It’s been a heavy and overwhelming few weeks in the world with all the suffering in Palestine and Israel…
Not to mention the YEAR in general that’s been…
In Canada where I am, we’ve had unprecedented wildfires from the ongoing climate crisis, people reeling from inflation, anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric that many of us thought we’d long seen the end of, and the government about to pass a ridiculous national “ag-gag” law to try to keep advocates from exposing rampant animal abuse on farms across the country.
It’s enough to take you down for the count.
Or make you feel like you want to take somebody else down for the count. 😉
A lot of folks will say the answer is to stop watching/reading/listening to the news. Even though I do recommend limiting your news intake to very consciously chosen times, I think it’s so necessary in our roles as responsible global citizens to be aware of what’s happening in the world around us. Putting our heads in the sand is not a sustainable option.
So, what do you do with the very natural sadness, rage, fear, or hopelessness that can come up when tuning into what’s happening in the world?
You PROCESS the pain.
What this means is when you have a strong emotional reaction to the news, instead of sliding down the rabbit hole and amassing more and more distress and indignation, you PAUSE and go inward so you can deal with the feelings.
You see, there are no “wrong” emotions, but what you do with those emotions is what will determine if you’re going to be a healing or a wounding force in this world.
If you don’t regularly process emotional pain, it can lead to all sorts of unfortunate patterns like judging, paralysis, blaming, closing yourself off, and attacking.
On the other hand, working through the pain takes it out of the driver’s seat so you’re able to respond with loving and powerful action instead… whether that be petitioning your political representatives, initiating thoughtful bridge-building conversations with friends and family, launching a fundraising initiative, or simply committing to learning more.
The big problem is that we’re not taught in this society HOW to process pain, so here are some quick and simple practices you can start with…
WRITE IT OUT
Pour out all the overwhelming feelings onto paper. No censoring. No trying to be diplomatic or to see the “gift” in things (that comes later). It’s just the raw unfiltered feelings. You can swear, blame, or express utter anguish. Write until you feel like you’ve gotten some of the pain out of you and onto the page.
Then, with the energy and intent of letting go and creating space, rip up the paper (with great ferociousness OR with an energy of quiet surrender). This will be a cue to the body to start to relax its contracted state and open again.
BREATHE INTO IT
Locate where in your body the sensation of emotional pain feels most intense. Is it in the heart, the throat, or the upper stomach? Notice the quality of the sensation… does it feel tight, aching, frenetic, or heavy?
I know this will feel a little counter-intuitive, but I want you to take 5 big, long breaths right into that pain and then relax or soften the body on the exhale.
At first, it might feel like you can’t handle the overwhelming discomfort of being in this sensation, but the amazing thing is once you start doing this regularly, you will start to feel a releasing of the pain.
As one of my favourite teachers, Pema Chodron says: “When you face pain directly she will give you an ointment.”
Eventually, it would be great to work up to sitting and trying this process for 5 minutes.
MOVE THROUGH IT
Play a piece of music that amplifies the strong emotion that you’re carrying and let yourself move in this energy (whether your movements are frantic, heavy, or aggressive). Breathe fully into the feeling and let it all come up and move your body. Give in completely to the energy for a couple of minutes.
You can then switch to the intention of releasing the pain. Use big energetic motions to move the pain out of you.
Imagine breaking out of the cage of that pain or shaking it out of you. Creating a little space each day to process your emotional reactions to what’s happening in the world will free you to be the solution rather than the problem on this aching planet.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Hugs, Kimberly
