How To Feel Lighter In A Heavy World

As if our world wasn’t overwhelming enough with polarization of US politics, the Jan 6th insurrection, mass shootings, Russian invasion into Ukraine, and now the overturn of Roe v. Wade. It all feels so heavy and I have found myself a bit depressed and anxious. 

When I start to feel this way, I have to be very discerning about what I consume.

I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about all the other things that I take in on a regular basis and how they affect how I feel. This is especially true for news and social media.

In the coaching space, I have learned that I can’t always change the circumstances of the world, but I can change what I focus on.

When I change my focus, I change the way I think and when I change the way I think, I change the way I feel. And you can too!

If you want to elevate your energy and feel more peace about the world, you must pay attention to what you are consuming.

Most of what we take in is unconscious. We are on autopilot.

Let me share a personal example that illustrates this perfectly. For years, I would prep dinner while watching The Ellen Show. It made a daily, boring task more enjoyable. Ellen was funny, smart, generous and had interesting guests. My energy and mood was elevated after my daily dose of Ellen. But, that euphoria was quickly replaced with frustration and anger as I watched The Dr. Phil show that immediately followed Ellen. In contrast, the Dr. Phil show was sensational and full of negativity. Yet, I didn’t connect the dots until I started to really pay attention.

I had “invited” Ellen into my home (and psyche) intentionally. But, it didn’t occur to me that I could shut the door on Dr. Phil versus mindlessly allowing one show to roll into the other. 

Once I realized this and took responsibility for how I wanted to feel, I turned the TV off as the Dr. Phil show was coming on. Needless to say, I was a lot more pleasant for the rest of the evening.

Since then, I have become hyper aware of how I feel by what I am consuming and deliberate about what I invite in and allow to occupy my attention. This especially goes for social media.

You have heard the expression garbage in = garbage out.

If you mindlessly scroll, watch, read, and listen to negative information, you will think negative thoughts and feel negative emotions. And for sure negative actions and results will follow.  

While it’s good to be informed, it doesn’t serve you to be constantly bombarded by negativity. And, it doesn’t serve anyone for you to feel crappy.

If you want to elevate your energy and feel more peace, be very discerning about what you watch, read, and listen to. 

Controlling what you take in will dictate how you feel and how you go about your day.

The place to begin is to tune into how you feel.

After an hour scrolling FB or IG, do you feel better or worse about the world and yourself?

After watching the news or reading a paper, do you feel better or worse?

After spending time with a perpetually negative friend, do you feel better or worse?

It’s simple, ask yourself, “do I feel better or worse?”

From there, you can begin to edit out all the stuff that depletes your energy.

If you want to take it a bit further, identify what nourishes you and get more of that. Music is my go to. I replaced Dr. Phil with some good music and I was dancing around my kitchen. Now that’s joy.

When you start to be selective about what you’re consuming, you will elevate your mood, energy, and life experience.

Remember, you have the power to choose.

Choose wisely, my friend.