I’ve been having some great conversations that have inspired me and helped me see new perspectives as we navigate coronavirus. It’s brought joy to my heart to hear how many are taking steps to keep hope alive and focus on the positive! Over the next few days I’ll be posting on some of the themes from those conversations…

Staying Informed

Whew, this one’s a biggie! Many of us (hello fellow empaths!) were already aware of how reading/hearing/watching the news left us feeling drained, upset or overwhelmed before coronavirus. Now it seems even more so. The question being asked is how to stay informed when the news is about things that bring up fear or focuses on a lot of doom and gloom. It is possible to stay informed without going into fear, to hold on to your happy place. The key is to be aware of how you feel as you get your news and be selective!

When it comes to where and how you get your news, it’s like standing in the salad dressing aisle at the supermarket. There are so many choices! And it’s a personal choice. Regardless of your views and preferences, that key of being aware and selective applies to everyone. As you get the news, pay attention to how you are feeling. If it’s triggering any kind of fear in you, it’s ok to turn it off. It may be the news itself that is triggering the fear (that’s a whole other post for another time!). What I want to focus on here is the delivery or format of the news – how it’s being presented. That’s where the selective part comes in. Find sources that provide the info in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming, draining and/or fearful to you.

Here’s what I’ve found for myself. This took some time and tweaking, but it’s been well worth it! First, I found that reading is the best format for me. Hearing a newscaster’s voice adds an additional layer of inflection and energy to what they are saying. I want to keep it as neutral as possible. Next, I checked out some websites, paying attention to how I felt as I looked around them and read their articles. I wanted a site that felt fair and balanced and focused on facts, not drama and beating the drum of fear. Now that I found a site, I trust my inner guidance about when and how often I should go to it (once a day, every other day) and even which articles to read when I do check it. In doing this, I have been able to stay informed with a significantly less amount of fear being stirred up.

In following this key of awareness and being selective, you could have 10 different people who each come up with a different source(s) of news that works best for them. The point isn’t to tell someone what to watch/listen to/read. Instead it’s encouraging them to honor how they feel and make choices that are best for them and where they’re at within themselves.

I’ve talked with some people who right now can’t stomach the news at all. They had concerns that they were sticking their head in the sand. Instead of turning to “traditional” news sources, they now go to websites like the CDC, their state government or local government for straight data. They followed their intuition and are able to stay informed while also staying in a good place within.

During this coronavirus, there seems to be a bit of an obsession with the numbers. – how many cases confirmed, how many deaths. I even heard that one station keeps the numbers up along the side of the broadcast, updating in real time. For some people, knowing those numbers is important, for example if you’re involved in getting equipment and supplies to the areas that are hardest hit or for medical, scientific or research purposes. For most of us, keeping track of those numbers, especially in real time, can add to any fear, worry or anxiety you may already be feeling. That can add stress on your physical body, weakening it in various ways. Especially now, you want your body to be as healthy as it can be! If you don’t need to, don’t look at the numbers! I had someone share yesterday that they hadn’t looked at the numbers for a week. They are feeling way better emotionally and found that it really wasn’t necessary for them to know them after all.

Another thing I’ve done for myself involves the home page when I open my internet browser. Did you know you can set a specific page to open to? Mine was set on default and opened to a page that features the news. So I would be in my happy place, fire up my laptop, connect to the internet and see all kinds of headlines pop up on that first page! As soon as I learned about that setting, I went in and changed it! I now have it set to an affirmations page. That feels way better to me!

Remember, you have choices when it comes to staying informed! Not just about sources and formats, but also about how you want to feel as you stay informed. Choose what works for you and doesn’t drag you down emotionally. That may mean changing some things up, especially if you’ve fallen into a routine with the news. It is possible to stay informed and hold you own when you exercise your power by being aware and selective!