Don't want to live in a bubble, however....

This is not meant to be a pro or con political post. Please don't reply with your personal politics, only suggestions about the TMS issue. Thanks.

Hearing world news really sets off my nervous system in so many ways. I wasn't this way before. A nurse I know at an ER has even said that the amount of people coming in with anxiety attacks about the future has tripled at their hospital this year already.

I know even 30 years ago we wouldn't have heard all the news all day long on social media like we do, so maybe our nervous systems aren't set up for it.

I've tried to only see the news every three days, etc. And, friends have said, well there's nothing you can do to change it right now, anyway. However, I don't want to live in a bubble or in denial.

Does anyone else feel like world news / events take a toll on your healing from TMS? If so, what have you been doing? I'd really like to know.

Thank you.

 

I hear you, i've had trouble with the same thing! Basically I have stayed off Facebook for the most part, my only social media I use is instagram. When the November election happened I got a big surge of TMS around it, that was the worst. Basically what I do to handle it is try to stay in the present moment with mindfulness, look at news only briefly to not get bogged down, and try to go to sources I trust rather than seeing people's panicked social media posts. I realized how bad Facebook and Twitter were for my mental health a while ago and really try not to be on them much. I read in depth about things that interest me and not the rest.

 

Absolutely!! It devastated me, and set me back significantly. The depression went into a crisis. A couple months ago, I pulled off Facebook. I simply could not take one more single tiny bit of news. I spend more time with my Trees and Faeries (yes, I do believe they exist, and my world is richer for it!). I watch the Dragonflies and Hummingbirds and listen to the songs of the river. I read books that soften and warm me (my current reading is Awakening Garden), and will often go to old favorite books from childhood (Chronicles of Narnia, Secret Garden, etc). Music music and more music. Dancing. Painting mandala dots on rocks and canvas. Making Faerie arm bands. Spinning Poi. Only once in a while do I venture to a news site that is about what has gone right with law/politics/policies/etc.

We also have not had TV service for over five years, which is delightful. We get Netflix DVDs.

It can be hard to leave social media, as it has a strange addiction. Once you snap free of that addiction, it feels tremendously better.

On the Forum, there is a an area for Off Topic ... in there is a thread for Hobbies. It is a good place to list things you like to do, and to get ideas from others. Give it a try ^_^

My most passionate goal is to Be Love. Just that. To BE Love. In my thoughts, in my actions. It helps to go there, to that place where Light is sparkling and filling the heart. I think of we all could go there ... imagine the Magic!

.... with Love and Gratitude ^_^

 

Thank you so much for this post and the ideas within it. I appreciate it so much. I've decided to go off Facebook for a while. I have plenty of work to do and I don't need to spin my mind off in 15 fearful directions.
We also gave up cable TV, which in LA means all TV. I don't miss it. Thanks, too for the idea to go to the Hobbies forum. All my best to you.

 

Thank you for your response. I do think Social media is revving up my brain in ways that are unhelpful. I agree and appreciate what you wrote. All my best to you.

 

I've posted this link a few times on the Forum, but this seems a good place to do it again. It is a wonderful reminder that there is good news in the world, and compassionate, kind, generous people doing remarkable and loving things every day.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ (The Good News Network: Positive Stories 24/7)

I guess it all comes down to boundaries. What do we let in and what do we keep out? I know I need to gauge on a regular basis what effect things I let in are having on me. Sometimes I can look at things in a non-reactive state, with interest and curiosity. Other times the same things can upset my peace of mind. I need to be mindful of where I'm at at any given moment and adjust accordingly.

 

This reminds me of the old bible school song, "be careful little ears what you hear..."
When my daughter was born, 24 years ago, there was a rash of stories about abused babies. I could't watch. Since then, I have not watched tv news. I get my news via NPR in the car during my 15 minute commute to work. Even some of that has been overwhelming, so I periodically switch to a music station on the radio, or simply turn it off and enjoy the silence, particularly in the early morning.

 

Hey sweetness,

It's hard for me to add much to the rich ideas and suggestions offered here however I favour viewing my world as an environment rather than a bubble. Rick Hanson (I should be on commision) offers this wonderful gardening metaphor for situations like this, urging us to plant seeds and pull weeds in the fertile soil of our minds. This notion is held safe in the expression let in, let go, let be.

Hanson also advocates a practice called Taking in the Good. a.k.a. Feeding the Wolf of Love.

Here is a short video where Hanson explains this practice within a context of self-directed neuroplasticity (don't worry, it's totally user friendly). He also mentions Neuro-Darwinism which is where pesky, horrible, hurtful neural pathways fall away. This is the outcome we want for those pain and anxiety paths, loops and triggers.



One of the healing recommendations I have taken from Alan Gordon's program is to embrace joy. I've decided to weave dance back into the fabric of my life rather than neglecting it bar the odd biannual outing. I'm waiting for a new practice skirt to arrive in the post (long, flowing skirts are essential for feminine movements and feelings), and I'm exploring new music. Our beautiful Lily Rose is quite right in endorsing passion, love, warmth and time devoted to Nature. These things are Soul Food.

The former monk Thomas Moore wrote a charming book called The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life. This is what we ought do, breathe beauty and magic and goodness into every sacred moment of our lives.

The news is not the world. Social Media is an ego construct. Liberate Yourself from those thorny worlds.

God Bless You, lovely Marcia.

 

Thanks so much for posting this clip, Plum. It's just what I needed to see before returning to school tomorrow.
I decided many years ago to embrace joy, and not dwell on the horrors of chronic disease, or of the evils in the world. Sometimes I halt what I'm doing and just smile and breathe when I see something beautiful, or catch a kiddo being kind.
I'd love to see you in your new practice skirt. The very thought makes me smile!

 

Plum is a belly dancer. Well, of course......