It has been a tough couple of weeks hasn’t it?
Total social media overwhelm right? On our Facebook and Instagram feeds, on the news, on the radio. You can’t escape it.
The antics of the U.S. president, another tragedy (this time in Quebec) and other bad news stories sucked me in. These last ten days or so I have felt simultaneously anxious and lethargic, and have had trouble sleeping.
At first I thought my lethargy was resistance.
Specifically resistance to learning a webinar platform I recently purchased (let’s just say I’m not tech savvy lol).
I thought my insomnia was due to too much caffeine. I’d get up in the wee hours of the morning make some hot milk, read a book and then fall back asleep just as my son Oliver was getting up at 5am.
During the day I’ve been dragging and in between client appointments I have found myself watching consecutive episodes of the Gilmore Girls instead of working. I usually enjoy scrolling through my social media feeds and posting and doing computer work but instead I was avoiding these things.
When my husband saw me zoning out, yet again, in front of Gilmore Girls he said;
‘Why do you keep watching that show?’
I shrugged. ‘It’s good’.
He then said; ‘I know why you like that show. It’s because it is a simpler, less complicated time, and nothing really bad happens. It is an escape from real life’.
Lightbulb moment!
He was right.
It wasn’t resistance I was experiencing, or the effects of excess caffeine, it was social media overwhelm and that onslaught of negativity had led me to my current state (not working, in yoga pants, on the couch watching GG).
Social media overwhelm and why you need to protect yourself
Loving ourselves is essential if we wish to reach our full potential as humans, and practicing self love includes being mindful of how much negative news and social media we are exposing ourselves to.
We only have so much energetic ‘capital’ and absorbing too much of the bad stuff robs us of our life energy- energy that we need to thrive.
Going Down The Facebook Rabbit Hole…
So when that you see that post on Facebook that gets you all fired up, which you then share on your wall, or write something in the comments section, or furiously type back and forth with someone with an opposing point of view, well those small moves are energy expenditures.
I am not saying it’s bad to stand up for what you believe in, or express your opinion or debate with others on social media -all that is great, in fact it is essential, but I have learned first hand that it is beneficial to pay attention to how you are going about it.
Ask yourself;
‘Do I want to spend my emotional currency in this manner? Am I ok with spending thirty minutes writing a Facebook post about this, or spending an hour reading these political posts or is there something else I would rather be focussing on?”
Protecting your self (self love) is crucial as there are only so many hours in a day and and our energy supply is finite.
Creating your ‘diamond shield’ for protection
Once I recognized that social media overwhelm was the cause of my slump I was able to do something about it.
I…
-Took a step back from social media to gain some perspective
-Watched Gilmore Girls instead of the nightly news
-Turned off my phone well before bed time and read a light hearted book instead
-Went snowshoeing with a friend, soaked up the vitamin D (it was a sunny day) and feasted my eyes on nature instead of my newsfeed
-Put my focus on my children and outstanding work / home projects instead of tuning into all the things the President of the U.S. was doing
-Went to bed early and maintained my exercise schedule
-Swapped out some cups of coffee for herbal tea
What I was doing by taking the above steps was building a ‘diamond shield’ of protection around myself, thereby ending the negative social media assault I had exposed myself to in the previous weeks.
It is SO important to pay attention to where your energy and focus is going!
If your energy is flowing towards news stories that are created for the sole purpose of grabbing attention, instilling fear, and making money, there is no energy left over for the good stuff, for creating art, generating ideas, completing projects, solving problems, or channelling emotions in an appropriate way.
How are you feeling right now?
If you have been spending a lot of time on social media, check in with yourself, how are you feeling right now?
Is your Facebook feed and dose of nightly news helping you feel better or worse? Are you taking in a stream of negativity or is your feed filled with uplifting posts? Is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and comparisons to others you see on social media making you feel bad?
If what you are viewing is bringing you down it is time for a break my friend!
What You Can Do If You Need A ‘Time Out’
If your self care practice hasn’t been as rigorous as you would like it to be, and your diamond shield has a few holes in it, then here are a few suggestions;
Go for a walk, pet a dog, call a friend, bake some cookies, exercise, drink a glass of water, write in your journal, listen to soothing music, schedule a massage, attend a yoga class, make a cup of tea, watch a funny movie, read a good book, create a delicious meal, arrange some flowers, listen to an amusing podcast, feed your backyard birds ….
Do whatever you need to do to create and or strengthen your diamond shield because without self love you will end up depleted.
Without self love we have no love to share with those around us, no love to share with our family, friends, community, country and world- and in these turbulent times we need all the love we can get!
…and if you are curious about another way to enhance your self love and strengthen your diamond shield CLICK HERE
xo
Eliz