I feel like I've had a news IV for the last month. I wake up and I switch on the news. Then it's NPR on the way to work. Once I'm at work it's email alerts, news websites and CNN on my blackberry. The global economic crisis and the upcoming election are constantly on my mind. And you know what? It's making me feel like crap. I've developed a permanent eye twitch and a serious craving for comfort foods.
Today, I'm working to center myself and to find the inner peace that seems to have slipped away in past months. I know that part of the solution is probably to just watch less news. Maybe I need to start being informed in moderation. It's not like the economic system is going to come crashing down if I turn off the 24 hour news for a while. Anyone else feeling my pain in this area?
I've also been taking cues from some of my fellow bloggers. Last week Annette talked about the need to slow down a little and to give yourself permission to NOT multitask. I think that's excellent advice. I know I never do just one thing at a time. I can't drive without getting the news at the same time when I could probably really benefit from the quiet time a solitary car ride can offer. Even if my favorite show is on, I never just watch TV. I have to also be online answering emails or doing research at the same time. Even when I eat, I have to read or watch the news. The result? I probably end up doing a lot of things half assed and I probably never fully enjoy a TV program or, more importantly a meal.
This demonstrates the need for me to be way more mindful of what I eat. I so distract myself, that I hardly remember eating my meals or snacks and I'm almost always surprised when they're gone. Then I feel like I should have more food to make up for it! My new strategy is to write everything down before I eat it (which I should have been doing all along) and to make meal and snack time more of event rather than a habit. I WILL start eating at my dining room table instead of over the sink or in the living room and I will turn off the television and computer and shut my book before I begin.
Finally, I need to find time to get outside. For some reason this is very important to me. I get feeling caged if I spend all day inside. I need to make time to go for a walk and try to focus on enjoying the scenery rather than analyzing past conversations or planning my finances.
I've started writing down my foods, and I already feel a little more centered. I hope everyone else is having a successful day!
2 comments:
I understand about the news thing. Not that I am that way - i am quite the opposite. But my hubby is a "newsaholic". He, like you was so immersed in bad news (like, what other kind of news is there?) that he was making himself unhappy AND making me unhappy because we could not have a conversation that did not involve the news. Correct that....every conversation centered on the news, not just involved it. He went "cold turkey" off of news for about a week and a half. He focused on enjoying the things around him for that time and not worrying about what the economy was doing. He is now allowing himself some news every day, but keeping it to a bare minimum so it does not totally consume him. Hopefully, that will work.
Too much of anything is not good. MODERATION is always a good goal - whether we are talking about food or news. good luck finding the level that is healthy for you!
right after my post, the family came down with the stomach flu! I really had to listen to my advice to myself. Taking the time to enjoy one thing at a time.........I have found this to almost be a decadent luxury.....a simple pleasure! It frees me from so much anxiety :)
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