A client recently told me: "I don't want to be angry or make decisions driven by fear but it's crazy times we are living in and I'm just not sure how to balance it all. How do I do that?"
Well if this isn't nearly everybody on planet earth right now and it's all because of a little (giant) cultural thing called: Outrage Culture.
Dr. Nicole LePera (@theholisticpsychologist) posted something that set me free recently (mostly - hah), so I wanted to share it with you:
"Outrage culture sells. And it’s selling in a big way right now.
This is because it’s addictive.
The hormonal responses in the body + the pull of our ego to feel superior is seductive. Every day can become an emotional roller coaster where we feel more + more angry + less able to focus our energy on things that serve us. At the same time it is also the only time we actually *feel* which can make us come back for more + more because the fleeting emotions of outrage feel better than feeling nothing at all.
When we exist within outrage culture, we exist in survival mode. The primitive “lizard” part of our brain is dominant which leads to knee-jerk reactions, impulsivity, + self neglect.
The physical/mental effects are: brain fog fatigue, inability to think logically, indecisiveness, memory issues, + high emotional reactivity (or complete shut down.)
To heal, we must become conscious of what we consume, how we behave, + face the reality of what our beliefs do for our own ego. This takes a lot of radical honesty.
As we heal we have more access to our prefrontal cortex. The part of our brain that allows for creativity, solutions, rational thinking, connection, collaboration.
In short: we leave the righteous ego self (survival mode) for the self that is able to make an impact + create meaningful change.
We also become more confident, more in control of our emotional states, + more empathetic tolerance to ideas beyond our limited perspective.
Do you notice outrage culture in your life? #selfhealersTrue activism + change comes from inspiring, collaborating, + uplifting. It is an act of activism to heal oneself, to unsubscribe to ideals that leave us feeling helpfulness, + to serve others in that process. This is how we create new systems."
In complete honesty, for the past year until this summer, I had so much shame about "not being informed" or "not using my platform" or "being too privileged to have to care" that I was crippled to help or give in any area except my direct work.
I was so overwhelmed, stunned and scared that I got in my own way. Amidst all the tragedy, chaos and injustice, I kept hearing my soul cry out - guiding me to my personal missions: spreading mindfulness and bringing awareness to environmental issues and conscious living via my eco skincare line, Mukama Botanica (and beyond). Even with all the clarity I had about why I'm here on earth, I kept shutting it down because of all the other things people were crying from their souls.
Then I realized those are their souls. And they're beautiful souls! And they are called to their mission/dharma/activism and I am called to mine.
"But I have to stay informed!" You might be saying (or yelling, or crying). I have said the same thing a million times and yes, agree - but only to an extent. For me personally, when I hear myself saying this, it's coming from a place of shame. I'm privileged enough to not have to stay informed and therefore I must always stay informed or I am bad [insert any word you want to replace "bad" with here]. This personally was the hardest one for me to overcome - it's what made the noise SO loud and heavy. I couldn't shake it.
Also, spiritual life coach, Sahara Rose spoke on this exact thing in a podcast episode, stating, "your nervous system was not designed to know everything happening in the world... Focus on ONE issue that truly sets your soul on fire and devote yourself to it." Boom.
We can't do it all. We do what we can and we have to follow our own soul cries.
I'm fairly confident that the universe has assigned the right angels to the challenges of the world. If only we listened to the pulls, we'd all be serving in the highest possible way.
Listen to yours. Your mission needs you.
How to deal with all the world's external noise:
1. KNOW YOUR INDICATORS! Our bodies talk! They tell us when we're on overload. Is hearing about all the external chaos or issues of the world causing you to start feeling overwhelmed? Annoyed? Wrapped up in fear? Anxious? Frustrated? Notice those and move to step 2...
2. Center - meditate, get out in nature, close the door and breathe for a few moments - first, just get away from it.
3. Spend time there and whenever you can, getting to know yourself. When you know yourself, your fears, your motives, your desires and your cues, it becomes much more challenging to get as lost in the sauce. You can make decisions with strength and confidence.
4. Keep checking in with yourself to see if your motives/words/actions are fear-driven or love-driven. When humans are driven by fear, they act irrationally, angrily, or sometimes not at all. Love is a sustainable, empowering fuel that keeps the highest intention at the forefront of all action, conversation and thought. It keeps "non-harm" as the foundation vs. standing in the blood of others.
5. Transmute the heavy, fearful energy with a safe outlet: meditate, dance, create art, journal, write songs, kickbox - whatever. Let it flow so it doesn't get all stuck up inside of you.
6. Set boundaries with people and your time where you need to. Also know that you do not need to always be in the know/informed either. This is a HUGE paradigm shift, because of what the societal message has been, but your mental/emotional health is vital. Without it, we can't even show up as the highest versions of ourselves - and this is what is needed to create radical, important change.
7. Remember your intuition is the strongest tool you have. Keep coming back to it.
I hope this helps.
Please feel free to reach out to me for a 1:1 session if you need help healing from shame, outrage culture, or getting to know yourself.
All my love,
Kama
