Columnists
Doom or Joy
In the face of another Middle East conflict, I’m struggling to find the peace and the love. Oh, I know I have that with my friends and family, but it’s an uncomfortable and scary world out there. Am I right? You know I am. And it’s very sad to think many of us now wake up each morning and wonder if “he’s gone”. How should we navigate through our day without thinking how we’ll survive the political shenanigans all around us? We should stay informed, but now there is a need to protect our mental health. Most of us are simply trying to find some balance in our lives and stay on top of things without jeopardizing our calm and our mental wellbeing. I don’t want to suffer burnout from the anxiety generated by what I read and hear in “the news”. So, what will I do to cope? Glad you asked.
As much as possible, I have promised myself I will stop “doomscrolling”. Believe me, I do “loves me” some scary doomscrolling. However, I hate the let down feeling I get after a good trek down that rabbit hole of mudslinging and political smackdowns. Who doesn’t like to start the day with a coffee and a bit of, “What’s that idiot done now?” It’s going to be a hard habit to break. But I will try to cut back on my far-too-frequent newschecking and the nosing through social media feeds and posts. Mostly, they all make me feel angry and anxious. Obviously I like the rush, but hate the crash. To that end, I’ve promised myself I’ll read the “world news” in the morning with my coffee and maybe have a catch-up again in the early evening. For me, that’s fifteen minutes in the morning and about the same amount of time in the early evening. I have chosen to follow what I feel are reliable news sources. Yep, that would be the mainstream media. My friends and family are most welcome to send me the funny or patently pathetic news bites if they want, but I’m not going to believe any content created by sensationalists, and I will consider the source of the information. And, I have disabled all of the newsfeed notifications on all of my devices—yay me! Most of those doom and gloom, “breaking news” alerts can wait. I don’t need to interrupt a good day of writing, painting, sipping coffee on the porch and being retired by stressing over a newsflash about the insanity and chaos created by the incredibly inept and corrupt excuse for government in the USA. I’m going to channel some of my energy into my community. I want to focus on things I can control by supporting the people and organizations that are in line with my own beliefs and values. I can’t control what is happening around the world, but I can control how much I see or hear. If I’m looking about to be overwhelmed, I go for a walk on The Trail and get my kicks watching the flora and fauna. Nothing like watching a cardinal and a junco fight over who’s next at the feeder!
I know some of you who will think I’ve chosen to focus on my own well-being instead of giving a rip about the state-of-the-world around me. That is an assumption that simply is not true. I do care, but I’ve decided I won’t compromise my state-of-mind and physical health to watch a news clip or read a lengthy rendition of “what’s happening”. I am tired of the smoke and mirrors. I’m fed up with the shouting, the accusations, the assaults, the aggression, the abuse of power and the manipulation of the facts. Yep, I’m going to dump the international newsfeeds and jump on the “Joyscrolling” bandwagon. If the Reel or Tik- Tok isn’t about watercolour painting techniques or a three-ingredient recipe idea that will change my life at dinner time or an artist making a molehill out of a mountain, then I’m not going to waste my precious time on it. I’ve had enough. All of my feeds will be curated, fact-based, reputable and not sensationalized commentary—even though I crave that crap. I’m detoxing.
Let’s hear it for more enjoyable moments and less stress. Let’s hear it for more coffee dates, library and bookstore visits, fresh flowers, community involvement and creative energy.
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