Some days I just can’t take reading or hearing the news. I mean how many stories can a person take about #DWIJudge, or #dumbthingstrumpsays, or reality shows, or worse: reality.
I feel more uncertainty in my life than usual. Maybe I’m overly sensitive to the 24/7 news cycle, or flickering digital images; the unsettling political climate, or pressing socio-economic issues. It’s like riding a non-stop merry-go-round and dying to get off. Call me mentally shallow, but I sense that others feel the disruption, too.
We live with fear. We run, hide and — if we are brave enough – we fight. We pass judgment on others. We ask: why did this happen to me? We allow incessant rants from big media mouths to drive the crazy train in our minds off its rails.
I know what’s going on and I care. But when the news becomes overwhelming, horrific, repetitive, or stupid, I need to tune out and turn off all sources of chatter.
Whenever I’m faced with challenges, I go inward to try and solve my problems. I write things down to remember how I was feeling. Sometimes I post them here. Mostly, I fill up a lot of Field Notes and keep them in a drawer like sunken treasures.
I’ve heard that hope is not a strategy, but without hope we cannot rise and face challenges with resilience and courage. Hope may not be a strategy, but throughout history holding hope has carried many people a long, long way.
Some of my other strategies to tune out the news include:
- sitting in solitude
- exchanging negative thoughts for positive ones
- repeating a mantra
- listening to pine cones popping
- petting a puppy
When I can’t sit still a moment longer, I have to get up and move. I like to think I can solve a problem simply by playing. Sometimes I can hear a little voice inside my head saying: “you really have to go outside and play some tennis in the sun.”
Tuning out helps me tune in to myself. After awhile, my brain self corrects and my agitation evaporates into the breeze. My body, mind and soul return to a sense of calm. Everything is as it should be.
What do you think?
This is my best work today. Thanks for reading. If you like this post, please feel free to share it with your friends or send me a comment. You can also post a comment on my blog or Facebook, or tweet me @kristinebruneau.
Good idea Kris. Here’s one… Tuning out the news with non-objective art. Put your pencil on the page and move it. When you begin to recognize an image or an interesting shape emerging, continue to develop it. In no-time at all you’ll realize you tuned out the news, had fun, and created something you can appreciate.