May I Make A Suggestion? Change Your Environment.

Last week I made a conscious effort to stay in my lane. My television only works with the Amazon Fire Stick, so I was unable to tap in to 24-hour news channels or the local news. I did not jump on Twitter or Facebook and my Instagram views were peeks of funny memes and videos sent by friends in group texts. My position was that I had done my part by voting and mailing my ballot for the November elections. That was all that I could do. I refused to get sucked in. Twenty years ago, I lost precious hours of sleep and sanity due to hanging chads or dimpled chads or some such nonsense in Florida. It was a nightmare that involved a falsely called election, a candidate’s brother, and the supreme court. I remember watching loopy reporters on election night who desperately needed down time. I went to bed listening to NPR and woke up multiple times dismayed and confused. I was a wreck. Lesson learned. I was determined to keep my distance this time, however, 2020 is a year of collective anxiety and I could not escape the energy in the atmosphere.

Though I wasn’t tuned in, I was still affected by the weight the country was carrying. It was in the air. And it was heavy. I feel that I was very productive and spiritual last week though there is no tangible evidence of this. I got up every morning to write and did not get a thing down on paper. I revisited my morning meditation program and fell asleep in the chair. I walked 2 ½ miles to bully someone into going for a walk with me and she wasn’t home. I went to the grocery store, and returned with ingredients that could not be combined into a meal. I solved that by ordering takeout food. Something was off.

On Saturday, I was informed by group text that the presidential election was called, and my circle of friends were celebrating the decision. The sun was out and I decided to do some shopping. I was shocked to see an explosion of people in the streets. The traffic was like rush hour, which I hate so, I picked up takeout food (again), returned home and went to sleep. It was an epic nap; deep like I was home from battle. I woke up in the evening and two hours later I was back in the bed for the night. On Sunday, I was refreshed, energized and grateful. I spent the day in the sun, shopping and laughing with my sister-friend. I restocked the kitchen with a full supply of staples, and I immediately fell into my favored routines of cooking meals, writing words, meditating, stretching and offering support where I am needed.

The noticeable shift in how I feel is directly tied to the collective energy of my environment. The current popular science is that environment influences genes to turn on and off, countering the belief that we are at the mercy of inherited chronic disease. We are rediscovering that healthy diets, rest, exercise, creativity, gratitude, hydration and love can predict positive health results regardless of the hereditary pattern. When my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia, I wanted to get tested for the APOE-e4 gene to predict my fate. I was obsessed with researching the causes of terminal illness, and was directed to the documentary, Forks Over Knives on Netflix. I began to research the doctors from the film and became interested in their declarations that changing my environment within would help me to change my thoughts, increase my energy and communicate with my body to heal. It has been an amazing revelation. I no longer think of being tested for the Alzheimer’s gene. If it happens, it happens, but for right now, I feel amazing and that is the blessing that I will focus on.

I cannot control how people choose to live in the world and there are times that I will have to succumb to the environment around me. I am writing to inform others that if we all focus on the environment within, we may be able to change our collective presence from oppressiveness to freedom. Besides, wellness makes your hair grow and your skin glow. Why not?