Does the upcoming General Election in the UK make you pull the face I am pulling in the accompanying photo? Well, I don’t think you (or I) are alone. Whether we are interested or not, involved or not, the person running the country impacts us all in a myriad of ways. The lead up to Voting Day has effects of its own whether we realise it or not: for one, the media is awash with coverage, people talk about it in the streets, the office and don’t even mention the litter of leaflets through the letterbox! If you are lucky, you even get the local candidate turn up on your doorstep and are faced with the prospect of engaging them in conversation, argument or polite disinterest as you slowly close the door and hope they get the hint and leave. For some this is a time of lively debate, a chance to have your say among friends, colleagues, random strangers and even the country as a whole. For others it’s a time of great anxiety, silent segregation and even outright fear. Putting the actual politics aside completely, research has shown that the levels of stress increase significantly across the nation around the time of an election regardless of interest or involvement in it.
I guess what I am saying is that now is a really good time to prioritise mental health and wellbeing as the date draws closer. And guess what? Yoga can help and I am not talking about postures and breathing this time because there is so much more to Yoga than that. Now, I have a little confession to make here, I started writing this article with the intent of highlighting some ways to deal with Election Anxiety and I found myself writing a completely different piece altogether. So, I have decided to make this is double-header. In part 1 we will explore the ways in which we can view the election objectively and not allow it to cause us so much stress, part 2 will then take a deeper dive into Indic moral philosophy - how and indeed why it’s still very relevant today and integral to modern yoga practice.
Identify Thoughts and Feelings
Let’s deal with first things first – Election Anxiety. It is a thing and as I said before there is significant evidence to suggest the impact this has on the wellbeing of the nation. We might not even be aware that this is causing us any extra stress, (and for some it isn’t) but if you find yourself feeling defensive or uneasy when you hear someone talk about it or you are avoiding it all together then maybe it’s’ having a negative affect on you. Its time to come back to yoga and Vedic philosophy as it relates to our situation (bear in mind this is simplified). Patanjali outlined the 8 limbs of yoga; these are 8 practices that eventually lead to complete union with a higher being – a bliss-like state (see links below for more info on this). Two of these we are quite familiar with in the west; Asana, the yoga postures we all know and love and Pranayama or breathwork. But relevant to our discussion, there are also the Yamas and Niyamas: commandments, of sorts, both internal and external, to living a yogic lifestyle.
Right now, we are going to think about one of these: Satya (truthfulness). In this context Satya means owning how we feel about the Election, being true to ourselves and our feelings about it – the positive and the negative. The truth of the situation (and many others that cause us stress) is that it is happening and will continue to happen until it is resolved and the world moves on. Recognising when feelings of anxiety or stress begin to arise along with what is triggering them is crucial in riding the waves of the storm. It’s an exercise in mindfulness to just notice when we have had these feelings even if the moment has long since passed. When we do, we then need to direct our attention back to the here and now and put it all into context, even if we are just reflecting at the end of the day.
Acknowledging the points in the day where we are faced with these rises in our emotions is pin pointing when cortisol (that pesky little stress hormone) is spiking in our systems. Gradually, each time we notice, we begin to train our minds to be better at catching ourselves before our brains start to blow it out of proportion, before cortisol takes too much of a hold and starts causing damage. An ideal time to catch this is, of course, as its happening but when we start out this is easier said than done. We can still find benefit in reflecting on things that have already happened because we are still learning to recognise it. Overtime you will find yourself catching the behaviour in the moment and being able to change the internal outcome.
1. First acknowledging it, then letting it go. Come back to the present moment, the here and now. Take a few deep breaths, tell yourself in your head that you are letting the reaction go. You are not detaching yourself from the situation, you simply are placing yourself in a better position to be with it.
2. Then breathe, just for a moment, before you carry on with your day. – you can apply this to anything that causes you stress.
As simple as this sounds it does take a bit of practice; I highly recommend giving Headspace a try and allowing the wonderful Andy Puddicombe to teach you the basics of this principle in more detail (links at the bottom of the page).
Resolve To Do Something Good
Another of these principles very relevant to us right now is Ahimsa, non-violence. This doesn’t have to be physical, it also refers to the emotional and mental kind. Kindness is the key here. Its so easy to get into an argument at times like these, in fact in some instances its highly encouraged and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, sometimes we do need to fight for what we believe is right, but even the bloodiest of mental battles can still be fought with kindness. If we show kindness for the other person and kindness for ourselves we can face our conflict with less combat. Even if you have no intention of getting into any kind of heated debate, its actually pretty hard not to have some sort of opinion right now. However, how you choose to express your views is your choice.
Some will want to take to the internet (or even the streets) to have their say and communicate openly inviting (sometimes provocatively) others to participate and share. Some will want to internalise their opinions and work it out on their own, there is no right or wrong way. But Ahimsa teaches us to prioritise kindness over overt, unwavering expression. Let’s look at this from the first, more socially involved perspective and we come back to mindfulness again. Taking that little moment to consider how our reaction might affect the other, whether they are right or wrong in your opinion. We might make mistakes, we might have regrets about how we went about expressing our views (the more reactive personalities among us will know what I am talking about) but non-violence also refers to making right our wrongs and stepping away if it all becomes too intense. It does not mean backing down or disregarding your views if you still believe them to be right, it means discerning the way in which you react to something that makes all the difference. Sometimes, this means coming back to the present, taking those deep breaths and walking away from the fight.
If you are of the more passive persuasion, Ahimsa, relates to how we have those arguments with ourselves. Intense social and political situations make us question and challenge what we believe as we try to stack up our values in order to make an informed decision. We might take to the internet in a different way; to read all the comments and articles splashed all over social media, bombarding our senses with conflicting information and causing ourselves tension like that. Really, this is neither productive nor reasonable and can end with us beating ourselves up over our behaviour. I come back to catching ourselves in the moment, every time you realise that you are speaking harsh words to yourself, catch it. Try to have the same compassion as you would if you heard a child speaking to themselves in this way. Its ok to feel like this and its perfectly ok to feel frustrated about it, but now you can let it go. Each time you realise, you are taking responsibility for it and training your brain to better process the information from a kinder perspective. Recall the last negative or provocative sentence you said to yourself and turn it around. If it was something like: ‘Why do you always have to waste your time like that?’ you can change it to ‘I am going move onto this now.’ Change the subject, change the action its always your choice.
Ride The Waves
At the end of the day, all of this will pass very soon. We will have a flurry of activity, people will argue some more and then things will go back to a semblance of normal as it always does. For some it is going to be a time of tension, how ever you choose to deal with things currently, remember there is no right or wrong. Try not to beat yourself (or anybody else!) up regardless of the corner in which you stand and remember that you can only be responsible for your own actions and thoughts on the matter. I hope that these tips have helped. Part Two will follow in a couple of weeks where we will investigate the meaty subject of Yogic philosophy. For now, if you’d like any further reading there are some useful links at the bottom that you can dive into in the meantime.
Resources
Headspace – Election Anxiety
Ekhart Yoga - The 8 Limbs of Yoga Explained
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