The World of Uncertainty
Well here we are in a very interesting place in history. Our current president has withdrawn from the 2024 election and endorsed V.P. Kamala Harris as the candidate for the Democratic ticket. The secret service director Kimberly Cheatle just resigned after the questionable handling of the security at a rally where Republican candidate Donald Trump was almost assassinated. It’s the Wild Wild West out there and it might feel as if everything known is rapidly changing.
Anxiety is flowing all over the place in the news, and trying to find truth amongst both sides seems to be the real struggle. People are filled with a plethora of emotions including anger, excitement, empowerment, disappointment, fear, anxiety, panic, etc. The News and both polarized parties are doing their best to place fear in voters about what our world is going to look like if either of our current candidates take over office. It’s seriously just a $%&@ Show! Ugh…so how can you calm your anxious minds and bodies?
Stop watching the news continuously! Check facts before posting on social media and or believing that everything you see posted is true! It’s very unnerving for many and the tension in family rooms, and on social media is felt by all. Families are feeling the divide more than ever. I hear stories all day long about the impact that having an opinion has on family members, not to mention the assumptions family members make when people in their family don’t share the same political views. It’s a crazy time. There is an undercurrent of distress among so many right now.
Strategies for Coping
If you suffer from anxiety, the news is definitely not your friend right now! While it’s important to be informed it’s also imperative that you ensure where the information is coming from. The media controls the narrative, leaving people confused and unsure what to do. I think this can be said for all media, Left and Right, influenced by intentions and messages that fit their agenda. Here are some strategies that I hold fast to during times like this:
- Minimize social media time by setting a timer and determining a specific amount of time you desire to scroll
- Limit news intake, political podcast consumption, and other sources of information to a designated few per week
- Avoid political discussions with family members that will only cause more discourse (I personally placed a No Politics rule in our family group chat.)
- Fill your mind with learning and other positive sources that lead to growth and stimulate energy and excitement
- Lean into hobbies and things that bring peace to your mind, body and spirit
- Exercise and find ways to get anxious energy expelled from your body
- Find activities that fill and restore your soul such as being on or around water, the ocean, mountains and lakes
- Spend time journaling, reflecting, and creating space for mindfulness
- Breathe and take time to reset your nervous system before opening your mouth or responding quickly to a post, email, or verbally to a family member
- Assume generous intention in everyone regardless of whether they share similar views, and open your mind to curiosity
We’re All In This Together
We are all imperfect humans who are just trying to live our lives with some sense of peace, joy, safety, and gratitude. We all have our triggers and different beliefs that cause us to fall from connection and safety to a place of anxiety and fear or immobilization with hopelessness and powerlessness. Keep in mind that our humanity is something we all are fighting for. We all have strong convictions and reasons why we believe what we believe. In a world where there are many perspectives…try to embrace a little more curiosity, vulnerability, and uncertainty rather than dig your heels into your certainty!