Polarization Galore: Breaking free from the divide

By Kalpana Raghuraman

Let’s start with this: polarization is everywhere. From politics to media, to those heated debates at parties, it feels like the world is stuck in an endless loop of “us versus them”. But here’s the kicker: this divide isn’t just happening out there. It’s sneaking into our thoughts, emotions, and even how we physically feel. Lately, people who are usually full of energy and optimism have been telling me they feel drained, heavy, or just plain stuck.

And the question that changes everything for me: How much of this heaviness is actually yours?

This isn’t just a surface-level question. It’s a life-altering tool I’ve discovered in Access Consciousness: Who does this belong to? Imagine you’re like a satellite, constantly picking up on the collective noise and stress of the world. The moment you realize most of that intensity isn’t yours, it’s like a weight lifts off your chest. You create space, your space. To breathe, think, and be yourself.

Polarization is a trap

Let’s talk about why this matters. Polarization feeds off a binary mindset: right vs. wrong, good vs. bad, us vs. them. Sounds familiar, right? The problem with this “black and white” thinking is that it dismisses nuance, shuts out other perspectives, and leaves no room for growth or connection.

But it doesn’t stop there. That rigid, judgmental energy doesn’t just live in political debates or social media arguments, it seeps into how we live our personal lives. It pulls us into judgment, frustration, and reaction. And when we shrink into these polarized states, we lose sense of what’s possible.

The opposite of shrinking? Expanding.

When life feels overwhelming, when the noise feels too loud, and the anger or sadness too big: Expand.

Here’s how:

• Close your eyes and ask yourself to grow  bigger than your body.
• Expand beyond your room, your city, your country, and even the Earth.
• Keep going until you feel like the largeness of you can hold all the noise without being consumed by it. 
• I made a little video to explain! Here it is: 

This isn’t just some airy fairy concept; it’s practical. When you expand, you’re not running from the intensity, you’re creating enough space to see it for what it is, without letting it control you.

Stop avoiding, start choosing

Let me guess…You’ve tried shutting out the noise? Maybe you have muted chat conversations, turned off the news, or walked away from certain people. I get it. And it can be required. It’s just that when it becomes avoidance it might feel like control, but it’s a reaction to the belief that you can’t handle this.

And if you are at that point, this is a friendly reminder: You can handle this. You can handle anything.

You’re an energetic being with the capacity to deal with way more than your mind gives you credit for. This doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to watch upsetting news or dive into every argument. It means you can choose how and when to engage. There’s power in knowing you can engage without being consumed.

From chaos to clarity

Here’s one of my favorite mindset shifts:

• Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” ask, “What is right about this that I’m not seeing?”
• Instead of shutting down in overwhelm, get curious: “What gift might be hidden in this mess?”

The universe is full of surprises. Chaos allows for immense potential for growth, clarity, and transformation. It calls for a trust rooted in curiosity, a willingness to explore the unknown rather than resist it. When you trust the process, you create room for things to shift in ways you couldn’t predict.

How to turn pressure into possibility?

Here’s the deal: polarization is intense, and intensity can feel like too much. But what if, instead of resisting it, you leaned into it? In Access Consciousness, we call this fracking. Not the environmental kind, but the energetic kind.

When life feels like it’s coming at you full force, fracking allows you to break apart the intensity and discover the gifts hiding inside it. Instead of running from the pressure, use it as fuel to create something new.

What if you didn’t have to pick a side?

Polarization thrives on judgment, making something right or wrong, good or bad. But what if you didn’t have to choose? What if you could look at it all and think, “Interesting point of view.”

This doesn’t mean you have to give up your opinions or preferences. It just means you don’t let them define you. When you let go of judgment, you step out of the cycle of resistance and reaction, creating a space where real change can happen.

Your invitation to break the cycle

This December, I’m having a month of fracking. We’ll take all the intensity of the world and mine it for possibilities. Join me on Telegram and Facebook to get started.

The world feels intense right now, but you don’t have to shrink or hide. You’re bigger than the noise, stronger than the heaviness, and more powerful than the polarization. So, expand. Trust. Ask questions. And choose to live beyond the divide.

Let’s do this together. See you in the fracking sessions.

—Kalpana Raghuraman