President Trump is killing me.
No, really. He’s killing me.
I went for my annual physical last month, and, for the first time in my 49 years, I had to report that I’ve not been feeling well: fatigue, headaches, poor sleep, even some occasional chest pain. My doctor checked my blood pressure, which had always been normal before: alarmingly high!
The doctor ran some tests and recommended some diet changes, but the tests came back normal and the diet didn’t change the author’s blood pressure very much, so he concluded reading the news about Trump was the cause.
I performed a longitudinal study to test my hypothesis. I bought a blood-pressure monitor and strapped it around my bicep at various points during the news cycle:
I am spending the evening with friends. Blood pressure: 116/67.
Trump says he is going to respond to North Korea with “fire and fury.” Blood pressure: 150/95.
I’m at home with the kids. Blood pressure: 117/69.
Jeff Sessions says they’re scrapping the DACA program: 137/92.
Trump agrees with “Chuck and Nancy” to avoid a debt-limit fight. Blood pressure: 122/81.
I remember that Trump’s term lasts another 40 months. Blood pressure: 159/97.
—The Washington Post, Trump Is Killing Me. Really.
There was no mention of all the methods we have to help us become stress-hardy and resilient, so the fellow is now taking blood pressure medication.
Not my style. I became interested in stress hardiness years ago when both my division and Andy’s were being threatened with downsizing. The stress levels were high at work so I asked my usual, “What’s the opportunity here?” The answer was, “To become an expert on stress management.” I did, and I taught classes and led groups on this and related subjects for about ten years, so I was forced to practice what I preached.
Part of my daily routine was to read upsetting news the first thing in the morning until the techniques became second nature. Commitment and practice — it helps a lot.
Do you have any favorite techniques?
I probably could use one of your classes! I’m finding the best way to lower my stress level is just not listen to the news. I wish I was kidding…
That’s a fine solution for most of us. I didn’t mention it in the post because I don’t think it’s an option for him given his job at the Washington Post. As one of my favorite mantras goes,
Focusing on your pups is a much better use of your time than paying attention to the insanity in Washington and the world.
I get further and further behind with the news – I do know that I must vote sometime before this Saturday, and there are polling stations already open…
I’ve just been on a retreat, and someone found they could get wi-fi on their i-pad so they did, looking for instruction on a braid and then somehow something popped up on her screen about a disaster in London, UK but then the date line seemed not quite right – we didn’t go down that line of inquiry any further…but I guess things have happened worldwide in the last couple of days…
I do know I missed a semi-significant happening over the back fence..will write about it when I get some more facts. I.e. have people with the very badly kept garden area/house moved out…I/next door not sure.
No reason to keep up with the world/national news when you have more fulfilling things to do.
Regular meditation. Tried and tested for over 39 years for me. Without that, I would have bought it a long time ago.
I’ve been doing my versions for a gazillion years too. Commitment and practice.
Still struggling to find the answer.
The good news is there are plenty of things to try. Please let me know how it goes.
The author seems to be a worrier and works in a job –“Dana Milbank writes about political theater in the nation’s capital” — that has to make it worse.
While I have recently learned that I, too, have high blood pressure (which has adversely impacted my heart) plus sleep apnea, it’s due to weight, not worry. I’m not a worrier; never have been.
The late, great Earl Nightingale wrote “Worry is like a dense fog that can cloud our vision, knock our perspective out of kilter, and slow us down.” He categorized our common worries as follows:
— Things that never happen: 40 percent
— Things in the past: 30 percent
— Needless worry about health: 12 percent
— Petty, miscellaneous worries: 10 percent
According to Nightingale, that adds up as “92 percent of worries are pure fog with no substance at all.” That leaves about 8 percent of our worries as legitimate matters worthy of our concern.
Karen and the girls don’t understand it, but I’m not all worried about my blood pressure, my heart or the apnea. It’s all likely reversible, according to the doctors. I’m taking the meds, exercising 1.5 to 2 hours 6 days a week, losing weight, and will be getting a machine for the apnea, probably this week.
You are clearly “doing the work of worrying”. Good for you! Being proactive is the best antidote for worrying.
I agree with Mike—most of what we worry about is futile! That doesn’t stop us, but it helps to know this! During humanity’s early days, I think worry was a way to predict and avoid danger (and death). So it’s built into us!
I’m a Six in the Enneagram, which means I expect things to go wrong. That doesn’t mean I spend much time fretting, it means I make contingency plans. The saying, “People plan and God laughs,” doesn’t understand the joy of planning. It doesn’t mean things will work out according to our plans, and that’s fine. It just means we’re skilled at coming up with new strategies as conditions change.
the news doesn’t really worry me anymore.
it simply makes me tired.
it’s like watching a loud and repetitive show on tv that is full of people yelling and always mad about something or at each other.
my solution is to turn it off. both physically and metaphorically.
I turn to art and beauty and nature. and as rummy says… meditation.
it works for me.
if it’s an ostrich with its head in the sand then I am a happy ostrich. 🙂
I agree. A lot of the news isn’t worth paying attention to. No sense getting jerked around by it.
Deep breathing helps me. I am normally a very shallow breather so deep breathing requires concentration.
There’s a phrase that goes something like, “Worry is like a rocking chair; lots of action but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
I find myself breathing shallowly and even holding my breath a lot. When I notice I just breathe out fully and the rest takes care of itself. That was one of the best tricks I’ve ever learned — I notice the difference immediately.
My favourite technique is to try not to think about things I simply have no control over. Trump, Theresa May, Brexit, war in the Middle East – I just tune it out and like Tammy turn to culture and nature, things I can enjoy without any hassles. Music and art always lift my spirits.
Finding something worth paying attention to, that’s the secret. 🙂