Batteries Not Included
Batteries Not Included is a 1987 American fiction film and one of my favourite films.
It’s a comic science fiction film directed by Matthew Robbins. Apartment block tenants seek the aid of alien mechanical life-forms to save their building from demolition. My brother loved science fiction growing up and so I am proud to say that this is one of the science fiction films he introduced me to. The story fitted the narrative of bullying at school that I had at the time. I would have loved someone, anyone, to have stopped the bullying, I often dreamt of alien or out space figure saving me and taking me to a land far away. This provided me with a bit of escapism from my growing anxiety about attending school. When I left school that is when it felt like life was worth living, celebrating and ever since my batteries have been charged to learn and develop my skill base.
I notice with Brexit and the whirlwind of living in a big city like London, my batteries do run on a lack of juice. When this happens, I know it is time to put some self-care in place.
Surviving to most of us will feel mundane and may be a learnt way of coping with our external reality.
Surviving may be all we can do or maybe a motto passed down to us through our cultural heritage or original family group. I began a few months ago banning watching the news and reading newspapers at home. I could see that my body had an anxious reaction absorbing the world's chaos. I could also see this in my therapy room that clients came in with the world on their shoulders. Questions of ”are we in or out” of course affects both us personally and professionally. All of us now just want a firm decision, but this won’t protect us from the emotions and physical sensations stirred by Brexit, or indeed what is happening in the world around us.
From the beginning of May whenever I have had a thought about Brexit or the world chaos around us, I put one pound in my Brexit Fine jar.
I have been amazed at how many times a day it plays on my mind. I. am privileged to be a UK citizen so if I am anxious about what in or out means, imagine how someone without that privilege are feeling. Can those raising their intolerant voices please take note. I also feel an ethical responsibility not to side with those that have been voicing their xenophobic voices.
When I am working with cultural difference in the therapy room, I put two rolled towels in the room, one towel joins the client and my chair together at either side. This creates an egg like shape. I ask the clients to write on post it notes all the aspects from the outside world they do not want to integrate into their everyday. I then proceed by asking them all the things that they think are important in our work together. This supports the client to develop coping mechanisms but also empowers them to make firm choices about what they let into their mind, body and heart. To nourish their inner world, whilst our outer world is still in this state of extreme chaos and confusion.
I wonder what attachment style our world leaders have. I am not sure they are making decisions for us that makes sense, certainly not making ones that look after our well-being or emotional needs. Therapy is there to take care of this. Though, I would actively encourage clients to volunteer in social action projects to feel they are making a difference in the world. Rather than doing what feels like rowing a boat waiting to get back to dry land.