There’s a lot going on right now, and instead of adding to the noise, amplifying the discord and disunity, I want to share a bit about how I’m dealing with the overwhelm that comes with the news.
I’m turning off social media.
There’s no faster way to find an echo chamber than the algorithms that drive social media. In an effort to not add my voice to the chaos happening online, I take a step back, find alternate means of gathering information, and take in smaller chunks. The exception to this is Sharon Says So’s feed. She relays information that is not as emotionally driven, challenges her followers to acknowledge bias in reporting, and dissipates her feed with whales, her dogs, and other adorable things.
I’m grounding myself… offline.
Sometimes grounding myself means completely disconnecting from all media. Sometimes it means that I’m listening to calming music like Debussy or Saen Sans. Sometimes it’s reading a book. Sometimes, it’s just picking up my Bible and diving in. I don’t do this to ignore what’s going on. I’m well aware of it. Instead, I do it to dissipate the overwhelming emotions instead of letting them pile up to the point of explosion. This has been a practice for a long time, but lately, I’ve noticed I’m doing it more. I’m spending time meditating and listening to the Bible (thanks to the Dwell app). I am also choosing to spend more quality time with family, building memories, so that when this passes (it will), they won’t remember all the stress, but the joy.
I’m not afraid to ask for help.
Thursday, when it seemed like everything was going wrong, I had a therapy session. I was able to talk to her about how I was emotionally overwhelmed and did not know what to do. It wasn’t an emergency session; I’d already had it on the books, but I’ve noticed when I feel overwhelmed, often I have therapy near that experience. She reminded me that asking questions, building my faith, and just being human isn’t bad. Sometimes we have to take breaks. I asked for help to prevent myself from being calloused or numb to things happening in the world, but the fact that my fear is I’ll no longer care or feel reminded me that I’m still caring and feeling now. It’s ok to feel hopeless sometimes, she told me, as long as we don’t stay there. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but of resiliency.
And finally…
I’m not afraid of the world ending.
It’s common, especially in Evangelical circles, to start the Apocalypse Watch, noting every event, placing it in this timeline of End Times Prophecy, and either being truly excited for Jesus’s return or afraid that they’ll be left behind. Let me just tell you, out of context, cherry-picked prophecies are terrifying, but they are not supposed to be. Revelation isn’t supposed to be a scary book, but an encouragement to the early church (and us today) that Jesus wins and our hope is in Him alone. Jesus even tells His disciples there will be scary times in store for them, but He’s overcome the world! While world events might be scary in the present, Jesus still wins for eternity. His Kingdom exists both here and now, and in the future. A New Heaven and A New Earth are what we get to look forward to. I’m not afraid or anxious about the world ending. I’m hopeful because I know the Gates of Hell will not overcome His Kingdom.
So while the world seems to be nearing the end… yet again... I’m reminded of something Jesus told His disciples before His crucifixion. In this world, there will be troubles. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will people who hate us because we follow Him. None of that has changed. But, He says, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
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