Welcome back, my friends! This post comes with a TRIGGER WARNING!! Let’s get started!
“And in the news, another school shooting. Eight children dead.”
“A family of four found shot to death inside their home. The killer is identified as the father, who then took his own life.”
“The stock market takes yet another tumble.”
“Gas prices soar YET AGAIN!”
“COVID deaths have skyrocketed!”
“Unarmed black man shot dead by police in front of his family.”
“There is yet ANOTHER COVID variant discovered in ______ country!!!”
“Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, then places his nuclear forces on high alert!”
You know the drill. And this is just the tip of the so-called iceberg, believe it or not. How many times do we hear crap like this either in the news or see it on social media or hear it from friends? I mean, I am nearly 55 years young, and I have heard and/or seen this type of stuff all my life. Heck, even the Bible has passages that are downright depressing.
How are you expected to cope with this sort of thing? How does the above make YOU feel? Do you just gloss over it because you are so used to hearing news like this? Or do you sink into the depths of darkness, lack of hope, and fear?
The myriad of answers may range from everything such as ‘I pray and turn it over to God’ to ‘this is depressing’ to ‘I overeat or drink because of this’ to ‘I don’t pay any attention to it anymore.’
And In the News …
I do not tune in to the news anymore. That has been my modus operandi for probably two decades. Oh I catch the headlines and I do tune in every now and then. But I haven’t just sat and watched an entire news program in a very long time, hell no! It is way too depressing for me. I have done it recently off and on just to break my routine of watching other programming that I find much happier and cheerier than the news of yet another black person shot dead by the police.
Speaking of The Police, the very popular rock group wrote a song about how indeed the world is running down. Check it out!
The Effects
But I am really curious as to how all this negativity affects us on a day-to-day basis.
I would bet anything that depression is perhaps the number one resulting factor from all of this. And/or fear and worry.
And definitely anxiety. On here, I have discussed my generalized anxiety disorder, as well as my anticipatory anxiety. I just cannot bear all the negativity all the time, because then it sits in my mind and I begin to believe that it will happen to me. So, in other words, it does NOT help my GAD at all.
In summary, hearing/seeing these headlines on a daily basis can place you in a heightened state of anxiety, fear and depression.
Are We Becoming Immune?
BUT
What if you have heard all of this garbage all your life and you start to become immune to it? I mean, what if you just don’t care anymore? I am sure there are those out there like that who are simply becoming desensitized to it all. ‘Yeah. Heard it all before’ sort of attitude.
Another school shooting. Okay.
Another earthquake killing thousands of people in some country. Okay.
Another COVID death. Okay.
And no, I am not saying it is okay. NONE of it is okay. But I can only imagine that after hearing the same horrible news over and over, you almost come to expect it. And see it as nothing new.
I think I am starting to become desensitized to all of the bad news. And I don’t mean that I don’t care, but when you hear it over and over and OVER AGAIN, it does lose some of its feeling and impact.
And of course, the latest is Putin essentially threatening nuclear war. Gee. Where have I heard that one before? Oh that’s right, during the 80s with the Cold War and the U.S.S.R. and living under the threat of nuclear war breaking out at any moment.
Ever since I was a child, I have been exposed to extreme negativity and depressing news. I remember even reading Revelations in the Bible. And if that didn’t scare the literal hell out of you, I don’t know what will. It sure did it to me, the threat of an Armaggedon and the End of the World. Over the years, I just got sick of hearing it. And this whole thing with Putin, I am almost like whatever, dude. (But GO UKRAINE!!!!! Prayers to you and President Zelenskyy ❤️)
The Possible Coping Strategies
Now, there are those individuals who are not so lucky as to just brush it off.
People who may not have the most positive and/or effective coping strategies, may succumb to the following:
- Overeating – my personal fave.
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. No judgments here.
- Drugs. Again, no judgments.
- Sex.
- Suicidal ideation.
- Sleeping a LOT.
To name a few.
So, let’s see what we can do to minimize the fears and the negativity that the world can bring us.
Derek’s Quick Tips for Dealing with the Wordly BS:
- I have spoken about it extensively and will continue to do so – listen to MUSIC! Set aside time to just listen to music that you really enjoy. Or play it if you are an instrumentalist. I start my morning off by listening to music. NOT THE NEWS!!! OMG! Talk about getting depressed quickly. So, I just don’t do that.
- Nature. Take a walk outside. Nature to me is so grounding and soothing. And it is even helpful when there are few people around!!
- Dance! Dance! Dance! I’m a 70s/80s kid, proud Gen Xer. So, dancing has been and will always be a part of my life. It relieves the stress.
- Meditate. I like to sit quietly. No TV or music or noise. And definitely no SmartPhone. Just quiet and solitude. A big plus is if you can do this outdoors. So, I sit on my balcony, and thankfully the weather is getting warmer.
- Pray. I put this one out here, because I find it to be effective. No, I am NOT a religious person. But you do not have to be to simply pray and ask for peace or to simply be thankful.
- Speaking of, be grateful for what you have. Gratitude has helped my life TREMENDOUSLY! I still keep my Oprah gratitude journal. I am now in my 21st year of keeping it (them)!!
- Rest/sleep. Hey, there is nothing wrong with just taking a nap or a snooze. I would be concerned that if you are sleeping a lot, that that may be a sign of depression. However, grabbing a few minutes to an hour or even two, isn’t bad.
- Exercise. This seems to be a popular one for lots of people.
However, the above are not the only ways to deal with the stress of living around negativity. I am sure that you may have other creative ways to cope. I read a lot. Mysteries is what I am still stuck on – Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew!!!
That’s it for today. I hope I didn’t depress y’all too much.
But remember, if you feel that you cannot cope or need to speak with a professional, then online therapy may be the way to go. You can do this in the comfort of your own home without having to get in traffic to drive to an office. Check it out by clicking on the link below:
Thank you for checking out today’s blog post. As always, please be safe and stay mentally well!
DEREK’S DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals. These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance. Thanking you in advance!
I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: There are products on this page. By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you. However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).
