When They Want You Stressed Out and Hopeless, it's Time to Unplug, Dream and Create
Thoughts from the last few days
Disclaimer: This article has a different tone than what I have written in the past, as it talks about the US government and state of our country.
The last few days have been a rough to witness for many of us in the United States.
Over the last several months, we’ve been seeing what is going on in our country become more and more explicit. Yesterday we witnessed the three wealthiest men in the US sit behind our new president at his inauguration. We also witnessed the richest man in the world do a Nazi salute.
They’re saying the quiet parts out loud for all to see. They don’t care to hide it anymore.
The news headlines, as expected, have been written with a sense of urgency, chaos, and fear. Social media platforms (mostly Meta platforms from what I’ve seen) are putting said news headlines front and center for all users to see.
Their intentions are clear: Stress everyone out. Create panic. Create anxiety. In doing so, then more people will feel stuck, hopeless and incapable. Make people feel like they’re not good enough, so they’ll be easier to control. And if that doesn’t work, create confusion. Create problems that divide us so we argue with each other. Create more distractions.
The truth, however, is that we aren’t nearly as stuck as they’re making it out to be. They are outnumbered and they know it. If they weren’t afraid on some level, they wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing.
So what do we do?
For starters, it’s time to reevaluate our media consumption now and in the coming months. Slow down, pay attention and notice how the media (including social media) is impacting you psychologically.
Ask yourself: What emotions emerge from me upon reading these headlines? What thoughts emerge after reading this post or headline? How does the information I’m consuming every day impacting my mood? Is this information nearly as hopeless and absolute as they’re making it seem?
It might be worth re-evaluating how much time you spend on social media for the sake of your mental health. Perhaps it’s time to limit the amount of time on these platforms or eliminate them altogether. It might also be worth re-evaluating your news sources. For instance, I was actually talking to a friend yesterday who is living in Europe and she told me about numerous European news sources that offer different perspectives. Remember: They do not have control over our attention. We do.
Finally, I think the most important thing to do in these times is to slow down whenever you can. To rest. To dream. To think outside the box. To come up with different ways of doing things. To make art. To do things that nourish your soul rather than to do things that raise their profit margins.
It’s time to start doing things that really truly make life better for each and every one of us. That starts with each and every one of us discovering what most nourishes and supports our souls each and every single day.
Because the reality is, we all desperately need that right now and we are going to need that in the coming months and years.