I find myself deeply affected by stories in the news. It seems I can hardly process one upsetting story before the next thing happens, sending me spiraling out of sorts. Some of my friends recommend I stop listening to the news, but I want to remain aware of what is going on around me. How do I cope with this world of ours, without hiding under a rock?
Gwen’s Response:
Generally the way we respond to the news is similar to the way we process things in our lives we do not like. The answer is not in avoiding the news or avoiding life, but rather to become strong and grounded within ourselves so we are not so easily destabilized by events outside of ourselves.
An emergency room doctor could not do her work well if she freaked out at seeing the pain in another, or was immersed in outrage at the fact that someone did this to her patient.
As we recognize our ego reacting we can notice that and then notice what we are doing to our body and with our energy. Are we going into contraction and putting out a lot of angry energy? Are we reacting to our own old hurts? How does that help us or the world?
This is not to say that we are cold or lacking in compassion. We can feel sadness and grieve for the pain in the world. At an even more evolved level, we can ask ourselves what upsets us most about what we are seeing/hearing….it is unfair, it is cruel, it is hurtful, it is wrong , mean, judgmental, and so on…and then honestly ask ourselves if we have ever been any of those things.
Bad things out there happen because individual or groups feel they are right, or because they are angry. How do we conduct ourselves when we are angry? Do we go on the attack or do we try to see things from the other’s perspective.
While we may be more accommodating to those we love and care about, how are we when we really don’t care about someone we feel has harmed or offended us?
The universe is a mirror. It reflects macro-cosmically what is going on in the microcosm of individuals. None of us is so pure that we are without shadows.
So when events in the news trigger us, we can allow ourselves to feel all of those feelings, acknowledge the sadness and pain, but then to send healing, and ask our higher selves to help us to ensure that we are not, consciously or unconsciously, engaging in words or behaviours that add to the negative energies of the world.
Detoxify Your Body and Mind MP3
