Are you feeling angry these days? Politics, unpunished abuse of children, the squashing of the Mueller report? William Barr unrecusing himself from the Epstein case bother you? How about the abuse and neglect of women and children at the border? We now have internment camps in our name. We pay for them with our tax dollars. We paid for the Republican military fourth of July promo. How about Trump's continual impunity? His rants. McConnell's protecting him in exchange for all that money his wife helps herself to by fixing government regulations that enrich her family business? Then there's Prince Kushner, his son in law, please don't get me started on him.
There is no end to the things that can make us angry these days, and I haven't even mentioned the person issues you might be coping with - at home and at work.
So how to cope with this? When is anger healthy and when is it hurting you?
If you have some anger you want to get out here, fine. People can help. If you want to talk about how you are dealing with anger, that's fine too.
I've been a dancer of one kind or another since the age of 4. It helped me through all my childhood traumas/abuse, a first marriage to a narcissistic sociopath, and many other trials and tribulations.
I recommend dance, in any form! For me I find tap and flamenco particularly helpful. I visualize the heads of people who are annoying me underneath my stamping feet.
If you can't dance, maybe sing, or really any other creative outlet. I also sing, and I find it puts me in an almost meditative state, especially if I'm singing with a chorus.
I walk the beach and talk to God and Monica. It's amazing what an out loud conversation while in mother nature can do for you to help sort things out and put them in perspective. Since I'm rather house bound with taking care of two failing parents, I substitute floating in the pool to meditate or just be.
I try to keep in mind, I can only change myself and the way I react to things. I remind myself that how others treat us is their Karma, how we react is ours.
Laura F. and Cindy,
I enjoyed these two posts very much. I dance too, buts its more that kind of improvisations moving with music to center myself into joy and feel the beauty and rhythm within of still being able to move far more easily to music when 40 years of arthritis have made normal walking, bending or even getting out of bed challenging so many times.
Music transports me to a different space in time where the energies shift and fluidity and balance returns.
And Cindy, oh yes! I talk to all if my loved ones that are no longer in this realm almost every day.
That connection of heart and spirit is all the proof I need to know that there is more than just this world in my life
Hi everyone, and thank you Jeanne for posting this. I am angry, I have been angry for a long time. What makes me most angry is seeing the reaction of people around me to the news. As a former child refugee myself the thought of what's going on now at the border is bone chilling - I don't even think I have the capacity to feel everything fully at the moment - I've numbed it. I'm extremely angry at ordinary people who don't care, people who either look away, make excuses or say outright that they don't care. Those people make me want to physically assault them. I haven't and won't physically hurt anyone, but the urge is there to shake them into some humanity. Sometimes when I need to breathe I go for a walk around fresh pond after work - I'll probably do that today. Tomorrow me and my husband are planning on attending the lights for liberty vigil in the evening. I have a feeling I'll cry then, but hopefully some good will come from the action. I've also started seeing a therapist, who is wonderful and very helpful. She listens to me vent and that soothes me.
I have seen other posts about Trump being stronger. Yet, I don´t remember so many things happening against him at the same time: Epstein, more women coming up with testimonies of Moron´s abuses and rapes, the census question, the children at the border, Mueller, more people on Twitter talking about dementia, the candid ambassador, his failing trading war, and so on, and so forth. It makes one think that if everybody stopped talking about him, he would die. He seems stronger exactly because he craves it, the chaos, as do the yahoos who voted for him.
Here is a link to Lights for Liberty Vigil info:
https://www.lightsforliberty.org/
There are more than 500 scheduled worldwide for tomorrow, July 12.
I was planning to go to the one here in San Ysidro, but circumstances have once again conspired against me...
It looks like they are up to over 750 demonstrations listed for Lights of Liberty. I found a link for virtual participation since I don’t live in the US. Even if I can’t be there in person, I can light a candle and send positive energy to those who are participating.
I feel like I keep swinging between anger and extreme sadness at all of the horrible things that this administration is doing. It is jarring and traumatic and I don’t even live there!
I remind myself that nothing is permanent and even they will not live forever but in the midst of the outrages and evil, it is hard to stay calm and focused. Meditation is helping. It is a way to send energy to those who will help us find a way out of the madness.
I feel anger and despair. The wheels of justice turn sooo <effing> slowly, as to favor those who are lawless. I see "friends" and co-workers who support our President and his policies. People who I thought had good hearts. Maybe they do.....but when I look at the suffering that is being caused by this administration, am I just "enlightened"? Do they really have good hearts? Should I keep my relationships with people like this because I "think" they are good people? Or should I remove them from my life as their moral compass and mine don't intersect?
It truly feels like Spirit has abandoned humanity. I know this isn't true, but it sure feels like it. Where is the justice? Why does it take so long? And when it arrives, it won't ever be fair to those impacted.
Did the Rust Belt feel that Justice hadn't been done? Is that why they supported Trump? Did Middle America feel a lack of Justice (for whatever injustices they felt have been perpetrated upon them) hence supported Trump? Is their anger/vileness against minorities, LBGTQ groups, Black Lives Matter, etc based upon the fact that these groups are organizing and demanding Justice? Is this whole era about I suffered and you need to suffer too? Is it really a lidless crab pot, where one crab tries to climb out to freedom and invariably another crab or several grab onto it and pull it back into the pot (hence why it doesn't need a lid....<courtesy of Terry Pratchett>)?
I can't stand hypocrisy. I can't stand people who lack integrity, yet....apparently.....nearly half of this country has zero issue with it....so long as they are "winning".
I agree with so much in your post (under Situation unraveling for Trump). I was in high school during many of the big movements of the 60’s. Over the years, I told myself that as women we’ve made great strides – which is only partly true, because I never really faced the hidden misogyny. I guess that I wasn’t unlike my mom and aunt – I remember as a child hearing them discuss a married woman they knew. They couldn’t understand what she had to complain about. My aunt remarked, “at least he doesn’t hit her.” When I heard that, I felt terrible. I was just a little kid, but I knew something was wrong with that remark. Why would they be willing to settle for so little? And yet, as I look back, there were times when I settled for so little. And wondered why I was so damn angry!
And now we have an immoral, sadistic, misogynistic president. He wears it like a badge of honor. It pains and angers me that so many white women voted for him. And some will vote for him again.
I really admire the work you are doing as a therapist. I’m sure it’s quite challenging now. I’d venture to guess that if you end up working with a T**** supporter, it might be a good thing. Let’s face it – most of us enter therapy because something is amiss in our lives. We’re not feeling well emotionally and/or spiritually. So it’s possible that through your work, you might also help to open a mind, and soften a heart.
I was seeing a therapist back in 2016, and had an appointment with her three days after the election. She was part of a large women’s group practice, and you could feel the sadness as you entered the building. I felt raw, and talked primarily about the election. Then I saw the big tears in her eyes, which I acknowledged. She apologized, stating that she should really be there for me. The thing is, she was there for me. And I told her so. And we cried together.