12 Tips for Post-Election Self-Care

Election 2016 is requiring us to climb higher, dig deeper, stretch further. The efforts required from this metaphorical Herculean task is showing up in our mind, body, and spirit. How many are having challenges sleeping? How many are feeling exhausted earlier in the day? How many are feeling aches and pains appear? How many are experiencing a compromised immune system? How many are reacting with short fuses?  

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to shift from our old ways of being/doing that are no longer serving us personally and globally. This shift serves as a cleanse to lovingly release the things that have started to function as mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual toxins to ourselves, our families, our communities, our nations, and our planet. These may include belief processes, thought patterns, emotional baggage, coping mechanisms, habits and behaviors, even people. It takes willingness, discernment, time, energy, patience, commitment, and support to make the shift happen effectively. Here are 12 useful tips I've found to assist me in the process. Perhaps you can find some of them helpful, too:

1.      Breathe. Assess how you are breathing. Consciously take slow, deep breaths throughout the day, especially during stressful moments. This will help calm and relax you, as well as send oxygen-rich blood to all of your cells.

2.      Eat well. Food impacts mood, energy, pain, and our overall health. Make choices that will help shore you up vs. break you down. Watch the sugar, processed foods and beverages, caffeine, sodium, and poor sources of fats.

3.      Drink plenty of water. All good cleanses need water to help move things along. It will support your joints, immune function, digestion, circulatory and lymph systems, and more.

4.      Get body/energywork done. Reiki, Healing Touch, Zero Balancing, massage, craniosacral therapy, and acupuncture are just some of the ways to help restore balance to your health, all while providing relaxation and/or an energy boost.

5.      Take a fast from the news. Continuing to watch 24-hour coverage of the news is akin to feeding your inner wolf, resulting in a constant desire to be in attack mode. Rest your adrenal system lest it burn out.

6.      Make positivity deposits. Exposing yourself to positive news, people, and experiences helps counter the daily deposits of negativity, anger, hatred, and hopelessness you may receive. These deposits are heart-expanding and healing.

7.      Listen to calming music. Allow your body to be exposed to a soothing stimulus vs. a cacophonous one. Your nervous system and other systems will respond accordingly.

8.      Exercise. Moving your body helps relieve stress as well as release endorphins and other feel-good chemicals. It shifts energy, too. You can walk, run, dance, swim, weight train, or join a structured class. In moderation, it all helps.

9.      Sleep. If your nighttime sleep patterns are off, try to find time in the day to catch a nap. Your immune system and other restorative functions in your body require sleep to do their work. My previous bog on sleep can help. 

10.  Get out in nature. Allow yourself to connect with the healing elements of earth, air, fire, and water in their purest forms. Weather permitting, you will feel a difference with barefoot earthing, tree hugging, feeling the breeze across your face, sun bathing or gazing, and hearing the crash of waves or trickling of streams.

11.  Connect with others in meaningful ways. This is the perfect time to build bridges. Volunteer at a local church or community organization. Meet your neighbors. Reach out to your support network.

12.  Connect with Spirit. Whether you call it God, Goddess, Allah, Source, Creator, Infinite Intelligence, or something else, connect with it. To paraphrase Edgar Cayce, prayer is talking to God, and meditation is listening. Spend time in this sacred give-and-take to help receive the support, reassurance, guidance, and faith to help your shift and the global consciousness shift take place more easily, effortlessly, and elegantly. Also, connect with your Spiritual Posse, Light Team, or whatever name you call them. They consist of a host of entities from The Other Side also ready to support and guide you while you're experiencing your earthly journey. This include your ancestors, Spirit Guides, Spirit Teachers, Guardian Angels, the Archangels, and more. They are quite willing to help us--all we need do is ask. 

Two hours after writing this list of twelve tips, my body went into spasm while I was making breakfast. Talk about an object lesson! I sat down, breathed continuously, tuned in, and asked what was happening. Spirit said the initial weakness started with how I slept on my mattress; my left side was over stretching each night. However, now I was over stretching myself, trying to take care of others and, frankly, planning to handle tasks that were for others to do. 

You see, I had been preparing to pack up the household and go be with family in our time of bereavement. My sister-in-law had recently transitioned, and we were celebrating her birthday that day, two days later. I had created a laundry list of what I needed to do before we left, and while we were down at my mom's. My child of an alcoholic "little hero" archetype was kicking in, triggering memories, emotions, and experiences from the past, and I was poised to swoop in to save the day. Instead, I heard "be still." So I continued to sit and breathe, and decided to allow others to drive and take on some tasks while I just sat with family and supervised, using my mind vs. my body. No, no, no said Spirit, as the pain worsened, I cried out, and my partner helped me to bed. I more clearly heard that "be still" meant not just my body, but my mind and spirit, too. Okay, now I got it! 

I spent the rest of the day and night in bed, allowing my partner and son to serve me. I couldn't even take myself to the bathroom! I had no choice but to acknowledge that I had to take more time out to grieve instead of trying to push my feelings down to take care of others. That grief includes not just the death of my loved one, but the death of some American ideals, as well.  That darn election and its aftermath rearing its head again.

So, as I continue to use my writing to encourage and support others through their healing journey, I am reminded to first support myself. It has been a very painful lesson. I am listening, as I spend a second day in bed, using some of my own self-care tips to rest, release, and restore.

If you are interested in mind, body and spirit events in and near Laurel, MD, as well as other sacred events, go to http://www.meetup.com/Laurel-Mind-Body-Soul-Food-Meetup/ and http://www.sacredsojourns.space.  To listen to my podcast, Mind, Body & Soul Food, visit www.blogtalkradio.com/tonyaparker. Purchase a Kindle or audio version of Diary of a Witch’s Daughter, my young adult novel with holistic and metaphysical themes at http://tinyurl.com/diaryofawitchsdaughteronamazon.