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EASY WAYS TO COPE AND ONE
FIVE
NOT-SO-EASY by dr. greg cason
drgreg.com & @drgregcason
I don’t know about you but I had trouble getting into the holiday season this year. I usually like getting dressed up, putting on some Nat King Cole, and spiking every liquid in the house just to celebrate the birth of after-Christmas sales and celebrating the beginning of a new year. But 2017 was one helluva roller-coaster ride with a lot of terrifying dips and sickening turns, and it shows no signs of coming to a close for 2018. Sadly, but weirdly comforting…at least I know it’s not just that way for me. A recent Gallup Poll said that 79 percent of Americans feel stress sometimes or frequently during their day. Another poll, this one by the American Psychological Association, reported that nearly two-thirds of Americans (63 percent) say the future of the nation is a significant source of stress. And according to an analysis by Pew Research Center, Democrats post angry faces to Facebook news articles nearly twice as much as Republicans (18 percent vs. 10 percent). So clearly, people are not thrilled with the current moment. For my peace of mind, I decided to reach
into the reaches of my own bag of tricks based on two phrases currently banned at the CDC. You know, things like “evidence-based” and “science-based.” Here are five easy (and one not so easy) things you can do to keep yourself relatively sane during a rather insane time.
If you wish to be happy and calm, then figure out those actions or
recall a time that you were happy and calm and act in those ways.”
22 RAGE monthly | JANUARY 2018
1. Friends, Friends, Friends: I’m not talking the re-run (though it did have some funny moments), we’re talking about those people around you that make fun of you, laugh with and at you, talk about you behind your back and enable your addictions. We all need a person or group of persons who we can be around and let our hair down to
be inappropriate and have fun with. (A little caveat: Make sure you don’t share a work relationship or power differential when telling your naughty jokes. It’s much better to sit on the side-lines than to become a headline in the latest cultural war.)
2. “Morning Paper” Rule:Your parents (or grandparents) lived in a world that didn’t include a 24-hour news channel and news alerts on a pocket computer that they carried everywhere they went. News came in two distinct packages: A) newspaper and B) television. The newspaper was delivered once a day and you would read it to catch up on the events of the previous day. Then later that night, you could catch a nightly news program on television. Do the same now! Give yourself a set time in the morning and evening to read or watch the news. Otherwise, have yourself a personal blackout the rest of the day.
3. Laugh Hard and Laugh Often: Freud labeled
humor as one of the most sophisticated defense mechanisms. The man may have been obsessed with sex, the size of his cigar, and the advantages of cocaine (it’s real, look it up), but I’m glad he took time out of his busy snorting schedule to share the therapeutic value of laughter. Personally, I love to get out my political demons by laughing about them. Comedians and talk show hosts such as Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Samantha Bee all have come to my personal rescue this last year, by validating the fact that I am not going completely crazy and that there is something to laugh about in this dark ditch of a moment in time.
4. “Best, Worst, Most Likely:” When bad news
comes our way, it’s natural to wonder, “What’s next?” And then to answer that question, by expanding the catastrophe. Our problem is not that we generate terror-inducing thoughts, our problem rather, is that we firmly hold on to these thoughts and then believe them. To loosen the grip of these
thoughts, just come up with two alternative possibilities. You’ve already come up with the worst, so also think of the best and the most likely. Example for thought: “President Trump is becoming a dictator.” If you make that the worst thought, you can also think of the best possibility such as “It is more likely he is making mistakes born out of ignorance rather than malice. As time goes on, he’ll improve.” And then the most likely, “Some of his actions may mirror those of dictators in other countries, but our government has checks on the abuse of power by a president.” Best. Worst. Most Likely. Try it!
5. Act “As-If:” This is one of my favorite be- havioral change mechanisms in all of psychology. It is also often used in 12-step recovery programs under the slogan, “Fake it, ‘til you make it.” The key here is to act according to the way you’d like to be. If you wish to be happy and calm, then figure out those actions or recall a time that you were happy and calm and act in those ways. Right now, we are in uncharted territory. Don’t let the chaos in Washington trickle down any more than is unavoidable. Having said that, remember that is also important to not deny your true feelings! You can smile, laugh, and joke about the lies and corruption coming from the highest reaches of our government, but still be upset that it is happening at the same time. It’s not about lying to yourself, it’s about helping yourself through a difficult time even with very bad feelings underneath.
And Finally, The “Not-So-Easy” One. 6. Get Off Your Ass:Most of us are lazy and
would rather spend time framing a perfect selfie than designing a poster or writing a letter to a senator. Well, too bad. As you can already see, our future is at stake. Besides, taking action will help you feel more powerful because you are actually doing something. If you want some glory for making a sign or writing a letter, by all means, post your humble-brag. But if you don’t do anything else, please remember to get out and vote in 2018. Your vote truly matters. Look at the election for Senator in Alabama or the Virginia election where a single vote changed the entire power structure of the Virginia state house. The power brokers don’t want you to vote, because when you don’t, their candidates win. Don’t believe the lies. Your vote does count, to our country and to your future.
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