Should you keep up to date with current affairs?
At my recent women’s weekend retreat here in beautiful Wanaka, I was asked a BIG question. We’d been spending the retreat learning about regulating the nervous system, discovering grounding techniques to incorporate into our daily routine, and really connecting with inspiring conversation, when one of the amazing retreat participants asked me ‘Should I keep up to date with the news when it feels so heavy?’
This was a huge question to receive on the spot, and yet what I said next is completely true to me, and is something I believe we should all be aware of.
Do you watch the news?
Honestly, I don’t watch the news. I don’t listen to it, and I don’t read it. I just don’t seek it out. A few years ago, I even unfollowed all news-related pages on my social media. However, I never feel like I don’t know what’s going on in the world, and I definitely don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
Because here’s the thing; I believe that if I need to know something, that information will come to me. Choosing not to seek out the news doesn’t mean I never hear about it, and I’m not pretending it doesn’t exist. The things is, friends, family, people I follow on social media all share about it. I still know what’s happening in the world. So, the information always finds its way to me, and it will still find its way to you too if it needs to.
What’s more, because I don’t go seeking it out, by the time it comes to me, I receive only the most important information and the information that I can use. What I mean by this is; all news is sensationalised, whether it’s on the TV, on the radio, online or in the paper, all headlines are written to try and draw you in. So, no matter which medium you’re receiving your news through, there’s going to be another headline afterwards which is also going to sound like doom and gloom. And through this, it’s so easy to find yourself going down a huge rabbit hole, and next thing you know, it feels like the whole world is doom and gloom and there’s no hope left. (This isn’t true!)
Watching the news creates physical stress in your body.
As humans, our bodies react to the world around us. If you’re always taking in heavy news, your body is going to physically respond to that stress. Just because it’s not happening to you, in fact it could be on the other side of the world, your body doesn’t distinguish that. Do you find yourself crying, getting angry or worked up when you’re watching the news? That right there is your body & brain reacting to it. And so, when you hear about the heavy news, your body & mind respond to that in a stressed way and still react as though they’re receiving that physical distress. And if you’re receiving that stress, then your nervous system is becoming dysregulated and over stimulated, especially when you’re subject to it all day, every day.
At times when such turbulent things are happening in the world, and you feel like you want to help, you’re no use to anyone if your nervous system is out of whack. Instead, you need to be able to switch off from what’s going on around you. You need to be able to reset, and come back to yourself. Self-care becomes even more important, because the more you’re looking after yourself, the better you can serve those around you. Remember the old saying, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
And so, it’s important to notice where your news sources are coming from, and how you can switch off from it. It’s also important to notice how much information you personally can take on board, before you set your boundaries, and step away. Everyone is different, and everyone has different tolerances.
What if I want to keep up with current affairs though?
What I would say is, be mindful of the information you take on board. If you do want to keep up to date with current affairs, don’t have the news (TV or radio) playing all the time. Instead, set yourself a realistic amount of time to catch up with what’s important to you, and stick to it. Step away from it when you’re done, process it however you wish to process it, and then release it. Only when you come back to yourself can you know the best way to help those around you, and do so from a place of true authenticity.
When the world feels heavy, we need more people who are able to spread the light. You can be that light.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.- Martin Luther King Jr
If you feel called to reach out and find out what works for you, please feel free to book a connection call with me. I’d love to chat more about ways to help regulate your nervous and stay true to yourself, even when the world feels heavy.