Whether Russia does indeed invade Ukraine (which appears to be imminent) or not, was the cold war between Russia and the United States ever really over? 

In the last 15 years or so, other cold wars have been brewing.

Anger, an inner cold war

From the Great Recession of 2008 to the Great Resignation of 2022 and everything in between from the rise of domestic terrorism everywhere including our schools, political unrest, white supremacy, natural disasters to the slide of Christianity, the January 6th insurrection toward the destruction of U.S. democracy, is it any wonder that harmony in mind, body, and spirit is elusive?
All these cumulative events have made us more anxious, depressed, and angry not to mention what is going on in our own individual lives.

There is an intense state of resentful antagonism between our inner desires and worldly demands – an inner cold war that has been steeping for far too long now. Bitterness fertilized by our own personal bias, decisions, circumstances, and place of hurt.

Some people believe that things happen for a reason and no matter how traumatic, gratitude is the answer. I do not share that belief. If that were true, God would be okay with the origins of my place of hurt, leukemia that is not yet in remission, and now, another possible scary health condition. I told myself and others when I was diagnosed that I was not sad and that I was not angry. I lied. I just did not know it then. I am also not grateful, at least not for leukemia and whatever else I may be diagnosed with, and certainly not for my individual place of hurt.

How do we become more resilient?

I believe most of us would agree that innovative approaches to mental health are necessary. Medications are helpful and even lifesaving but cannot be the only answer. I have written on numerous occasions that our personal place of hurt cannot be healed unless we achieve inner harmony which is feeling known and valued by important others. It is the key to our well-being in mind, body, and spirit. All we see in the world today especially since the beginning of the COVID pandemic proves we are at the tipping point of our own inner cold war.

Mind, body, and spirit in their separate silos have differing levels of harmony, if any at all. Yet, one or two cannot make up for the others.

We normally see time as our enemy. Time running out, good experiences ending too soon, and taking away our youth, our looks, our health, our future and eventually our lives. Yet time is an ever present-present factor. It is essential for us to find a positive way of relating to it and to what consumes us. Resiliency, our ability to bounce back from whatever ails us is measured not in the pills that physicians throw at us to keep us going, to keep us living, but speaking our truth and taking steps to bring harmony back into our daily lives even if it is for the first time. If the Great Resignation is any indicator, more people are recognizing their inner cold war and taking steps to being mindful of time.

Building resiliency to win the inner cold war

1. Connect with empathetic and understanding people.
2. Take care of your body.
3. Practice mindfulness.
4. Write your way through it in a daily journal.
5. Help others.

Whether we are ill in mind, body, and spirit or all three, our resiliency can be difficult to summon.  Time is not on our side. It never was. However, harmony is still achievable and for that I am grateful.

Peace,

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