It’s been a terrifying and tumultuous time in my country for the last few months. It has urged the all-important issue of climate change to be addressed now, in the most dire of circumstances. And now that social media is so prominent in our lives, the messages, news items, images, videos – the media – is seemingly inescapable and overwhelming. It has, over the last couple of weeks, driven away inner peace, until I have no desire to let my world be invaded by these thoughts. Every image I saw, I became distressed and ended up crying miserably. Every day it was the first thought on my mind and the last. There comes a point when too much information is crippling. It is healthy to switch off and tune out regularly from social media, but imperative if you begin to suffer from anxiety.
What is most distressing, is how scathing, how angry and bitter and critical people are. And it reminds me of why I opted for a quiet, low-key Christmas with my family in what turned out to be the most wonderful Christmas we’ve ever had, away from the need to explain myself or feel that I’m being disrespected, or to listen to the concerns or criticisms of others. In a time of peace and joy, I really wanted to feel peace and joy. Sounds like a no-brainer, but a typical Christmas is not typically a time of peace and joy. Now, in the midst of our national (and indeed global) crisis of climate change, an issue I feel, like many, very strongly and passionately about, it is good to disconnect for a while and to seek out respite.
Nobody knows all of the answers. Nobody has all of the solutions. No one person is the font of all the world’s wisdom. And we should take comfort in that. In acknowledging that we’re not responsible for all the answers, we can make the most of our life by acknowledging that we’re all too real, too limited, and we’re content with our part in this life. Ironically, it is when you stop talking, stop trying so hard, that joy and peace steal upon you, and that’s when you realise that happiness is not in trying to solve the world’s problems, but rather by simply not adding to them.
Humility is such a blessing. It makes us open. Receptive. Respectful. It drives us away from the egoistic. Whenever this egoistic feeling rises, I feel a pain in the back of my head quite literally, whether it is in me or others. Unfortunately conflict causes a lot of criticism and pain, agony and angst, but these do not really serve us. Yes, if you can do good in the world, do good, inspire and teach – but to adopt the tone of arrogance, of the overly critical, is damaging to the soul, closes us off from the ability to truly work together, and is very tiresome. Sometimes it’s good to be the stillness, the pause in the riot, and know that that pause is a breathe of life. At least that was what I was taught by my conductor, years ago. Be the stillness. Let the pause be, in its own way, a full and rich sound. Reflect. Feel humility, and then you will once more feel the world open up to you, and see life, in all its truth, the good and the bad, and choose it. #wordsastherapy #bethechange
TIPS IF YOU SUFFER FROM MEDIA INDUCED ANXIETY
- Disconnect from social media for a while
- Seek out small things that bring you happiness and a feeling of calm
- Get outside to do pleasurable activities, such as taking a stroll or going to the park
- Practice some deep breathing and soothing meditations
- Connect with the ordinary, have a chat with a stranger, or go somewhere that brings you comfort
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