The Blogs: Mind/Body connection during political challenges.

Our מצב, the situation we still find ourselves in, continues to challenge every aspect of our being. For us to cope, it is unrealistic to try to do so with all aspects of our being at the same time. So we make choices. We think about it; we read, we write, we stay informed, we learn, we communicate. All of these are connected to our mind; cognition and intelligence.

We can’t ignore, however, that our mind is housed in a body ruled by a central nervous system that is bombarded with sensory input that it then perceives, interprets, forms associations, and meanings. Not in isolation from our body; physical and biological. Therefore, for us to function at our optimum, the mind/body connection has to be clear and understood. We don’t just think about things.

We are conscious beings. We experience what we use our mind for on different levels of consciousness. We have moved way beyond Freud’s 3 levels: unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. In fact, an article came out just this month written by Elizabeth Rayne titled; Lucid Dreaming Isn’t Sleep or Wakefulness—It’s a New State of Consciousness.

Awareness is the key to clarity and understanding.

So, how aware, or unaware, are we? Because we are also sensory beings, everything we experience is received by our central nervous system through our senses. It makes sense then that if we are aware of what is happening under the circumstances of thinking, reading, and listening, then we would be able to function at our optimum.

The downside to thinking is that we can overthink, and at times experience information overload. Enter lists. A “listicle” is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. Listicles are popular forms of content because they are engagingly readable and concise.

I read a message on WhatsApp this morning that began, “Good morning and Chag as Samayach (holiday as happy) as possible.”

Wow! Talk about a reflection on how our lives today are impacting our social communication. Back in July, 2016, I wrote a blog, titled; Must be compassion fatigue.

At the end of the blog, I included a list of 10 ways to boost your ability to handle the barrage of bad news and 10 ways to help your kids cope. I continue to see the value of organizing/regulating our thoughts during a crisis. And yes, I believe the list works. Yet, after going through the week that has led up to today, I ask myself if we are beyond lists.

It’s not the content of the list, it’s not the importance of being focused and grounded that has changed since I wrote that blog. It is the challenge of coping with the increased demands on our system to regulate. I think it’s time to turn from lists to statements.

Here I need to distinguish between affirmations, “positive statements that help you deal with negative feelings, thoughts, and situations”, versus statements, which Cognitive Behavior Therapy refers to as cognitive restructuring. Using a statement that you think about will enable you to organize your thinking and, therefore, provide focus and grounding.

The statements must be individualized to be meaningful to you. So, of course, I am offering a list of examples.

Element of time:

I don’t have to read this now.
I can take a break or pause before I return to my task.
What I am thinking about right now is not coming from what I am reading right now. That thinking is attached to a different time and place.

Incorporating sensory terms: