How to Stay Sane in Crazyville.
It seems everyone I know is beaten down, scared, worried and terrified even.
If you are at all sensitive to emotion and energy, you can get zapped, overwhelmed and shut down really fast while trying to stay current with what’s happening. I won’t lie. Empathy and compassion fatigue are real things. The worst thing that can happen though is if you shut down in paralysis from fear, overwhelm, worry or rage. Then it’s over. We must stay accountable to being present, being grounded, alert and aware.
What matters is that you take action. Here are things to focus on.
Self-Care: sleep, eating well, multi-vitamin, fresh air, vitamin D, move your body, stretch. BREATHE. Stay grounded. Meditate. Dance. Laugh. Do anything to pattern interrupt the fear and worry based postures, behaviors and habits.
Social Media and News Detox: FB and other social media outlets have algorthims that amplify what you are focusing. It’s NOT representing the whole picture, just a small splice of what is happening in the world. Find a neutral news source or a person you trust and get informed from them rather than getting blasted by social media.
Empowered Action: GO VOTE. Get involved in what matters to you. Volunteer your service or donate to the causes you care about. Be available to your loved ones. Make great music. Keep teaching your students to think for themselves. Focus on how to stay empowered.
Keep Your Heart Open. What happens in the news is not necessarily what happens on your block or in your neighborhood. The people around you are first and foremost human beings, not prototypes of what you see on the news. Listen deeply. Engage in meaningful conversation. Try to understand where another is coming from. Look for solutions.
Focus on what you can do something about. Do not get lost in the bitching and complaining and terror based herd mentality that goes nowhere and does nothing. Change the conversation to “Who needs help? How can I get involved? How can I make a difference?”
Do Not Give in to Hopeless and Helpless. If you are stuck and paralyzed in fear because of what you see on your news feed, it’s GAME OVER. You matter, your voice matters, your action matters. Focus one thing you can do every day that works toward the impact and change you want to see. One hug. One gesture. It matters. It makes a difference. There is more going on in the world than the small percentage being reported. It doesn’t mean it’s not scary. It just means that we have to roll up our sleeves, feel the fear and still move forward doing what matters.
Do Not Give in to Fear and Catastrophic Thinking. Fear is a pattern of thoughts that takes a “what if” and pretends that it is a guaranteed outcome which then makes the body flip out. The body doesn’t know the difference between what could happen and what is happening when you are thinking intense emotional thoughts.
See the Best in One Another. Get grounded, present and really be with another person. Sponsor their courage, vulnerability and humanity. Risk connection. Keep communication open. Speak up. Say what must get expressed.
Make Meaningful Art. Art is one of the most extraordinary things that expresses the human experience and the human condition in all it’s flavors. To make great art we must be present with what is and start expressing it. Your voice matters. Your expression matters. Now is not the time for perfectionism and competition. Get out there and perform for others. The world needs it.
Focus on What You Want to See, Not What You Don’t Want to See. Be the change. Strategically plan one action step at a time, one person at a time, one conversation at a time, one cause at a time, one experience at a time.
No one can do this for us but us.
I’m here to help however I can. May your heart and courage lead the way. Please remember how much YOU MATTER and that change begins with one decision, one action, one behavior.