Mental Wellness Series
Opt Out of the 24 Hour News Cycle and Busy Mode
And tune into yourself instead
The hysteria of the 24 hour news cycle has reached a crescendo in 2022 with all the new unexpected events happening in the world.
We all want to be good citizens, but the never ending litany of bad news is getting tough for most people to bear.
Do we really have to watch endless debates and news reports to understand what’s happening?
Do we need to listen to speculations about all the possible bad outcomes that might happen in the future?
The answer for me is a resounding NO!
You can decide to opt out anytime you want for the benefit of your own mental well being.
But what can you do to protect yourself from these daily incoming attacks?
Here’s some ideas . . .
Stop watching the nightly news daily.
No one needs to watch the news every day. If something really important happens that will affect you directly, someone will tell you.
Try to stop watching the news cold turkey. Check in with yourself several times a day to see how you feel.
Do you feel less stressed and more positive?
Wouldn’t you like to feel that way every day?
Decide to set a time limit on your news watching. Try subscribing to something like the Daily Skimm for an abbreviated overview of the daily news as an alternative.
Start tuning into yourself instead.
Decide to try some different techniques to see how you can tune into and listen to yourself and check in with your current state of mind.
You can meditate, journal, listen to music, sing, dance, walk, garden, craft or read. Anything that you enjoy and that helps you relax and just be in the moment with yourself.
Give yourself some space in your life.
Being busy all the time is unhealthy and damaging to yourself and your relationships with your loved ones.
Consciously setting some time aside daily to do what makes you feel happy and energized will help you maintain your mental wellness.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help if your plate is so full you can’t cope anymore.
Remember: You are worth it. Help will appear if you only have the courage to ask for it.
If your house is a mess, you have a crazy full calendar and you are people pleasing all over the place, just stop and take a breath and slow down.
Go ahead and say no to stuff you don’t want to do and focus on what’s really important to you instead.
You do not have to do everything all the time every single day.
Key Message: Tune out the noise and busyness and tune into yourself. Your mental health and your life will be better for it.
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” — Albus Dumbledore
Linda Locke is a writer and mentor/teacher. She lives in Southern California in Ventura County by the coast with her husband and lots and lots of books.
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