We live in a time of political turmoil, and may be feeling uncomfortable, anxious and stressed. We are uncertain of the future and uncertainty is an unpleasant state of being. It is hard to know how to work effectively with these emotions leading many to feel hopeless.

Every day we are bombarded by negative news. Noxious broadcasts gets our attention.  Fault-finding on all sides capture our interest. Hostile discussions fuel the fire of anger and resentment.

Hearing contentious political news and news of national disasters, first thing in the morning, can transform our mood within moments from a neutral disposition to a state of fear, worry and anxiety. We carry this anxiety without realizing it throughout our day and communicate our apprehension of how we see the world to family, friends and co-workers. 

What we choose to watch or listen to as we are waking up or right before bed time, has an enormous impact on our mental health. We are seeding our brain with negative information and we do not realize its physical and mental impact in our daily lives. 

Chronic stress can lead to changes in the prefrontal cortex of our brain, causing cognitive impairment. Over time, high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, can alter our physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Stress can make us feel irritable, forgetful, distracted and fearful. Apprehension can be detrimental to our relationships with those around us. When we live in fear, we can react with anger and blame others. We are no longer the compassionate or thoughtful people we want to be. 

Psychologist Daniel Goleman wrote in Social Intelligence, “The hippocampus is especially vulnerable to ongoing emotional distress, because of the damaging effects of cortisol.”

The hippocampus is the area of the brain which helps us learn and make memories. With ongoing stress, our ability to create new memories may be affected, therefore, short-term memory is impaired.

Now to summarize the above information. 

What we choose to watch or listen to as we are waking up or right before bed time, has an enormous impact on our mental health. We are seeding our brain with negative information and we do not realize its physical and mental impact in our daily lives. 

Daily assaults of negative media may lead to long-term stress, which can alter brain functions such as changes in learning, memory and decision making. 

With increased anxiety, we harm our brain. Forgetfulness, changes in memory, energy levels, attention span, focus, mental sharpness and decision making are all affected by stress. The last thing we want to do is decrease in our cognitive functioning ability. 

We can change our habits to improve our mental health.

Here are ways to create and maintain a healthy mind.  

• Avoid turning the TV on to watch the news the moment you wake up and before bedtime.

• Don’t go on the internet or check your phone right away. The first fifteen minutes are an opportunity for you to reflect on your upcoming day in peace. To avoid being triggered by the chime of messages coming through my cell phone, I turn the volume off.
• Wake up early, grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit in front of a window and view nature. Or, go outdoors to see, feel and smell the outdoors.
   
• Listen to soothing music and decide how you will approach your day, In a positive way. Take several deep breaths to relax the mind and body. Let your mind go blank.
• Create a habit of spending time with yourself at the beginning of your day. Consider meditating. Start with five minutes and build up time from there. This will allow you to set yourself up to feel grounded. You will notice that you will react to obstacles throughout the day with less anxiety and with a positive mindset. Yes, it is easy to say, hard to do but remember, you are worth the time. It has taken me several months to crave and enjoy my time alone to meditate every morning. I now know the feeling being content.
• Sit back and look beyond the negativity in the world. Change your perception and attitude. It is hard living in this world seeing the injustices and to feel positive about life. The news will let you know that the world is not a peaceful place and yet there are a billion acts of kindness happening every moment. Look around and become aware and focus on them.
   
• With anger and stress, you fuel negative emotions. Actively work on decreasing the cortisol level circulating in your body by slowing down and witnessing how you are feeling. Ask yourself questions to understand why you are feeling a certain way.
   
• Exercise to improve your physical health and diffuse the negative energy in your body.

Each of us can become more grounded to buffer ourselves against the harshness of the world. We need to be mentally strong and resilient. And to do this, we need to create and maintain a healthy mind in turbulent times.

I recently consulted with a person who was concerned that she may have Alzheimer’s Disease. Those around her told her she was forgetful, not paying attention and wasn’t remembering discussions she had with her family. I asked questions about her current environment and life style. In a nutshell, she was consumed with worry about the present political environment, she tried to keep active with family and friends and she wasn’t sleeping well. A medical evaluation was completed.  No dementia. She reduced her symptoms by making changes in her daily routine such as less time watching the news, focusing on the person she is talking to, reduce multitasking, pacing herself and being present in the moment.

If you are worried about memory loss, start by looking at your environment, your daily life style and talk with your physician.

                             “One person of courage is a majority.”

Roe Chiacchio RN, CPT, CDP, can be reached at roechiacchio@gmail.com