There is no question that things are overwhelming right now. I think it was overwhelming enough when we just had the election. Then add the pandemic, massive job losses, the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, racial discrimination, concerns over the availability of food and supplies, misleading news, national disasters, and everything else going on in the world. It’s so hard to find good news these days with all the bad news we are hearing. And while I know it’s a good thing to be informed and to know what is happening in the world, it also isn’t always the best thing.
We have an endless supply of news between the 24-hour news channels, online news, and social media. When we are busy with other things happening in our lives like work and going out, we don’t have as much time to see all the news that never ends. But now, most of us have very little to do each day. I try to stay busy, but some of that busy time is scrolling through social media and then I see all the news as it’s happening. And then sometimes if I see a tweet or a post about something I don’t know about, then I go down a rabbit hole of learning more about it.
There needs to be a balance in my life of staying informed but not being overwhelmed. I know I’ve struggled to find this balance so many times in the past. But it feels so much harder now that I don’t have other things taking up my time. I’ve been trying to take steps to work on this a lot lately. The biggest step I’ve taken is to do daily breaks from my phone. I will put my phone down, turn off notifications, and sit in a different area to read or do something else. I don’t do this too long each time since there are some things I do that are time-sensitive for the little bit of work that I have now, but I can take 15-20 minute breaks a few times a day.
I have found these breaks to be helpful and have been calming me down a bit. I do have some anxiety from not being next to my phone (which is a different issue that I know many of us have), but the positive effects of doing this have easily outweighed the bad. When I take these breaks, I also usually am doing something that distracts me from my phone like watching some tv or reading a book. I know that while you are doing something else you aren’t always looking at your phone, and I typically don’t while reading. But when I’m reading, I have taken time out to scroll through my phone even though I don’t need to. And when I’m watching tv, I’m also usually on my phone doing something too. There are some shows that do get my full attention, but these days I’m watching a lot of random stuff I don’t focus on too much. And while multi-tasking can be a good thing, it’s not necessary for me to do and it’s not helping me.
I know I can’t ignore the news completely because I do like being informed and trying to use my voice and platform to raise voices that need to be heard. I want to be an activist for causes I’m passionate about. I might not be an activist the same way that others are, but I know that I’m taking steps to do what I feel like I can do and handle. I don’t feel comfortable going to protests for a few reasons, but that doesn’t mean I can’t support them or use social media to share my message and what others are saying.
I doubt the news is going to be any less overwhelming for a while. Even if natural disasters aren’t in the news, there are so many other things that will only be intensifying. The closer we get to the election, the more news I know we will be hearing. And after the election, I expect things will still be tough. I need to be mentally prepared for that. And part of that preparation is realizing that sometimes I don’t have to be reading as much news every day to stay informed.
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And Some More Politics (or Appreciating Social Media)
Just Taking Things One Day At A Time (or Handling What Is Right Now)
Finding More Ways To Help Via Social Media (or Continuing To Share Good Things)
Almost Getting My Lazy Birthday (or Staying In And Staying Busy)
Getting Informed About A Contract (or A Union Meeting Before A Vote)
Thank You (or You All Made Me Feel Less Alone)
