As the U.S. mid-term elections result came through all of my media outlets, I realized once more how much time and space in my life is devoted to following international news, and how little control I have in the choice of news I am getting. The longstanding practice of selecting various sources to ensure a balanced daily intake of information has been challenged by the sheer amount of information coming from an increasing number of outlets with websites and social media, in addition to printed press, television, and radio. The pervasive presence of the media is part of many people’s everyday life, and quite apart from the challenge of selecting one’s information, I am increasingly aware of the crowding experience in one’s brain and the triggering effect on our emotional state. Do you feel as I do, oversaturated to the point of seeking a break from an information overdose?
We are subjected to an insidious flow of negative and stressful news day in and day out, just as we are now discovering the addiction phenomenon with the dopamine connection of liking posts on social media and the negative impact of not getting any “likes” to our posts… As we consciously walk back from this over-stimulation to enjoy a few days of quiet and disconnect (assuming we still can), we may come to realize the miraculous impact of creating a void in our daily routines. Creating space around ourselves, emptiness, is an invitation to new things to appear in your clutter-free life.
You have a choice and an opportunity to lead the way in your own life. Research shows that news, especially images, have a direct effect on your emotions, moods, and stress levels–not to mention your relationships. Free of the constant external stimuli, you have a chance to refocus your attention inward and resort to your own imagination for stimulation, creating what you desire, rather than reacting to the soap opera unfolding around you. New ideas will present themselves to you more readily, and you may even get around to developing a more conscious relationship to the news and external entertainment, controlling the time and type of media exposure you decide to accept for yourself.