How to stay informed and stay sane

Hello friends!

I'd love to say that this post could solve all of the stress and strife that so many are experiencing reading the news these days.

But it is not that kind of post.

We are in a stressful time and a post of there-there-now rhetoric would only be a band-aid.

At this point, we all need to learn to calm our emotions and be able to stay informed, at intervals, with world events.

Not only for our own mental health, but because we are being asked to step up and move from pain to power amidst the changing landscape of this country and this world.

Now... onto today's post.

If you're like me, you read the news and then the news promptly wallops you over the head with the enormity of the problems we're all facing.

Issues feel insurmountable in a way that they haven't to me before. I don't even want to name the issues here because I know that just bringing up these topics can feel overwhelming.

I believe that the media related stress many of us are experiencing are the feelings of:

• helplessness

• despair

• empathy for others' suffering

• lack of control

• exhaustion

• fury

• confusion

• panic

• secondary pain and trauma

That is one stressful daily cocktail.

And we're not living in a world of sensationalism; the mayhem feels real.

The other half - and often unrealized part - of the stress you may be experiencing are the stories we continue to replay over and over again in our mind’s eye about what's happening.

If you’ve been emotionally sideswiped by an image or an article on social media, you may not know the full story of what’s actually happening behind that image or article.

Often we take a part of the story and imagine it further into a future of fear, despair, horror, and tragedy in the most nervous-system-rattling way.

*Everybody take a deep breath innnnn ... and ... ouuuuut ... *

I've decided that - for me - it doesn't feel right to stop reading the news.

I want and need to know what the heck is going on.

I know many of you are with me on that decision.

I've also decided that I place a high value on my mental and emotional health.

I'm sure many of you are with me on that too.

So, I have suggestions on how to stay informed and stay sane:

Today we're going to start with some emotional/energetic first aid.

Use these tips when you're in a state of spiraling freak out, when you feel catatonic, when you feel the floor dropping out, when you're panicking.

You need to get BACK into your body, stat.

1. Name the colors of things.

If you’re deep into a story in your mind, it’s likely that you’re not fully present in your body or in the room you’re in. You’re in your mind - in the tragedy - the despair - the story. Naming the colors of things will bring you back to your surroundings.

Here’s how you do it:

Look at your environment. Look at three different objects and name the colors of those things. Then take a breath and repeat.

For example: "The couch is brown. The computer is silver. The pillow is blue. I am here." Inhale… exhale…

Then you do it again: "The banana is yellow. The paper is white. The shoe is black. I am here." Inhale… exhale…

Keep going until you’ve brought yourself out of panic and back to now. Back to the room you’re in. Back to the present moment.

2. Tap on the center of your heart and breathe.

If you’re feeling highly distressed, if you’re spinning out, if you’re crying and you can’t seem to stop, tap on the center of your chest and breathe in for a count of five and out for a count of five.

Keep tapping and breathing in for five and out for five until you calm down. If you want to take it to the next level, think of someone you love and send them appreciation as you tap. Imagine beaming the appreciation energy right out of your heart to them.

3. Get up and move.

I will always suggest exercising here, but if exercising feels too hard or too anxiety-inducing, then go take the dog for a walk, do something active with the kids, walk back and forth and shake your hands out, use your hands to brush your whole body off, take a shower.

Move and shift your energy from sitting still and mulling over negative thoughts to moving and getting back to the here and now. Plus the endorphins will give you a boost towards feeling more positive (which is why I always suggest exercise first).

Okay. Those were the suggestions for your IMMEDIATE CARE NEEDS.

Next time we'll get into the systems and habits you can start creating so that you can cope with the news and world events long term.

Did you find this helpful? Do you do something else that helps you feel calm? Reply to this email or tell me in the comments wherever you're reading.

If this post helped you, please share it with someone you know who may need help staying sane in the world right now.

Big, warm, resilient hugs to you from me, Rebecca*