Since the election, I’ve heard from many overwhelmed with the horror that is the Trump administration. People want to help, but where to start? I get it. Women’s rights to make the most basic decisions about their heath are even more threatened, immigrants and refugees are being scapegoated, hate crimes are way, way up…I could go on. It is overwhelming and exhausting and scary, and it makes me cry. Every damn day.

The idea, expressed many times over the course of the convention weekend, that there is a lane for each of us especially resonates with me.

Every one of us is needed in this movement. You have something to offer, even if you haven’t been active in the past. There are many ways to help. Not everyone will do the work of Carmen, or Linda, or Tamika, but we can all contribute. If you’re shy and the thought of phone banking gives you a rash, you could try text banking. I’ve done this—with people and alone at home in  my jammies. It’s the perfect resistance activity for introverts. Or, if you like to cook, feed the resistance. I was at a rally in Berkeley a few months ago where people were giving away water and food that had been donated by local businesses. Another group set up a meditation area that was an oasis of calm for me and many others, I’m sure. There are so, so many things we can do.

If you’re overwhelmed and have no idea where to even begin, I can say this: just start somewhere. Yes, it’s scary, and everything is urgent, but you can pick one issue that means the most to you and work on it. Because your passion will lead you to your most heartfelt work. So that when you’re talking to someone, for example, about the need for a clean Dream Act, your sincerity and compassion will show and hopefully inspire others.