Daily reports from the media often aren't cause for you to begin dancing around your home. Nor do they cause you to view a bright horizon for all of us, but there's something to be said during these times for denying reality.
Denying reality? Isn't that a symptom of a psychiatric disorder?
Wouldn't I need medication or psychotherapy if I did that? No because I'm suggesting that you needn't be the victim of this barrage of negative media. You have options and one is right in the palm of your hand; your remote.
Media overkill has been ratcheted up to excess now and the stress it promotes is both bothersome and injurious to your physical and mental health. I will bet that if you were to track your blood pressure, you'd find that certain TV shows cause spikes--not good. Staying informed is one thing, but permitting media coverage, which is often looping, is not exercising your power; turn it off.
No, you won't miss much because they will all be carrying the same stories time and again with, possibly a rotating panel of talking heads. How many times do you have to hear something upsetting about the government or government officials?
When your hands are tied, figuratively, what is the sense of upsetting yourself? Voting, contributing to causes in which you believe, sending emails regarding bills in Congress--all good ideas.
But sitting there and allowing yourself to be bombarded is useless. What can you do besides just getting one update on the day's news in the evening? Okay, here are some ways to keep yourself and your mind-body connection in harmony and for your benefit.
1. Put music on in your home, your car, your workplace--wherever you can. Music really does have power to soothe the savage soul/beast, whichever you prefer. It can create a calm mood or energize you; your choice.
2. Do some mild exercise during the day. You need nothing but your two hands and feet to do stretches, walk, or lift light weights. No weights? Got canned vegetables? Okay, that will do in the
place of weights. No need to buy weights, just look in your cupboard. Walk around the office, up the stairs or even walk in place. Isometrics are also good and you can do that while sitting at a desk. YouTube has lots of good videos. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcwdR6XkLvI
3. Practice relaxation breathing during the day. Easy and you can do it wherever or whenever you want and it can't hurt you. It will cause your body to calm down. Go to my website videos page (http://www.drfarrell.net) where I have a video on it. Do it whenever you're feeling stressed. It works.
4. Limit your media exposure to no more than perhaps one-half hour a day. You might want to do this at the end of your day rather than the beginning because, if the news is stressful, do you want to carry that around with you all day? Anything that requires immediate attention will be flashed to you in one manner or another, so you won't miss out.
5. Find a hobby that you enjoy and that you can engage in readily. Hobbies are great stress relievers and allow you to give your mind time to relax and even become creative. Yes, paying attention to hobby activities doesn't mean your brain is totally zeroed in on only that activity; it is still processing other things on an unconscious level.
6. Be sure you get enough sleep each day. Sleep is as essential as food and it affects you totally, so skimping on it causes injury to
your immune system and, therefore, your ability to fight off disease or repair injuries. Want more information on how vital sleep is? Ok, get a copy of my book on sleep: http://amzn.to/2n3RTnp You can get the paperback or an ebook.
7. Take some time to spend time outdoors in a park, a forest, on a
beach, anywhere in the natural environment. Nature has an incredible refreshing ability and just being there is good for you. Yes, science does back me up on this.
8. Laugh as much as you can. Laughter is a means to communicate to your body that there's reason for hope and it can change your mood. Get a few funny shows or films on your Netflix account or Amazon or wherever you can and fire them up regularly. Don't skimp on this. You can binge as much as you'd like, provided you leave time for the other things in your life. I'm not suggesting you spend every day, all day laughing it up.
Now you've got a formula to put in place to keep your sanity and your health intact. Print it out and post it on the frig, your desk, in your car, wherever you are sure to see it each day. Now, go to it.