Defining Hillary- the disorder

For weeks, if not for days, we awaited for concession that doesn’t arrive, for honesty that perhaps died in the first few miles and for fairness that’s under siege. We witnessed a shrill tone, parched, arrested in mirage (Maya in Sanskrit) unwilling to exonerate the truth.

A mutiny of asterisks, ampersands and bleeps often surge from the gut, sweep past our lungs, pierce through our hearts, battle and die in our throats - and the last gasps of those martyrs, at times, unleash a loud shriek

“F**k it,” another martyr wails in the halls of TPM. 

These are the causes and effects of a disorder named Hillary.

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines this disorder as an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage

Expressing Hillary

Hillary, the disorder, is natural and therefore cannot be fully cured. It inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. While the disorder is not curable it’s certainly manageable. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, whoever has provoked men to rage against him has always gained a party in his favor, too.

Hillary Management

So, fellow members of the Hillary disorder support group, here are a few useful Hillary management steps, again as recommended by the APA.

• Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm; breathing from your chest won't relax you. Picture your breath and not the asterisks and ampersands coming up from your "gut."

• Slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as "relax," "take it easy." Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply.

• Use imagery; visualize a relaxing experience, from either your memory or your imagination.

• Nonstrenuous, slow yoga-like exercises can relax your muscles and make you feel much calmer.

If nothing works, revert to Mark Twain’s mantra:

When angry count to four. When very angry, swear.