Jewish musings, Thursday, Aug. 17

[gazelle18]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Frieda
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[gazelle18]

Hello everyone,
Yesterday we talked a bit about feeling overwhelmed. One thing I feel emotionally ill equipped for, and am already feeling “pre-overwhelmed” about is the presidential election race for the 2024 election. I am absolutely terrified that the former president will retake the White House. I have completely catastrophized this possibility, and I am dreading the buildup to November 2024.

This is somewhat different than Louise’s feelings of being overwhelmed by the stuff going on with HHD prep at her shul. In that situation, there are actual action steps that can be taken, and the trick is to figure out how to get things done while feeling overwhelmed. In the case of the presidential election, there is frankly very little that an individual person can actually DO. She can vote, she can canvass, she can donate, but it’s a stretch to think any of that will have much effect.

So what I am wondering is: what are effective ways to calm oneself when you know stress and worry are on the horizon? Especially when the outcome is basically out of your hands?

I’m thinking about limiting my news consumption to once per day (if that’s possible!). Angelika once advised allowing yourself to worry for 15 minutes per day, and then every time your mind wanders back to the scary subject, you tell yourself that you have already used up your worry time for the day.

Any thoughts?

[hollygail]

I made a decision not to think about it this early in the game, and so I'm not concerned at this moment in time.

[louise]

I am like Lynne in this. Thank you for the 15 minute thing- I can try that on both fronts. The very fact that it has been said that a president can preside from prison is amazing to me. As is the very fact that anyone would be interested in supporting a presidential candidate with 90 some indictments against him. Isn't there some voice in their heads that thinks they can do better?!

On a small note - I made the mistake of talking to my electrologist as if we were in agreement politically and learned we are not. She went on about what a good thing the book bannings are. She has since sent me a text to support this that mentions various obscene books found in kindergarten libraries, etc. To my mind it is obvious books concerned with oral sex do not belong in a kindergartenshould and I would look more toward firing or otherwise disciplining the people that put them there. I want to mention books like For Whom the Bell Tolls, To Kill a Mochingbird, and so on but think what I will say to her is that it's best we stick to different topics. I bring this up not to change the subject but rather to underscore the width of the divide and the prevailing madness. In that vein I also don't understand how "woke" became a bad word.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE!

Re today's topic: Re political disagreements: The only way I get along with my Scrabble friend Carol is for us to never discuss politics. She's a Republican, but I don't know (and don't want to know) if she supports Trump. I'm a fervent Democrat, and want to see him in jail. My hopes are up (at last) that the public is turning against him. I refuse to even think of the alternative.

As for worrying in general, I do my best to catch myself when I find myself worrying, especially about items that are out of my hands. I ask myself if I can do anything about them, and if not, remind myself that worrying will just sap my ability to make whatever changes I CAN make. Then I try my best to put the worries aside. It took a long time for me to get to this point, but it works for me.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[peachymom1]

It is a relief and a comfort to hear all of your opinions, that I'm not alone in my fear and apprehension. Every day I look for something to hang onto that gives me hope. I'll be back in a bit - I have a 7:30 a.m. meeting.