6 ways to manage the madness of the world

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Dear Friend:

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As the battle intensifies between a variety of different worldviews, we are at risk of being torn asunder on a variety of relational, economic, egoic, and emotional levels. Each of these matters, but what concerns me most is the intersection between the healthy ego and healthy emotional functioning. In other words, how can we preserve our fundamental sense of self during these wild times? It is difficult enough to preserve our core identities when the world is peaceful, but when it spins out of control? How can we remain essentially intact when faced with the divisive chaos that is designed to unmoor us?

In Hearticulations, I shared a quote I had written about something I refer to as splintering. Let me share it with you here:

"I call it 'splintering.' It’s when intense stress or pressure re-triggers the emotional issues that you have worked through. It’s those moments when an old pattern begins to show its challenging face again, long after you thought it resolved. This can be discouraging, feeling as though we have not made any progress. But we have. It’s just the nature of our most stubborn stuff. We can work it through so effectively that we seldom see it under normal circumstances, but certain stresses or pressures can splinter our consciousness, and it rises up through the cracks, sometimes with a vengeance. When this happens, do not punish yourself or make the mistake of thinking that you have gone backwards. Instead, focus on what you can do to alleviate the stresses and bring yourself back into integration. Take action steps to bring your consciousness back into a cohesive form. If there is nothing you can do at the time, know that the issue will fade as soon as the strain subsides. This too will pass. And give yourself credit for how far you have come. The measure of transformation is not the complete eradication of our issues and patterns. The measure of transformation is how seldom they appear."

In other words, it is entirely natural for you to fall back to old patterns and reactions, when under an enormity of stress. As the pace of the collective chaos quickens (and yes, I do believe that this will all balance out over time, as we find a more reliable center), here are some practices you can engage in to bring you back into balance. And, to ensure that you don't beat yourself up because your old stuff has slipped through the cracks and catapulted your consciousness back in time. This too will pass: