"The world situation" is pressing: At yoga, Nini forgets all about Trump

From the doorway to the large sports hall in Godthåbshallen, there are shouts, ball dribbling and howls from slippery rubber shoes rubbing against the floor.

Out in the anteroom, children and adults stop to greet friends and acquaintances, while soda and shawarma are passed across the counter at 'Godthåbshallen's pizza & kebab house'.

From a third place in the building, a loud 'gunk' is heard as a heavy barbell is thrown.

The sound sends vibrations through the walls and up through the floor of the room, where about 17 people have gathered for yoga.

- Breathe in through your nose, and out through your nose.

Laura Jacobson Øraker, who teaches, speaks softly. She sits in a tailor's pose on her yoga mat while she guides the group through various poses.

It's a completely ordinary weekday evening. Sports bags, car keys, jackets and shoes are strewn along the walls.

- See if you can release the tension in your jaw, continues Laura Jacobson Øraker.

Earlier in the day, a man in Nuuk tried to raise the American flag in front of Katuaq, and the French president spoke Greenlandic at a press conference in Paris.

But you don't immediately notice it on the yoga mats. People's breathing blows out into the room like a hiss, mixing with the sound of pan flute and incomprehensible, but soft, singing from a loudspeaker.

One of the participants in tonight's yoga class is Nini Kleist. She has been going to yoga for a few months now and "loves it". She comes here, among other things, to disconnect from the outside world and find peace. Something that she thinks has been difficult lately.

- What is happening in the USA, people's comments that Greenland should just be sold – it's not nice to watch, she says.

She followed the developments quite a bit, after Trump at the beginning of January repeatedly reiterated that he wanted control over Greenland – and did not reject using military force to get his wish fulfilled.

- It got a bit too close at the end, so I needed to shut it off a bit, she says.

- But of course I followed along a bit in the evening, just to see if there was anything new. But I made sure not to follow along all day – it’s draining.

More psychologists than usual

People’s mental health is something that has been in the spotlight recently. The world situation, Trump and the news are affecting our well-being.

People have reported worrying thoughts, sleepless nights and fear – also here in the newspaper.

In order to investigate exactly how affected people are, the Greenland Centre for Public Health has launched a nationwide survey of the population’s mental health.

At Niinami Psychology, people have also noticed that people's mental health is under massive pressure at the moment.

The amount of bookings and inquiries they receive has increased significantly after Trump turned up the rhetoric and the media exploded with news about Greenland.

- I get maybe four or five times more inquiries than usual, says Niina Isaksen, when Sermitsiaq visits her practice in Nuuk.

Both she and psychotherapist Andrie Sørensen, who is also part of Niinami Psychology, are contacted by companies, institutions and individuals from all over the coast.

- We also experienced this fear during the corona period. Social media is very good at spreading fear, like a kind of virus – that is why the individual fear that people have to deal with out there has also become collective quite quickly, says Andrie Sørensen.

People come to them with anxiety, insomnia and worrying thoughts, among other things. Symptoms and reactions that, according to psychologist Niina Isaksen, are quite normal and expected in light of the current situation.

- The most important thing for the body is survival, and when we feel threatened, it triggers the alarm system, as we need to be ready and prepare to either run away or fight, she explains.

- But what is happening now is much more complex. Because we can't fight it, and we can't escape from the danger, she says.

In addition, the brain's alarm system cannot distinguish between a "real" and concrete threat that is right in front of us and the scenarios we imagine when we talk to our colleagues at work about the Trump news of the past 24 hours.

- So when we imagine that Greenland is invaded and there is war, the body will experience the same as if we were actually in the middle of a real invasion, she says.

- And instead of retreating, calming down and regulating our bodies, when we get home, we turn on our mobile phones and social media. There we are also bombarded with all sorts of horror scenarios.

And the constant state of alertness and fear makes us weary and tired in the long run, she points out.

Power outage with the world's worst timing

On the yoga mats in Godthåbshallen, everyone has come to their feet.

With one foot placed in front of the mat, the other placed in the back and their arms pointing in different directions, the participants try to keep balance in a "warrior position" and breathe deeply at the same time.

Laura Jacobson Øraker walks around the mats, straightening a knee and an arm here and there.

- If you fall out of the pose, laugh about it – it's just yoga. We're just playing, she says.

She walks past Nini Kleist, who looks concentrated in her warrior pose.

In addition to being a recent regular participant in the yoga class, Nini Kleist is a self-employed nail technician and hairdresser. When she's not at work and not at yoga, she usually goes for long walks to find peace in the midst of everything that's going on.

She has a fixed route that she usually walks, around Nuuk Airport – or down towards the beach at the retirement home in Nuussuaq. Here she can forget that she is scared.

- It all feels a bit unreal. I have always lived a very calm and peaceful life, she says.

Tears come to her eyes.

- I think we all subconsciously fear what might happen.

After two or three intense weeks, where every day began with a new statement about Greenland from the USA, where Vivian Motzfeldt travelled to the USA in the name of diplomacy, and where every street corner in Nuuk was guarded by journalists, the electricity went out in the capital.

On Saturday, January 24th at 10:35 PM, the electricity went out in the entire city.

At that time, Nini Kleist was sleeping. When she woke up in the darkness at midnight, she saw that her sister had called.

- She has a lot of anxiety. She has a ten-year-old daughter, and they were alone, so they were really scared, she says.

She ended up going over to her sister and niece, who fell asleep as soon as Nini Kleist arrived.

In the darkness, Nini Kleist couldn't help but think that it had been about twenty days since Donald Trump announced that he would discuss the takeover of Greenland after twenty days had passed.

- You could start thinking about anything, she says.

Maja Heegaard, who is also one of the participants in tonight's yoga class, was also in Nuuk during the power outage. Through her work, she deals a lot with energy and supply, and at the moment there is enough to take care of with various contingency plans. That is why Trump and the USA have filled a lot of work.

- You are reminded of it all the time, she says.

When everything went black during the power outage, she wasn't too worried. She had noticed that it was blowing hard.

- 'Wow', I thought.

As you know, the power outage was not the first step in a large-scale coup d'état, but the result of strong winds in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat. And on Sunday there was light again in the city.

- But if it hadn't been windy..., says Maja Heegaard, raising her eyebrows.

Go 'off grid'

On the Monday after the power outage, naalakkersuisoq for health and people with disabilities, Anna Wangenheim (D), and naalakkersuisoq for children and youth, Nivi Olsen (D), came forward at a press conference to articulate the collective mental pressure that many are under.

- News is on 24/7. There is always something new to deal with, said Anna Wangenheim.

Turn off your phone, take a break from the news – go for a walk and think about something else instead, was the message.

Some of the same advice is given by psychotherapist Andria Sørensen to clients who come to her with palpitations, insomnia and worries about the future.

- Notice and acknowledge the fear, and do things that calm you down. Go for a walk, meditate, play with your kids – and put away Instagram and TikTok. Give yourself a break, she says, adding:

- And don't make drastic decisions while you're scared. Sleep on it.

In addition to going 'off grid', putting your anxiety into words can be calming, emphasizes psychologist Niina Isaksen. However, you also have to be careful not to stir up a mood.

- You have to be aware of what you're emitting, and how your energy rubs off on others, she says, and continues:

- You can quickly spread a lot of fear, but you can also spread a lot of calm and love. Even if you still feel insecure. We have to look after each other, reach out and ask others if needed.

Back in Godthåbshallen, there are only five minutes left of tonight's yoga class. The team has reached the last and most important position – at least according to the yoga teacher.

Everyone lies flat on their mats. Some with a blanket over them.

Nini Kleist lies still with a small cloth bag over her eyes.

- Release all the muscles around your ribs. Release your abdominal muscles.

Laura Jacobson Øraker sits up with her eyes closed and a hand on each knee. She speaks calmly and slowly into the room.

- Every time a thought comes, return your focus to your breathing.

Finally, so long passes between her instructions that you almost get a shock when she says something again.

After what feels like a few minutes, Laura Jacobson Øraker says something again:

- Come back to your body. Back to the room. Start making small movements with your toes.

- Stretch your arms – do what feels good for your body, she says.

People start moving. Some stretch their arms up above their heads. A few yawn.

Finally, everyone sits up on their mats with their hands together in front of their chest.

- Namaste. Thank you for today.