Turn the News Off: Ten Point Plan for a News Sabbatical Starting Today
By: Lisa M. Hayes – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
YOUR BODY AND YOUR SPIRIT MIGHT NEED A REST.
It’s been a lot lately, and when I say a lot, I mean it’s been too much.
Yes, there are good things happening, and if you look, diligently, you can find good news stories out there. However, the mainstream media isn’t telling those stories at this point because they’re very busy talking about other stuff right now.
That other stuff is heavy. It really is. Yes, the media likes to play it up, but given the facts, they don’t have to exaggerate much to make it sound like we’re swimming in shark-infested waters every day. However, we’ve been swimming in those waters every day for not days, weeks, months, but maybe like two years and the awareness of that is exhausting.
That kind of exhaustion makes it almost impossible to process the news you’re taking in. It makes it very difficult for your brain to sort and process the information. It spins up your body into a fight or flight mode which makes you feel like you’re running a race you cannot win.
So, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
Now is an exceptionally good time to turn the news off.
Take more than a break. Take a sabbatical.
It’s ok to power down, unplug, and refocus on your life without the input.
Seriously, if something is happening you really need to know, like an asteroid hurling towards earth, someone will tell you.
At this point, the news is an anxiety-inducing adrenaline pumping experience. Chances are pretty high if you unplug you’ll actually go through a detox. However, that is the very reason to do it. You and your body probably need a reset.
So, I’m challenging you to a ten point news detox. Turn it off and do not turn it back on until you’ve completed all ten things on the following list.
Maybe, just maybe, when you work through the list you won’t feel compelled to plug back in, or at least not in the same way.
Start today:
1. Delete all the news alerts you get on your phone, tablet, and computer.
All.Of.Them.
You do not need them beeping and buzzing at you. You are smarter than Pavlov’s dogs. You can control the triggers that send you reaching for your phone.
You are probably already conditioned to look when it beeps. You can’t expect yourself to overcome that on the spot. So, removing the triggers altogether is the only way to be smarter than a conditioned dog.
Do it. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Get outside and bond with nature.
I mean bond for real. Hug a tree. Befriend a flock of birds. Name all the members of a squirrel family and take pics of them like you are a wildlife photographer. Don’t just go for a walk. Immerse yourself in nature in a way you wouldn’t usually make time for.
Nature calms the mind and the body. There really is nature everywhere. Getting yourself out there will help you remember there are forces at work in the grand scheme of things that aren’t concerned about the Mueller investigation or anything else.
Stand in the rain, breathe fresh air, lay in the grass, or dip yourself in the ocean. Mother nature knows you’re fucking stressed. She knows how to help.
3. Catch up with a friend and discuss anything other than the news.
Most of us have been talking a lot about the news. A lot of us are out of practice for having news-free conversations.
Yes, we’ve gotten better at not engaging in online and real-life wars with people who don’t agree with our point of view. However, there has been comfort in commiserating with our comrades who see it our way. However, during the detox, you need to stop.
Catch up with a friend and talk about other things that really matter, like family, and goals, and the latest life-changing shampoo you’ve been using.
Exercise your muscles for the art of conversation that uplifts without exception. I promise the people you’re talking to will dig it. Everyone wants to be uplifted.
4. Buy yourself some flowers and beautify at least one of your spaces.
Seriously, flowers can make anything better, and we can all use some better about now. Another thing that makes things better is a perfectly clutter-free bedroom or a freshly spruced up meditation space.
Basically, your mission is to make some beauty for yourself in your environment. Manipulate your inner environment by bringing beauty to your outter environment. Make the doing parts of this mission a meditation on mindfulness and appreciation.
Slow down and create space that nurtures your detox and recovery.
5. Read a novel.
You know, a novel. Not a self-help book, not a cooking book, not a historical biography – a novel.
Find a book that takes you someplace else and gives you a stroll through someone else’s story. Lose yourself in the words of a skillful author and escape all the madness for a bit.
Fiction is good for you. It inspires you to dream. It literally immerses you in something other than reality. Most of us don’t get enough fantasy. So, now is the time for a really juicy book.
Read it fast if you want, but you probably want to savor it. However, you read it you need to finish it before your detox is complete.
6. Create a new feel-good playlist.
Music is good for the soul. It’s also good for your brain.
Music can shift your mood on a dime. Sad music causes your brain to release sad brain chemicals within minutes. Happy music has the opposite effect. Basically, music can be like a pharmacist in your brain, whipping up feel good or feel not so good chemical cocktails at will. Music is your mechanism for leveraging mood of choice on demand.
There is something about curating a playlist with intention that requires attention in a way that just doing it is like a meditation. So, put your playlist together with care. Treat it like a first aid kit for the future moments you might need a boost or a rescue.
7. Memorize a poem.
Memorization requires repetition. It keeps your brain busy. It’s hard to focus on the world going to hell in a handbasket when you are working at committing beautiful prose to memory.
Multitasking is more or less a myth. Your brain really can’t do more than one thing at a time. You might think you can multitask but really you’re just rapidly task switching, which over time makes it more difficult to concentrate on anything at will.
Memorization trains your brain to laser focus through repetition and association. Memorizing a poem you love triggers both the memory centers of your brain and your emotional response centers. That kind of focus is calming.
8. Create some art.
Write something.
Draw something.
Paint something,
Knit something.
Build something.
Create something.
Stress tends to shut down the creative centers of the brain. However, when you activate creativity on purpose, the opposite happens. Your body and your mind relax. The creative zone is a meditative space and creating art can be a spiritual experience.
When you make something that didn’t exist before you birthed it, you are literally changing the way you experience yourself. You become a creator, no longer in reactive mode, instead, in a very empowered headspace.
Creativity is powerful medicine for a weary heart.
9. Get a haircut, a manicure, or something waxed.
Come on, you know you probably need some maintenance.
Looking better is almost always feeling better. Additionally, the act of taking care of yourself is a devotion, and you are worth your own devotion.
Self-care is more or less a fulltime job. It’s something you should be highly committed to during your detox. However, sometimes you need some good old fashioned polishing up, something that feels a little over-due or frivolous.
A great hair cut and color that makes you feel like a million bucks is worth more than a million, especially when you’re trying to ground yourself back into your life.
I can assure you that a Brazilian will change your outlook on your lady-parts, and the rest of your life, at least temporarily.
A deep seductive red nail polish can make you more confident to shake hands and meet new people.
10. Clean out your refrigerator, purse, your car, and your junk drawer.
Seriously, tidy up.
We’re not talking about going full Marie Kondo. We’re talking about dumping the year-old receipts you’ve got in the bottom of your handbag or cleaning the bio-hazard out of your refrigerator.
There is something really ceremonial about getting rid of some shit in your life. It’s can be symbolic and cathartic. Cleaning out a junk drawer can have the cleansing effects of a week’s worth of saging yourself on the regular.
If you clean up some small spaces you will give your soul and mind some breathing room. You’ll also have something tangible to show for your detox time.
Bonus: Organization has a tendency to spread.
More by Lisa:
Online dating, game theory, and meeting the love of your life
Lisa is an LOA Relationship Coach. She helps clients leverage Law of Attraction to get the relationships they dream about and build the lives they want. Lisa is the author of the newly released hit book, Score Your Soulmate and How to Escape from Relationship Hell and The Passion Plan.
Confluence Daily is the one place where everything comes together. The one-stop for daily news for women.
