How I Deal With Life Overload

Are you on overwhelm yet? 

I am I realized today. And the reason, I think, is not because there is more going on in the world today, it is that I am too tied into media because I am addicted again. 

Yes, there are lot’s of horrible things going on. We are still dealing with Covid, another war is happening and it feels like this war is more personal because it is a war being waged between democracy and authoritarianism. Our loved ones are being gunned down in places they should be able to feel safe. Our government representatives doesn’t seem to want to work for us instead of themselves.There seems to be hate sprouting up everywhere. Depression and anger and inhumanity seem rampant, probably no more than other times in history, it just feels that way because our media sources have perfected ways to keep us on edge and tied into the never-ending stream of details that feed our addiction for more and more news, which feeds our fears and keeps us uncertain, angry, and unhappy. At the same time we are wanting and needing to know more!

All of this makes us feel unstable and pessimistic about the present and the future. All of this makes me want to keep track of all of it every minute of the day and it has invaded my dreams at night. Television, computer, phone, all make it easy to access. I check my phone constantly. News sites and social media continuously recycle information is slightly different forms, adding details and opinions that keep us coming back over and over again. The more we click, the more money they make. I have cut my social media consumption a lot over the last year. Unfollowing people who only want to argue or be negative, and limiting my posts to a couple times a week.

Covid isolation and this latest illness of mine keep me home, alone, on edge, worried about my personal future as well as the worlds. I am tense and irritable and I really don’t like it.

On the bright side, I am finally starting to feel well enough to start making forward progress again. I still have quite a bit of nerve pain and my vision, although a little clearer, is still too blurry for doing many things. However, my energy is returning and I can get back to purging and releasing and packing for my future move (still no date, but we are working on it). And I can do a little sketching too so I want to get back to living again.

And since I am in the process of purging and releasing, this seems like a good time to take a media break and clear my mind of the detritus that it has deposited and which is hampering my healing as well as my creative process. 

Years ago I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and have gone back to it when I get distracted as to who I am and what I want my life to look like and be like. She has many good tools in this book that work to help revive my creative soul. Morning pages, artist dates, and a week or longer media purge are just some of them. I won’t bore you with details, but if you are struggling with all the overwhelm, even if you are not an artist or creative, I recommend reading the book. Creative thinking is a necessary skill that everyone needs, not just artists. 

I want my positive attitude back, I want my imagination back, and I want my intuition and creative approach to life back. So today is my first day of the media purge and it will be difficult because it is about breaking an addiction, however, I know it gets easier as the days go by and I will be happier because of it. 

This is not forever and awareness is important, I know that. We cannot hide our heads in the sand and do nothing to change our world, but we don’t need a 24 hour news cycle to keep us informed. Balance in all things should be what we strive for. It is what I strive for because I know it is the best way for me to contribute and be the best I can be.

There are other uses for my phone besides checking the news and here are some of the positive things happening in my world, a new day lily that came up for the first time, my baby hummingbirds (so exciting to watch their progress), a pretty ground cover in my front yard called a mini morning glory, and a sketch I did of calendula in my front yard (top of the page). 

We all have to find our own way to deal with the world events, however, keeping them in perspective and allowing our focus to come back to the positive and life affirming aspects within our own lives helps keep it all in balance. 

I hope you have a happy day! Keep going, we got this!

Cheryl