According to a poll conducted by the APA between January 4 to 19, 57% of Americans stated that the political climate resulted in a significant increase in their stress level. According to the same survey, they stated on their website: “… social media appears to affect Americans’ stress levels when it comes to politics and the related topics. Nearly 4 in 10 adults (38 percent) say that political and cultural discussions on social media cause them stress. In addition, adults who use social media are more likely than adults who do not to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress (54 percent vs. 45 percent, respectively)”

So can politics in the Trump era actually be considered a stressor, meaning a cause for stress? You bet! Here in this article, I would like to show you few steps to keep your mental and emotional balance. Regardless of political turmoil in this era or the next or social media or main stream media being the source of stress, these steps can be taken to alleviate it or minimize the impact of stress on your body and overall wellbeing.

Here are my suggestions:

1.    Changing of perception:

We have tendency to be more stressed when we feel helpless and feel the situation is hopeless. Changing of perception is extremely important when you are looking at a situation that is causing you stress. Changing our perception helps us to see the situation not only not negatively, but focus on its positive side. For example, when it comes to the political era, Americans from all levels, whether elected officials or on the other side of isle can see the opportunity and a great occasion to make changes needed for the country that can be extremely beneficial for all in the long run.

For example, this is a time when finally, more Americans are awake and getting involved and engaged,forming a great solidarity in a peaceful manner to contribute by taking a stand for their country’s political health and wellbeing. In other words, look at it through the prism of a very positive lens, not negative.

Change perspective of the situation to reduce the feeling of stressfulness. Changing of one’s perception of the situation by looking at this era asan opportunity of a lifetime to make good things happen, by the people for the people.

2.    Get involved,

Helplessness and hopelessness are mentioned as two of the main reasons we feel overly stressed. When we feel as if we are being cornered and there is nothing we can do to change the situation. This cannot be further from the truth. After all, we can participate in peaceful protests, go to town hall meetings and help our representatives to see our point of view and change the situation in a way that is positive for the community as whole.

 Or if you are on the other side of the history, by listening to other points of view, you can come to a mutual understating. Going on social media and expressing your views or calling radio hosts or your local media and others to express your views can be helpful in reducing not only your stress and anxiety, but helping the country move in the right direction.

 If you are not that type of person to get involved, write your feelings, paint, write poems, play music volunteer. In other words, find an outlet to get these toxic stresses out, so it does not damage your health and your body.

I have written in my book of “Holistic Approach to stress management “how to manage your stress using various methods. You can purchase the book, by emailing a request.

 In addition, I write continuously about many issues of stress. By visiting this site and following suggestions or reading about studies. You can keep your self in good mental and emotional balances.

.So regardless of who is in the White House, or issues regarding gun control or wars, you do not need to get stressed. But, getting involved is the way to go. Because stress as you may have already known leads to many health issues and problems, including cardiovascular and autoimmune disease and cancer, making the situation even much worse on personal level.

3.     Prayer and meditation play an extremely important role in mental health. Recently, we published on our site the article written by Sara Lazar, an instructor at Harvard and one of the pioneer researchers in mind-body medicine. Her research and findings shows how meditation can change our brain structure in positive ways after 8 weeks of following mindful meditation.

 What I find personally helps me enormously, especially being an Iranian-American Muslim, in these tumultuous times, is trusting wholeheartedly in the power of God. As we say in Farsi, you act and God gives His blessing based upon your actions. So by prayers and trust in God, and taking all peaceful steps necessary to change the country back to a healthy vibrant democracy, we can make it much better that it has been for a long time.

But, meanwhile know full well that regardless of what we do, never lose trust in God. Even if, you don’t believe in God, do not lose belief in karma or energy or the fact that there is something that is beyond our control that can change and transform our universe on earth.

So praying is another form of meditation. There are many forms of meditation. My favorite is prayer and mindfulness.

Choose a sentence or phrase from your prayers, regardless of what religion, as long as you are totally a believer. Keep repeating this phrase  or word over and over. What you do is like looking through a lens of a microscope at specific area while everything else is turned off. You are training your focus to zoom in one specific location or phrase.

In mindfulness, we are focusing our attention in everything we do every moment at any given time. Therefore, our mind stays focused on what is going on at the present moment, instead of looking in the past or future.  

When you meditate with prayer or focus on your breath. You do the same by bringing your total attention and zooming in to our breathing for a period of 1-2 minutes to several minutes up to15 -20 minutes per session.

Or the best approach is to be mindful in our everyday interaction and lifeusing all of our senses. Instead of simply focusing on one area, we can open up and pay attention to everything in the present moment. We are enlarging our entire view and take everything in. This can be as simple as walking in a forest. Paying attention to the sounds of chirping birds, water dripping, while smelling the freshness of air and feeling the great feeling of being alive and having the opportunely to take such a blissful walk, using all your senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, touching and even tasting. Completely absorb in this beautiful task whatever you choose it to be and do it for 10-20 minutes daily.

4.     Compassion and empathy.

One of the most important things to consider when dealing with a political situation or any stressful situation is trying to have compassion and empathy. Especially when people are so passionate about their cause that they dismiss the other side by labeling them as deplorable or white supremacists and the protestors as paid agents of Soros or Russian trolls or professional organizers etc. While there could be a very small insignificant chance and truth in these labels, the majority are concerned citizens. Conflicts can results when we label each other and dismiss concerns others have. Because once we label them,it becomes us, verses them.

Therefore, we lose our perspective and ignore all they stand for. Instead of understanding individuals from both sides . Looking at what we all have in common rather what makes us different. Try to inform them of the truth. If you perceive they are simply misguided, or brain washed .

 Once we realize that all of us regardless of color or heritage or religion have one desire, which is to have a safe country, safe schools and safe homes.. Where everyone’s rights are respected and the rule of is upheld.  Once we focus on our common problems the rest of our concerns become less of problematic and confrontational. Therefore it can be adjusted by simply working together as one body. So, to reach a level of compassion and empathy, we need to position ourselves in another person’s shoes and look at things from where they are standing.  Trying to understand how it feels if you were them and visa-versa.

5.     Let go of our ego

Ego is possibly the enemy within that can really kill and destroy the good in each one of us. When we allow our ego to take over, all we care is to be the one that has the last word, to be the most famous, the richest, etc. We become a slave to our inner self. I have written poetry about how important it is to go to a cemetery or take a stone or just look under our feet. Remember always, regardless of how important we are or not. We will become simply a speck of a dust we walk on. So why not keep this ego under control. Why not be good to each other and love one another as all true religions teach us. We are for the most part conceived because of love. Why not for once in the 21st century understand that we are not each other’s enemy.

 We don’t need to kill each other and be in war perpetually to prove we are better than others. We truly are equal as human beings and should believe this within ourselves first.

If we realize we said something that was wrong, apologize and do the right thing. If we are debating and realize our point is the wrong one, it is ok to let go. After all, not everyone knows everything. After all, we are human, we can make mistakes and as long as these mistakes are not costing lives, it is ok to accept and tame our ego and try to learn more about the issue. In Farsi there is a saying the more a tree bears fruit, the further tree bends. It is ok to acknowledge our shortcomings and let go by apologizing and helping each other grow instead of being the enemy of each other.

 These are few steps I suggest for reducing anxiety and stress level in this era of political turmoil. If you need more help, to reduce your stress. I suggest you get my book of “Holistic Approach to stress managements” currently available at the local book store in Grand rapids or you can email and send your request of how many books you need. We will contact you and get your credit and ship you the book.

Thanks for visiting www.curenaturally.org. Feel free to contact: 616-777-0608 if you have any questions.