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Spirit Matters: The long, complicated road to healing · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Spirit Matters The Long, Complicated Road to Healing. Written by Gerilyn Zavada
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  Novak and Spirit Matters. This article is being read by an automated
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  voice brought to you by Everlet. I know my thoughts this week
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  might not feel relevant to many out there, but I also know
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  there are quite a few others for whom they will hit deep.
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  This is for you.
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  Because I have such a sensitive nervous system, I have been sitting
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  here this morning trying to figure out why my body feels so
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  wacky, and what I can do about it.
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  I have spent the last several days consuming massive amounts of information
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  and commentary in the wake of Tuesday’s midterm elections. I have not
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  taken enough time away from scrolling to allow the weight of what’s
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  happened to, as one mental health professional put it, integrate into the
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  rest of my being.
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  Tuesday’s elections and their results created an enormous shift for many of
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  us who have been paying attention, under duress, for more than 10
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  years. Those of us who are empaths and/or sensory sensitive have, quite
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  literally, been living in survival mode that entire time. Every day we
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  have braced ourselves for what kind of horrific actions, cuts or policies
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  would be enacted by the federal government that would somehow harm us
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  or our fellow human beings.
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  Not only that, but our once trusted social networks have been fractured.
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  We have all been broken by disagreements and arguments with family and
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  friends we thought we would never lose.
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  This daily reality has gone on so long, we have adapted to
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  it in some ways, to the point where we don’t even realize
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  how far we have shifted from our own homeostatic point.
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  So Tuesday’s tidal shift on the nation’s political map and the reality
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  that the current president’s days are finally numbered in a concrete way,
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  created its own tidal shift on our nervous systems.
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  While many of us have felt outer relief, our bodies have minds
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  of their own and are trying to adjust to this sudden, hopeful
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  change in our reality. We might feel particularly fatigued, or moody, or
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  overwhelmed, as our inner and outer worlds try to readjust. I am
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  told this is not unlike what those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress
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  Disorder experience.
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  Recognize Tuesday’s results have implications for the entire world. Like it or
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  not, we live in a global village in the 21st century. And
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  what happens here, effects everyone else and vice versa. That should matter
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  to us.
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  I am guessing some of our international brothers and sisters, even though
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  they have not been here every day, are experiencing some of the
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  same symptoms, because they, too, have been living in fear and uncertainty
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  at how our government might upset their order.
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  How can we care for ourselves during this time?
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  First, be gentle with yourself.
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  What is happening to you is natural. Try to live as mindfully
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  in the moment as possible. Think kind thoughts, and remind yourself that
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  your body/mind has a remarkable capacity to heal in time.
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  Eat nourishing foods. Drink plenty of water. Get adequate sleep. Inasmuch as
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  possible, move your body.
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  Deep breathing and exercise are two of the fastest, most effective ways
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  to move stagnant energy out of your body. Go outside and feel
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  your place in the one, big web of life.
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  Journaling or other creative activities can also go a long way in
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  processing what your body is experiencing.
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  Try to scale back on media consumption. Many of us have become
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  accustomed to doomscrolling. We have lived until now not knowing if our
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  250-year-old democracy would or could survive.
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  The new Congress will not be perfect, and might not do everything
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  the way we think they should, but there will be some checks
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  and balances restored to this branch, where there have been none for
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  the past two years. That in itself gives us reason to breathe.
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  If necessary, don’t be afraid to seek help from a mental health
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  professional to sort out what you are experiencing. I promise you, they
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  have been working overtime with others experiencing similar issues. You are not
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  alone in trying to make sense of it all.
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  Finally, and most importantly, seek refuge in prayer and meditation, in whatever
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  way works for you. One thing that has remained constant this entire
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  time, and will remain constant is the underlying energy of Love Christ
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  Consciousness that maintains order in the universe.
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  When everything around us is chaotic, it is hard to remember that
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  truth. But we all know from previous personal challenges, we can look
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  back and see how that ordering principle of Love was there all
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  along, walking with us every step of the way, and ultimately ensuring
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  Love always endures.
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  This is one of those moments.
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  SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines
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  experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jayzblue33 at yahoo.com