Coping with Current Events
Like many people right now, I’ve had a lot of emotion over current events. There seem to be so many terrible things happening, and it can be hard not to get pulled into despair about the state of the world. One way that I cope is by continuing to do my own inner work. I recently listened to a podcast in which Elizabeth Lesser was talking to Brene Brown (Unlocking Us episode 10/28/20 ) about “innervism” as a balance to activisim. She talked about both being necessary: inner healing to address our shadow, and outer work as an activist for causes that are important to us. This combination is important so that we don’t overly project our own issues onto others or become the things we may feel we need to fight against. This really resonated with me, as I often find that I get most emotional or triggered about social and world issues that reflect my own wounds. I want to confront the issues outwardly, while ensuring that I am coming from a place of healing rather than destruction. Lesser talks in the podcast about how many activists get burned out because they are fueled by rage or despair, and keeping those alive within ourselves over a long period of time is not healing or sustainable.
In my experience, it is hard but necessary work to keep examining my own emotions and stories, to be willing to confront any shadows or darkness in myself so that I come into greater integrity. To do this, I use a process of self-reflection, meditation, energy healing and therapy. It is a frequent practice for me to notice I’m getting upset about something, to then engage in self-soothing and turn inward to ask myself, ‘What is being triggered here?’ I listen for the answer and use my energy healing tools to work with whatever comes up. I do what I can on my own, and then talk with my therapist, who is also a trained medical intuitive, to get additional insight and energy healing support. I have been doing this process for over 20 years now! It is helpful to me in my personal relationships, in my work, in my daily activities, and in my media consumption. What I’ve noticed over time is that I have more and more awareness of what my triggers are and what they are related to, and this allows me to practice more discernment in when and how I engage with certain issues. The psychological term for this is developing an “observing ego.” Essentially I have strengthened my observing ego, the part of my mind that can observe my emotions without getting too sucked in, to the point that I can generally stay grounded even when a big trigger comes my way. It’s safe to say that I’ve needed a really strong observing ego lately, and some days I feel stronger than others.
What about you? What practices do you engage in to balance your innervism and activism? Do you incorporate self-talk, meditation, energy healing, therapy or other practices into your daily life? If so, you may be interested in some of the meditations on my website. If you decide to listen, I would love to hear whether it was helpful for you!
Carolina is an active and proud member of the Sensitive Empowerment Community! Learn more about this wonderful group through Julie Bjelland’s website at https://www.fatfreecartpro.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=342244&c=ib&aff=383793. There are numerous free and paid resources designed to support Highly Sensitive People on this site!
