• For children and adults alike, loss of home, loss of security, threat of violence are real traumatic events. Add immigration enforcement + benefit removal = trauma on top of trauma.

• This isn’t hypothetical. People below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to have depression.

  
  

The vicious cycle

You lose stability → you become sick (mentally and physically) → you lose ability to engage/earn/work/support → you lose more stability. And on it goes.

• Decision-making gets foggy. You can’t plan long-term because every day you’re fighting just to survive.

• Employment? Good luck when you’re making it through the day, much less showing up strong for a job.

• Social isolation increases: shame, stigma, withdrawal. “I must’ve failed,” you think. Meanwhile the system set you up to fail.

• Access to treatment? Often nonexistent. If you don’t have housing or enough food, therapy becomes a luxury, not a lifeline.

  

If You’re in Crisis Mode Right Now

If you’re reading this and thinking, “That’s me, I’m barely keeping it together,” please pause and take a deep breath with me. You don’t have to push through this moment alone.

Try one or two of these grounding strategies when everything feels too big:

1. Orient to safety. Look around your space and gently name five things that are true right now like “I’m sitting on my couch,” “The light is coming through the window,” “I’m breathing.” This helps your brain return to the present.

2. Soothe the senses. Wrap yourself in a blanket, sip something warm, play music that feels grounding, or step outside to feel the air on your skin. Safety lives in the senses.

3. Move the energy. Shake out your hands, walk around the room, or do a few gentle stretches. This helps release the fight/flight charge that builds up when we feel powerless.

4. Connect. Text a friend, join an online community, or reach out for professional support. Isolation makes threat feel bigger. Connection shrinks it!

5. If you are in crisis: call or text 988 for immediate support. You don’t have to be suicidal to call, it’s a space for anyone feeling overwhelmed or unsafe.

Remember: your reaction makes sense. You are not overreacting. You are responding to instability in your environment, and your body is trying to protect you.

Finding Compassion in a Time of Uncertainty

We’re all doing our best to keep it together. Some quietly, some visibly. The person who cuts you off in traffic, the grocery cashier who looks distracted, the parent snapping at their kid in line all might be fighting their own invisible battles with fear and scarcity.

If you can, offer yourself and others a little extra compassion. You don’t have to carry everyone’s pain, but you can move through this world a little softer, a little slower, and with the awareness that we’re all trying to survive the same storm in different boats.

If This Resonated

Keep checking in with yourself. Keep breathing. Keep reaching out for help when you need it. You’re not weak for feeling tired or anxious. You’re human in a system that keeps asking us to endure.

And if you’re one of my clients reading this, know that I see you. If your schedule feels tight or your capacity is low, we can adjust. We can work together to help you find safety in your body, even when the world outside feels unpredictable.

You deserve stability, softness, and peace. Not because you’ve “earned” it, but because you’re human.