The Holidays feel different this year. The holidays are usually about giving, they are about your spiritual practice, and they are about being thankful. This year feels very strange for me in that I feel like I need to close my heart and protect it. As I look around me I am struggling to see the good news around me and around the world. I know it is there but turning on the news is like watching a loved one slip and fall and you can’t catch them.
I have been meeting with clients, coworkers and friends and we have identified that when they watch the news we/they feel more panic and discombobulation overshadowing the feelings of holiday cheer, hope, and empowerment. Watching the news has its place but maybe we need to take a “holiday” from the news this December.
If you watch the news daily, maybe you can switch to once a week. If you have news alerts on your computer or phone, maybe you can turn the alerts off and seek out the links less often. Based on recent news about North Korea, I was definitely nervous about traveling to Japan. But I am so glad I went and I had a great time. I am relieved that my anxieties and fears did not take over because I would have missed out my first and amazing trip to Asia.
For people prone to anxiety, watching the news can be a big trigger. My wish for my clients, loved ones, and readers is to sit and observe your pattern of news watching. After watching the news how do you feel? For some it may not affect them much, but for others it can throw them off the rest of the day or week.
Are you interested in taking a holiday from the news?
Happy “Holiday”?
