Photo credit: Getty Images
During the long, caustic, divisive lead up to this election, many of us have writhed in agitation, anger and fear, a toxic emotional brew. For those on the losing end, resentment and bitterness may get tossed into the mix. As I write this, no winner for president has been declared, but, even after he is, many of us will remain distressed over the social and psychological aftershocks reverberating through our nation, and ourselves.
One need not be a shrink to pinpoint the corrosive catalysts—the political civil war, pandemic, economic pain, climate angst, a nail-biting election and the rest. Few are immune to these influences, although some manage to tune out all the heated noise and cloister in a bubble of “I don’t want to know.”
The damage from this sort of mental bile is routinely underestimated. Studies show emotional agitation, particularly the angry variety, instigates several unwelcome health impacts. For one, the next time you “lose it,” your immune system will be compromised for roughly four hours, leaving you more susceptible to illness. That’s no small vulnerability in our COVID-saturated world. What’s more, persistent agitation increases the risk of strokes, heart disease and early death. Also, these caustic feelings corrode mental well-being, sometimes leading to a nasty condition called “agitated depression.”
Obviously, the antidote is sufficient self-control to avoid being hijacked by these gnarly emotions. The popular myth is that if you count to ten, do some deep breathing, and put the triggering event out of your mind, you will quickly return to your normal state. But, after that initial burst of stress fades, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You have instigated a cascade of hormonal and neurochemical changes that will take considerable time to dissipate.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Every Episode Hurts
Even a single bellicose or agitated episode hurts well-being. Stack up a series—say a dozen in a day—and your body is repeatedly pummeled with stress hormones that, over time, wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. Emotions have consequences, so, if you’re getting emotionally lit up too often and too intensely, what can you do?
Well, traditional anger management programs fail most folks, primarily because they rely on rational thinking, and the cognitive brain is no match for the emotive one. Some focused breathing methods can shorten the duration of a “losing it” episode, but these treat the symptoms, not the cause; that being one’s emotional reactivity. Surprisingly, for many, the most effective approach proves spiritual rather than psychological. Agitation and angst often indicate the absence of a broader perspective on one’s self and life in general. We don’t use the term, “Put it in perspective,” for nothing. It can make a huge difference.
Now, the tiresome adage, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” sounds like good counsel, but when the stuff in question is truly large, like the fate of the republic, it’s hard to put this guiding principle into practice. Doing so requires growing one’s spirituality by cultivating a sense of meaning larger than one’s self, and by seeking a transcendent relationship with a higher power or philosophy. My own connection is with nature and the life force, but there are many paths to spirit.
Spiritual persons can release caustic feelings more readily because they possess a more expansive consciousness, one that incorporates a sense for the enigma of the universe, the miracle of life, the paradoxes and ironies of existence, the power of love, and the brief tenure of our lives. That doesn’t mean these folks don’t care. It means they care in a less self-harming way.
So, the next time you feel your blood boiling or your brain exploding, consider it a call to action, an unwelcome but important invitation to grow your spiritual awareness. Seek out and follow the paths you know take you there, be those religious practices, a faith community, communion with nature, sacred or philosophical readings, rituals, or whatever else transports you away from your ego and its many melodramas, and toward the biggest of big pictures.
Because perspective has the same effect on the mind as it does on the eyes.
For more, visit philipchard.com.
To read more Out of My Mind columns by Philip Chard, click here.
