Oh, Friends, let me tell you: I took just a few days off from Face book and what a joy and relief it was. I made a decision to get my news from the NYT, WaPo, The Guardian and BBC News, and leave the endless echo chamber of social media. I understand the impulse to post the latest outrage (I did it, frequently) and share your outage with like-minded friends, but it was driving me nuts. It began to eclipse my day. First thing in the morning, coffee in hand, hunched over the keyboard, getting fired UP. Frequent check-ins over the course of the day. More intense emotion.
That is no way to be. It is not sustainable, for me anyway. But gosh, even when I go to the gym, there's the big screen t.v.s with CNN talking heads. Luckily, no sound, but closed caption. So I bring my ear buds and crank up the music on my iPhone.
It's great that we are engaged. This administration demands it. But I am finding more and more people are discovering they must balance it with healthy self-care. I did ask a friend what she was doing to take care of herself, and she replied, "nothing." But I know she does: she walks, she takes photographs, she shares laughter with her beloved. All good stuff. We must cultivate the good stuff.
For us, the good stuff includes movies on Amazon or Netflix. We just watched Mr. Church, with Eddie Murphy of all people in the lead. It's a serious role, and his portrayal is spot on. A very lovely film. And for pure entertainment, I've recently completed the series Z: The Beginning of Everything. The story of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald.
Have a great weekend, my friends! Do something GOOD for yourself!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
I'm going back in time, once again, to visit my great great aunt, Lou Goodale Bigelow. I knew "Aunty Lou," and would visit ...
It's true we do have to take care of ourselves in the midst of the mind-blowing dystopian reality. Photographs, taking walks, laughing with my beloved... that does sound like the right way to go. That, and some british drama on Netflix. We're all in this together.
ReplyDeleteGood to know you are taking care of yourself! Good reminder for all of us. We have snow up here today, along with plenty of signs of spring.
ReplyDeleteI avoid any "news" that is fed to me. Like you, I go to newspapers and valid information sites so I can partake (or not) at my own pace. And I refuse to enter into any political conversations. And that represents a major change for this former news junkie. Can't tell you how often I tell someone "Nope. You're not dragging me down that rabbit hole." And we laugh.
ReplyDeleteGlad to come here and see this. You found a healthy balance it sounds.
ReplyDelete