I quit!
The news that is. I quit the news. Hearing these words are frightening; more so than just saying them. Now that I have your attention, allow me share why. Just like a five year old obsessing to learn everything about a subject of interest; be it dinosaurs, trees, or cars, (ask a five year old, they know all of the facts!), I was obsessing the same way with the news. Trying to learn all of the things to be knowledgeable, to be prepared. The end result was knocking me down a peg. With so much happening in the world, it becomes overwhelming at times! Sigh. Sometimes I felt like there is nothing that I could do to make a big difference. That kind of thinking is immobilizing! Sometimes I would wake up at three in the morning and try to think things through. It is weird how everything makes complete sense in the middle of the night; even if it is nonsense. That "once in a while" wake up became almost every night wake up. I would wake up with a sore jaw from clenching my teeth all night. I actually have a bone spur in my upper jaw from all of the clenching! The last straw was clenching my teeth so hard that I fractured my back molar and cracked another back molar. (Frankly, that is when I looked into remineralizing teeth. More on that in another newsletter). My dentist wants me to wear a night guard. It is currently sitting on my counter waiting for me to fit it properly. I will get there. But I want to know why?
Why was I clenching? It comes down to the news. Ever since World War II, there has been a campaign to keep fear on the front page. Fear sells, fear is at the forefront and fear gets talked about. "Did you see the news today?" The thing with fear, anger, anxiety or any negative emotion, is that our body does not know the difference between real or imagined fear. The body reacts the same way to you getting in a car accident say (please don't do that) and you remembering the car accident. In such a stressful situation, your blood supply will shutoff extraneous programs of, say, digestion and reproduction and favour the blood supply to critical areas like the heart and lungs; to get ready for the fight or flight that may be (or may not be) happening. Your heartbeat will be elevated and your breath will be shallow (mainly in your upper chest) and fast. You are in the sympathetic state. For me part of this state also included clenching my teeth.
So how does that get better, Michelle? I am so glad that you ask! You have tools in your toolbox that you may not even know about. Maybe you do know but have forgotten. Let me remind you. You have the power! You can start by limiting the negativity coming into your space. Don't waste your time and positive energy on negative people, thoughts or influences. You and your time are worth more than that. Limit your news and monitoring your news sources. So much of the news is a time waster, frankly. A perfectly typical example is: the news anchor introduces a a story and the reporter. The reporter introduces himself and repeats the news story synopses; then they may cut away to some footage also repeating same story; afterwards coming back to the reporter to wrap up the story with the similar synopses, they repeat who they are and hand in back to the anchor who makes some comment or joke about the story before cutting to commercial or moving on. It is very similar to reading a magazine; there are no teeth in the story, it is mainly fluff. I might have learned something but I only needed 5 seconds to do so. The rest is 25 seconds is time that I will never get back. This one story gets repeated throughout the day possibly with updated information. Then you have this same formula for all news in that hour or half hour also being repeated throughout the day. News is very similarly presented on all other common news stations. Watching all day news is a constant barrage keeping you in a sympathetic state whether you are aware of it or not. This news repeating has never been more clear than when you watch the "Daily Show" with John Stewart. (Maybe the new show with Trevor Noah does it too; I don't watch it, let me know if you know.) In the Daily Show there would be a news clip of something that they were pointing out, which was made into a compilation of different media outlets clips of the same story using the same sound bites...almost verbatim; it is frightening really. All this to say that limiting your exposure will help limit your thoughts going rogue. The same goes for watching frightening movies before bed; It is too exciting when you should be winding down. Imagine the chasing dreams that you will have.
Now I know that it sounds like I have my head in the sand like an ostrich by not watching the news and sometimes it is; sometimes I take that break and regroup. But if there is something that I really need to know, people will let me know. The city will call if I need to evacuate; the bank will text if there is a questionable transaction; and hopefully my neighbours will come around if they need help...you know where I live; you all know my phone number! And I do have alternative news sources that I can pick and choose the content and flip the page when I feel like it. And, importantly, put it down.
Aside from what you watch, how about unplugging completely (from wifi and social media, and all those email solicitation of whatever season that we are on) and saving some space and time for you. We spend so much of our energy on other people; we need to learn to put our oxygen mask on first...
When Hubby and I go camping, we try to remain in places with no cell phone reception. It works well if you are staying in one spot and not needing directions. For us, it is a calm respite to leave the phone in the car and go kayaking or go to a museum. To not be tethered....ah such freedom. We just got back from some R and R and let me tell you, my jaw doesn't hurt; I really feel like I am not clenching at night. Not that I can control what I am doing when I am sleeping but I can control what I do before bed which seems to be helping.
This may not be enough of an answer but it is a start. See what is calming for you. Camomile tea, a good book and a fireplace, a walk after dinner, the hot tub or yoga, there are so many avenues to go down. Try them out and see what suits you.
Another easy, yet powerful tool is your breath. We can control the way we breathe and when we breathe fast and shallow we will tell our bodies to be in fight or flight; to be in the sympathetic system. Like when we watch the news or a thriller or remember a traumatic event.
Change the Narrative If we want to calm our bodies then we need to breathe slower than 8 breaths per minute. Ideally 6 breaths / minute and use our diaphragmatic muscle to inhale not just out accessory muscles (the ones we typically use for shallow breathing). That way the air flows all the way to the bottom of your lungs. We can actively massage our vagus nerve and tell our brain that we are ok, there is no emergency, it is time to calm down. Now that is a tool with alot of power! And it is yours. Feel empowered.
It is so simple and effective. So simple that I forget to use it at three am and so effective that I forget to count after 6 -8 breaths because I am now asleep! Forget the sheep, count your breaths.
If you have any questions, email me. If you want to learn more then I invite you to join our breathing session. Check the calendar of events for more details.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for your entertainment only. I love to learn and I share what I have learned. Perhaps this is a good jump off point for you to explore and learn what is best for you. If you have any questions about breath work, the Yoga Trapeze or yoga asanas please email me and I will get back to you. If you have medical questions or need medical attention please seek a medical professional. Whatever information you find in my newsletters is never constituted as medical advice. Please read responsibly