Donald Trump’s presidential election victory reveals a deepening polarization in America. It is certain to produce even greater stress levels, whether you’re for him or against him. Let’s not let our disappointments and frustrations overwhelm us with negativity.
Even as we hold fast and press on with our political principles, we need to take care of our mental wellness. It’s a good time to consider the therapeutic technique of “mindfulness”—specifically a practice called “Loving–Kindness.”
Here are a couple of articles on Loving-Kindness written just before Election Day but which obviously are as relevant as ever on the Day After.
Los Angeles Psychologist Deniz Ahmadinia has this blog post on the website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness:
We hold all these misconceptions about what it is to be compassionate and kind, including that it makes us weak, that it’s a form of self-pity, that it’s indulgent, and that it gets in the way of success. Our competitive, tech-driven, busy culture instead believes that being hard on one’s self is the key to achieving goals. The reality is that the great majority of us struggle with a judgmental voice when we don’t live up to our own expectations, and it is this voice that judges others as well. As a result, we may face to persistent negative emotions, doubt, feelings of worthlessness, shame and feeling disconnected from people around us.
In the Huffington Post, meditation teachers Manoj Jain and Mark Muesse advise that “meditation brings calmness, serenity, and balance in our lives during tumultuous times,” and offer this five-minute Loving-Kindness meditation.
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