Maintaining Inner Peace

The following is a piece I wrote for my mental health column in the local newspaper. I feel it would be appropriate for a blog because I know so many of us who are shaken to the core by this administration. And maintaining inner peace is super important right now. 

It is no secret that there is tension in the air. People are restless. People are nervous. Uncertainty is playing into our minds and unraveling our inner peace. As I am out and about, I hear others talk of their insecurities. Anxiety and depression are at an all-time high. Suicides are up 5% since January of 2025. According to an article posted on the Neuro Stim website, Mental Health Crisis in U.S. Politics, people are feeling constantly overwhelmed and emotionally drained with a lack of control over their future. They feel their fundamental rights are under attack and that leads to feelings of powerlessness and possible long-term emotional distress. It doesn’t help that 40% are ‘doom-scrolling’ on social media daily with 64% scrolling for political content.

There are ways to maintain your inner peace during these times:

·       Focus on what you CAN control. Your home life and job. Your daily habits and routines are so important now. You can control your emotions by realizing you are wasting positive energy if you are angry with something out of your control. Focus that emotion on something positive.

·       Leverage your personal strengths. What is it that you do exceptionally well? Art, craft, music, writing? Or is it helping others? Pull out your strengths and use them.

·       Be mindful of media consumption. Set a timer for how long you are on social media sites. Skip a day or two completely and see how you feel. Be aware if you are ‘doom scrolling’ and wasting time.

·       Practice Staying Present. Meditation, yoga and deep breathing will help you stay grounded, shifting your nervous system out of ‘fight or flight’ mode into a calmer, more focused state.

·       Reevaluate your priorities. Reassess what really matters. Make a list and place it where you can see it often, daily if needed.

·       Acknowledge grief and loss. With every change in your life there is some level of loss and therefore, grief. Be aware of what you feel as a loss and give yourself time and patience to acknowledge it and grieve it. Bottled up grief will eventually come out, usually as anger or profound depression.

·       Make self-care a priority. I have talked about self-care many times. It is not a selfish act to take time for yourself. It is a necessity. It helps you regroup, reset and refocus. Make time for ME time.

·       Tap into your support network. Be around like-minded people. If you want, get involved with a peaceful protest, help make signs for a protest if you are not up to be at one or simply be around those who think like you. It is a refreshing break. But remember, when someone disagrees with you, encourage empathy and maintain respect. If that is not achieved, then walk away because after all, you are protecting your inner peace.

And as always, if you need help or someone you know is in crisis, call 911 or 988.

Work Cited:

Mental Health Crisis in U. S. Politics, https://neurostimtms.com

Until next time…