How are you doing?

Really – I want to know, how are you doing this week?

The news cycle has been unrelentingly chaotic. And much of it has not been good news. It is difficult to keep up with ever-changing, highly charged current events. Especially since we have been stuck in this urgent cycle for at least the last 10 years, with little to no real rest.

Everything is presented as an emergency. Everything is designed to divide. Our brains and our biology were not designed to be in a constant state of fight-or-flight. And yet, that is where we are. Any sense of real stability in our lives, with relatively little worry, went out the window a long time ago.

Those of a certain age can remember times of relative ease. As a young adult in the 1990s, I lived on my own on a part-time wage in Bloomington-Normal while attending college. That is not possible today.

Most of my days were pretty non-eventful. I was able to focus on leisure and personal growth. And I didn’t worry about or foresee apocalyptic events happening in my lifetime, much less the United States’ democratic principles crumbling before our eyes into the unchecked fascism we swore we would and could never become. In fact, the news was often downright boring, as anchors sought enough material to fill their half-hour slot.

But these are not those times. I don’t know too many people whose lives are unaffected by what is unfolding nationally, even if they are not consciously aware of it. In fact, the impact of the changing world order has been felt worldwide, generating anxiety and fear for men, women, children and other sentient beings everywhere.

During times such as these, it is more important than ever to monitor our well-being. Our physical and mental health can take a serious nosedive if we aren’t aware of how the events around us are affecting our body and mind.

Are you sleeping OK? Or has your sleep been disrupted by an unnamable discomfort you cannot pinpoint? Are you eating well? Have you stopped for a moment or more during your day, in the midst of all the apocalyptic panic and fear-mongering, to take a few breaths and check in with yourself? Have you noticed where you are carrying tension in your body?

If you have noticed yourself breathing more shallowly or feeling more angst-ridden inside, have you made the sovereign decision to step back from the circus and give your body and your soul room to breathe? Have you made it a point to engage in activities that you enjoy every day? Have you found a way to move that negative energy out of your body, through a creative or physical activity?

How about your relationships with the people with whom you spend the most time, and whom you love the most? How has the temperature been between you and your partner, children, boss, co-workers, parents, siblings, etc.?

It is no secret that tensions have been high between people who, at one time, didn’t know and didn’t care what others’ political or religious beliefs were. What did matter is they found some common ground in other areas of their lives and enjoyed each other’s company.

But no more. Few people now seem to be able to look past their conflicting values and beliefs and see the vast soul, with all of its fascinating intricacies and paradoxes, standing in front of them.

And for those who live in rural areas in this political climate, with opinions different than the prevailing party, it can be unsafe and futile to express an opposing view, even if it is based in logic and human decency.

We have learned to keep certain worries and concerns from those closest to us, because it will likely escalate into an unfruitful shouting match where neither one is actually listening to the other, and resentment grows. And worst of all, there is a deep loneliness that comes from not being able to share your soul with those who matter the most to you, and with whom you once shared so much.

Part of caring for ourselves and each other is being able to talk about things that make us uncomfortable with openness to mutual understanding, and if we don’t feel safe to do that, we are setting ourselves up for serious consequences.

I don’t know that this week’s column can be tied up neatly and tidily.

These are ongoing issues, and the hurt and damage have been deep and ongoing. But if we want to live lives of relative ease before “this one wild and precious life” ends, it seems we need to begin with the principles of peace and checking in with each other.

Really checking in with each other.

“Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” - attr. to Saint Francis of Assisi.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.