You aren't crazy. The American government is gaslighting you.

Gaslighting: psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts.

As a survivor of domestic violence, I am keenly aware of the damage that gaslighting can do to your psyche. My ex used to say the following to me on a regular basis: "I keep telling you the sky is blue but you keep saying that it's green." That is CLASSIC gaslighting that was designed to make me question my own sense of reality, And it worked for way too long. Now that I am long out of that relationship, I am very aware of gaslighting and will not accept it from anyone in my life.

Yes, this is a political statement on my health coaching blog. But the way the government is run has a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. When the government runs smoothly and there are safety net programs we can rely on, we barely notice the government at work. But when the people in power are constantly lying, creating chaos, causing economic uncertainty and sending armed federal agents to our cities to arrest our community members, our health and wellness will suffer. In addition, for me and for many other women who have experienced domestic abuse, having powerful people in government openly gaslighting the world, causes us to experience significant increases in anxiety and other trauma responses.

Here are some of the ways in which those running the government are gaslighting us. Various people in power are telling us that immigrants are stealing American jobs, committing crime and costing taxpayers money. The truth? Immigrants contribute more to the economy than they take out. Immigrants commit less crime than US-born citizens and cities with more immigrants tend to have lower crime rates. They claim that many people on Medicaid are "able bodied" and could be working. That is untrue. Republicans said that massive cuts to benefits were required to deal with "waste, fraud and abuse" but the cuts they are making will drive more people into poverty.

We can say that those statements are merely lies and "every politician lies." But this is more than lying. It is an attempt to change the reality experienced by Americans. And the Republicans are succeeding at that because the right wing controls much of the media landscape and too many people are either willing to believe the lies or unable to see or understand the reality.

So what does this have to do with my coaching of women survivors of domestic abuse? Bottom line: If you're finding it hard to stay grounded in any sort of shared truth right now, you are not alone. When you hear powerful people say things that don't align with your understanding of the world, that doesn't make you wrong. I cannot listen to Trump speak at all - the constant lies are a big trigger for my anxiety. Doom scrolling is also something I am trying to stop doing because it's also an anxiety producing activity. Now more than ever it's important that we take care of ourselves.

If you'd like to learn more about my coaching and get some actionable tips on how to rebuild your life after domestic abuse, I'm hosting an online workshop in November. You can get more information and register here.