Many of us share a strange combination of feelings right now. These feelings have ebbed and flowed for many of us for much of the last five years. During COVID, we were nearly obsessed with hearing the latest news, desperate to learn some new ‘known’ in the vast sea of uncertainty that surrounded us. Ever since, it seems as though it’s been one political crisis or natural disaster after another. At the same time, we’re exposed to near toxic levels of stimuli. We’re experiencing sensory overload like never before. And making time to unplug has never been harder to do.
Unplugging is Essential to Our Mental Health
We crave some decisive “good news”, but also find ourselves bored, overwhelmed, and distraught by the steady stream of data (not to be confused with information), speculation, predictions, and anecdotes.
Watching more news doesn’t change the odds of how we will fare in today’s multiple threat environment.
How much we know or hear about climate research in progress doesn’t impact the likelihood someone close to us will experience an extreme weather-related disaster.
Knowing the latest unemployment numbers or how the DOW performed today doesn’t change our own likelihood of bankruptcy or financial insolvency.
Being up to the minute on continued supply chain bottlenecks and materiel inventory around the country doesn’t help us either.
We listen, watch, read. Picking up lots of data. But no true information. Nothing that is useful to us.
Yet we continue to tune in.
The bottom line is that none of our focused energy on the news feed impacts anything, except our level of overwhelm.
Too Much Data – Not Enough Information – Time to Unplug
I’m not suggesting we bury our heads in the sand. After all, it is wise to be informed about the major happenings in our nation and around the globe.
The key is to limit our exposure.
To unplug regularly, and often.
Because the more we watch and listen and surf, the lower the return on our effort and energy.
The law of diminishing returns kicks in earlier and earlier for me each day.
Peace of mind and calm are our best weapons in the face of sustained stress and ambiguity.
Our need to continue to make wise choices and good decisions as the world slowly begins to open up is essential, and our degree of calm is often a good indicator of how wise our judgments may be.
Latching onto that calm becomes more and more difficult the more stimuli that’s thrown at us.
So, we must have the discipline required to limit those stimuli.
We have to do what little is in our control to ensure that we’re best equipped and capable of bringing “our best game” to our daily lives.
Bottom line, the single most valuable choice we may be able to make is the choice to unplug. For a few hours, a day, or a week; whatever it takes to re-program our thinking back to our real lives, our families, our friends. And then to re-consider the important questions we must continue to make time to ponder. Questions that have nothing to do with the newsfeed.
What can we each do next to spread some joy in the world?
How can we help another who’s life experience is worse than our own?
What challenge could we decide to face up to today, during these unprecedented times?
Who shall we forgive today? Who shall we give the benefit of the doubt?
What favorite memory do we want to revisit and cherish?
What vision of the future do we want to embrace, enhance, and illuminate?
Tune-out, take the time to unplug, find the calm.
Make good choices, wise decisions, and find serenity in our hearts and minds.
Tomorrow is another day, but let’s embrace today, while we can, to the fullest. Always remembering, we are all so much more than enough.
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Joan’s career includes clinical healthcare plus 20+ years as an executive in a nationwide health care system and 15 years as a consultant. The common threads throughout Joan’s personal and professional life are a commitment to non-profit organizations, mental health, compassionate coaching, professional development and servant leadership. Joan has had the privilege of mentoring early and mid-career professionals as well as current and future executives and leaders. She is a member of the International Organization of Life Coaches, serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is also a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me. You can read more about Joan here: Joan Senio.
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