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Feeling Uneasy?



If you’re feeling uneasy right about now - know that you are not alone. These are uneasy times. Our political stability is in question… there are two wars going on in the world… one million of us died in a pandemic… Hurricane Helene and its utter devastation… plus the travails of our individual lives ... It’s no wonder that we may not feel secure.


Even those of us who rely on our spiritual lives, may feel our faith being challenged in difficult times. And there is no doubt- these are difficult times.


There are so many issues in this country and in this world that require our attention. Not paying attention would be choosing denial, which rarely is a good idea.


I began writing this after watching the presidential debate last month. We watched a “debate” that we would never want our young children to think is a real representation of ideal debate behavior between respectful opponents. We were invited to think about the war in Ukraine, invasion by one country into another, insecure borders where people are often poorly treated and referred to as aliens, (who would eat the dog of their neighbor), the senseless killing of people in Israel and Gaza, our improving economy, (a bright spot), the peaceful, or not so peaceful transfer of power in our democracy, what having a democracy really means and calls for and the rights of us as human beings to be able to control what happens to our bodies.


These issues are so visceral that they cause a collective anxiety throughout our country. Studies indicate that there has been a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide since the COVID pandemic.


We now have “election anxiety” that is commonplace. I’ve spoken with people who could not sustain watching the presidential debate- one young woman stating, “It affected me so much… made me feel sick, I had to turn it off”.  So, if you’re feeling a little more concerned about the future and your anxiety seems to be more than usual, you’re not alone.


Can we come to a place of peace in the world, the nation, our neighborhoods, our workplace, our homes, and ourselves? Can we start to feel “easy”, without the feeling like things are at the edge of chaos? Or will the collective anxiety that we came to during the pandemic and it’s political handling, the disgrace of George Floyd’s murder, and the two new wars that have presented themselves to our collective psyche, continue to undermine our emotional peace?


There are no absolute answers here. Only a commitment to continue to support our collective peace, one patient at a time. And a genuine prayer that we all strive for our best selves in our dealing with ourselves and others- family, neighbors, co- workers, country and world.

I invite you to consider that we’re all in this together and we each can play a role in making things a little easier. Let’s take our responsibility to one another seriously.


“No man (woman) is an island…No man stands alone. Each man’s joy is joy to me, each man’s grief is my own. We need one another, so I will defend…each man as my brother, each man as my friend. ” – John Donne, 1624


Love, Peace, and Compassion,

Darlene Ifill-Taylor, M.D, LFAPA

 

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