In the eye of the storm

How many of you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is roll over and grab your smart phone? I used to do that, a reaction which became a sick habit after November 6, 2016. Yes, you know what I am talking about, I think many of us fell into a dark place, not really understanding what we were feeling after the last elections. However, we knew we had to be vigilant and stay informed, and we made sure we had all our settings right on that smartphone not to miss a single incoming news.

Well maybe you might be one of the 33% who were walking with a satisfied smile on your face, thinking ahah! We will now drain the swamp at last! Only to see the swamp getting thicker, and deeper. I, on the other hand was suddenly made aware of those around me, and where their hearts stood. I discovered a not so pleasant side of those I thought were close friends - I began weaving a subtle distance from those who supported or simply turned a blind eye to the clear bigotry that was displayed before our eyes. Speaking for myself alone, I actually considered the potential of a non political becoming president, but the day I saw the candidate mock a handicap person, I lost all interest in finding out more. That was a no-brainer to me.

Anyway, back to our smartphones and social media that constantly remind us of the daily obsenities, the daily shootings, the daily stupidities going on - just in our country, let alone the rest of the world. It is draining, honestly this president didn't set out to drain the swamp, he set out to drain us all of our sanity, and serenity. So when 2018 chimed, I vowed to do a facebook fast, only read newspaper, and keep off the smartphone games as well. It has helped me. I feel a bit more relax, and while I do receive a flow of information, I make sure to get my news from public newspapers and stations. Not propaganda media forms.

It has made a world of difference, I feel less anxious and I don't get sick anymore. I do contribute the latter to better eating and resting. A big bowl of fruits each morning will do wonders to your health. Keeping the facebook engagement to zero, and getting my news from real journalists has changed my outlook. While I still feel compassion and concern when I hear bad news, I don't get angry, I am more grounded and on a clear path to get my chores done, complete my work on time, spend more quality time outdoors with my children; and physically gather with friends, exchanging in real-time not virtual time. I don't even like texting anymore - I like to talk on the phone, or over a coffee.

So if you need to create a more serene environment and reclaim your energy, start my turning off the smartphone alerts, do a month long or few months long facebook fast. Make an effort to see people in person and clear the clutter in your house-you'd be surprised how much you get done.

Life is chaotic, the world is changing faster and faster, the dow is up, the dow is down, the constitution is under attack, our government doesn't know how to govern, people are more vocal with their bigotry, and misogyny but also people are very vocal against it. Clearly we are bombarded with so much information. It is time to chill.

Let go, calm down, take a deep breath, today is a new day - without social media.


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