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 two years. We’re nearly obsessed with hearing the latest news, desperate to learn some new ‘known’ in the vast sea of uncertainty that surrounds us. 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 research in progress doesn’t impact the likelihood someone we love will contract the disease.
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 the supply chain bottlenecks and materiel inventory around the country doesn’t increase the likelihood a test will be there when we need one. Or influence the chances of a new variant that could arise, anyday.
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.
We watch the meaningless graph of COVID-19 cases that seems to reach for the stars. Stare at the ever climbing death toll. See the curves that show no signs of flattening, except if we look at it in a certain light, standing on one foot, with anomolies removed, and a +/- 50% margin of error.
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 environment.
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. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
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