Shut down, turn off

LRB (or Little River Band) sang these lyrics in the 70’s:

I wanna recharge my batteries
Leave me alone for awhile
We’ll set off again in the morning
On a wing and a prayer and a smile

Shut down, turn off until the morning light
Slow down, splash down, time to end the flight
Make way dream time, here comes another night

I’m pretty sure that these lyrics indicate that the singer wants to ‘shut down for the night’ and forget about what has happened through the day before tackling the following day with a ‘wing and a prayer and a smile’.
Makes sense to me and sounds like great advice. You know the whole ‘shutting down and turning off thing’ is something we could all benefit from.
And it’s a pretty cool song as well.
Over the last few days I have noticed that people are becoming weary of all that is negative in the world.
Yesterday as I was chatting with one of my sister-in-laws and catching up on news about our little family she said to me “Thank you. Thank you for giving me some good news for a change. All I ever hear lately is bad stuff”.
And then this morning, I read a FB post from a friend who is concerned at the number of sad and bad news posts that are appearing in her feed. She wondered whether she may be contributing to that by sharing posts that are not positive or uplifting herself. And it is true. Many of the posts that people share tend to be about human suffering, politics, the state of the world or animal cruelty. Whilst it is good to raise awareness of many of these issues, it certainly takes a toll on people when they are constantly bombarded with negative issues day after day and hour after hour.
Yesterday I was reading this post that reinforced my belief that we are becoming weary. It’s a good read.

It’s not that we don’t care; because we do. It’s just that with the stressors of our own lives and then having the world’s issues brought a little closer to us in this day of fast paced media, things begin to take their toll. I am of the belief that the body is only equipped to handle a certain amount of stress and in this day and age, our bodies aren’t coping any more. Mental health issues are on the increase and I am not surprised.

So how do I cope with negativity seeing as I also suffer depression?
I remember writing (I think it was my second or third post on this blog) called Horror Movies in which I talked about having to walk away from the tv some nights. I am an emotional and empathetic person and I have to admit that lately the news is leaving me with my own battle scars. I have had to learn to walk away. It’s either that or become desensitised and I don’t want that to happen.
I have not cut myself off from the news. I am well aware of what is making headlines these days. What I do is watch (or read) the first report on something but I will not stick around to read (or listen)  to the rest of the details or the ongoing reporting of any news story (unless it’s a good news one). I think the sensationalism of some media outlets goes too far and at the risk of hurting my mental health I need to step away.
In this way, I remain aware to the issues of the world without becoming emotionally invested in them.

I also try to only fill my FB feed with good posts. I still read posts from some news services but the majority of my feed is filled with posts from comedians, friends, authors, other bloggers and uplifting pages such as Hay House, Jack Canfield, Louise Hay, Suspended Coffees, Healing Hugs and a number of others.
When I repost, it is something that has touched my heart in a good way.
Over the past couple of weeks I have seen the damage that Facebook can do in the lives of others and I have reached the conclusion that if you can’t ban yourself from social media (this includes Twitter and other media apps), then at least fill your feed with positive stuff.
Oh! And don’t enter into debate on posts that you know are going to cause you grief.

I’m not advocating walking away from the world however I am advocating switching off from it on occasion.
There is a great amount of beauty in this world. There is a great amount of good.
The trouble these days is that those good and beautiful things are getting bogged down under the horrid ones.
It’s up to us to seek them out.
Take the time to kick off your shoes and walk through the grass. Feel the sunlight on your face.
Smell the flowers.
Find a hobby that brings you joy.
Shut down and turn off what is dragging you down.
We can all contribute to spreading more good news in the world through our words and actions.
This is something I am trying my hardest to do. Wouldn’t it be great if we started a good news revolution?

So, I have expressed my opinion (ha ha) and now I’m interested to know how others deal with negativity in their lives and would love you to let me know.
I really look forward to reading your thoughts.
In the meantime, have a blessed day. 🙂