Are Politics Making You Sick? How to Overcome Headline Stress Disorder

www.catherinecarrigan.com

Yesterday I did a medical intuitive reading with a client from Asheville, North Carolina, who had been experiencing ringing in the ears, insomnia and fear.

A holistic healer herself, she had already done everything she could think of as well as consulted several other practitioners but decided to call me after several bad nights of insomnia.

I talked to her about how tinnitus or ringing in the ears is often a symptom of stage 2 of overgrowth of the yeast infection candida albicans.

She admitted her digestive system had been a mess recently, and I pointed out that the stress hormone cortisol is known to affect the inflammatory response in the body as well as the overgrowth of yeast and other opportunistic infection.

But then we began discussing the real bugaboo, which was politics.

She admitted that in her mind she had been seeing our current president as the latest incarnation of the Star Wars character Darth Vader and had been concerned how potential changes in national health care policy might affect reimbursements for her practice in holistic healing.

Not only has she herself been suffering from personal concerns, on a daily basis she has been treating clients who spew forth their angst, despair and disappointment about the outcome of the 2016 election.

My client in Asheville and the people she treats in her holistic clinic are not alone.

Steven Stosny, a therapist in Maryland, wrote an article in The Washington Post proclaiming that while many Americans had been suffering from “election stress disorder,” we’re now having to cope with a kind of “headline stress disorder.”

Here’s what I recommended for the holistic healer in Asheville:

1. Take a two-week break from reading the news. “In general your nervous system is cranked up,” I said to her. “When we are normal and healthy, we alternate between the sympathetic and parasympathetic. You are stuck in the stress.” If you find yourself stuck in the stress, take a break from informing yourself. The world will go on while you pull yourself back together.
2. Get more help with your emotions. Although she herself maintains a regular practice of journaling, meditation, qi gong and tai chi, as excellent as those self-care routines can be, it simply wasn’t enough. If you find yourself feeling anxious or depressed, give yourself permission to get help.
3. Affirm that your own economy is independent of what’s going on at the national level. It’s easy to fall into the worry, especially when we hear so many other people talking about how political changes may affect their personal situation, whether it be their immigration status, their health insurance or their ability to make money. “You are a survivor,” I told my client, who totally agreed. “See that you are strong and resilient enough to handle whatever happens.” A good affirmation for this situation might be, “MY ECONOMY IS GREAT NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING ANYWHERE ELSE.”
4. When your friends and clients talk about how worried they are about politics, allow the energy to pass you by. Evading negativity is one of the basic principles of tai chi, of which my client, a tai chi practitioner, was well aware. She even quoted a person in China who consulted a sage during a time of turmoil. “It’s going to pass,” the sage advised. You can stay out of the drama by telling your friends that you choose to live in the light and they can also.
5. “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem,” Captain Jack Sparrow. When you know that people are around you are upset, do your best to keep your own energy clear. Stay out of the drama. If you are an energy healer, maintaining a high vibratory state inside yourself is crucial. Our vibration drops when we fall into worry, hopelessness and gloom, doom and disaster. We don’t just share our techniques when we practice healing work, we transmit our own personal energy. Because we are all human, we must notice when we fall into negativity and do whatever is necessary to shift back into a state of inner peace.
6. Rewrite your story. If you notice that you are telling yourself a negative story, (e.g., “Darth Vader has taken over and my practice is going to hell.”) then rewrite it. Begin by writing on paper the negative story you are telling yourself about what you think is happening. Then reread it. Where ever you find thoughts that elicit a troublesome response inside yourself, rewrite the story. Keep rewriting your story until you feel nothing but peace when you read it. Keep the truth just leave out the worry, anger, despair and hopelessness. This is so important because the story our minds tell ourselves creates our internal chemistry. You can change your neurotransmitters and immune response simply by telling yourself a story that gives you hope.
7. Every morning, say a prayer to bless your work space. If you know that people are going to be telling their “ain’t it awful” stories, set them up to come to a place of tranquility. I learned the importance of this while I was studying natural healing. My mentor Sue Maes once asked us what we do to keep our healing rooms clear. My own healing studio is full of orchids, natural light from the giant windows looking out over my organic garden and sometimes essential oils that I diffuse. Sue pointed out that only energy can clear energy, and that we must say a prayer every morning to clear our space before we go to work. To my client in Asheville, I recommended this prayer: HEAVENLY FATHER, I CALL IN THE WHITE LIGHT OF PROTECTION THE BLUE LIGHT OF HEALING AND THE GOLDEN LIGHT OF TRANSFORMATION. I ASK THAT THIS HEALING SPACE BE GUARDED AND PROTECTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL LIVING BEINGS. AMEN.”
8. Every evening, say another prayer to clear the energy. Stand in the middle of your room and point to all four corners of the room as you move your hand counter clockwise to clear the energy. Say this prayer: “HEAVENLY FATHER, I CALL ON THE FORCES OF NATURE TO CONVERGE TO BALANCE ALL DETRIMENTAL ENERGIES AND INCREASE ALL BENEFICIAL ENERGIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL LIVING BEINGS. I ASK THAT THIS BE DONE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.”

When we fall into the energy field of anxiety and worry the effects can be as detrimental as shaking hands with a person suffering from pneumonia.

What is healing? Healing happens when you keep your own energy clear by staying out of the drama. Be the lighthouse, not the tide that goes in and out.