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A friend and I were having a conversation yesterday about a prior conversation that had gotten a bit overwhelming for all parties involved. Wanna guess what it was about?
Politics. Yep. A topic I try to avoid when in groups because inevitably there is contention involved, and as a person who does not enjoy conflict because hello, MS feeds on stress.
So yesterday our convo was essentially this: it’s all too much. The absolutely constant barrage of information, 24/7. “Are you worried about this? Because you should be!” “Guess what we found at your favorite restaurant/in your favorite actor’s social media/in the med you’ve taken every day for years???” “Everybody hates everybody, and you should too” I would argue that in the information age we have more responsibility than ever to be aware of things going on around us both locally globally. But at the same time we have so many inputs that sometimes it’s all we can do to digest that information and then we retreat, shaking our heads at the state of the world we live in, having done nothing and feeling overwhelmed.
We find ourselves spiraling with unproductive worry, trying to weed out those tidbits that actually apply or that we can reasonably take action on (yes, I do need to know if there’s something harmful in my med, but not if it’s a tiny amount of extra vitamin C. I think I can handle that. And yes, this is a made-up scenario but I think you get my point).
So where do we draw the line? How do we figure out the magic equation that gives us just enough pertinent info to get through our lives as best we can without sending us into information overload? This is a question I’m asking myself, and people around me. Mental health is suffering on the whole, and for those of us with MS we already have enough stacked against us in that department.
Personally, I’m choosing to form a new habit. I will take in news for a certain amount of time each day, and then I’m done. No more doom-scrolling, no leaving the TV on a news channel for background noise “just to keep my ear to the ground in case there’s a new issue”, none of the mindless ways I’m setting myself up for more stress. And then I’m going to set aside a certain amount of time for a mentally healthy habit, and there are plenty to choose from: meditation, funny animal videos, connecting with a friend or low-stress relative, spending time outdoors, or just napping with a pet. This will take time to form into a habit cause I’m the first to open up email or social media with every spare breath, so it definitely won’t be easy but it has just become necessary enough to motivate me.
This is my line in the sand. I can’t do it all, know it all, change it all, but I can certainly make myself a little better so that I’m more able to do what matters. I hope you are able to find a balance too.
Cheers,
-TJ