It is so easy to be overwhelmed by all that is wrong in the world. We are bombarded almost constantly by problems that are beyond our ability to fix…or even understand. I am convinced that it is not healthy. As a physician, I see patients suffer from extreme anxiety incongruous with their own life difficulties. How does one stay calm and functional in this very messy world?
One answer is to monitor what we expose ourselves to. What do we read? To what do we listen? Where do we get our news? News sources today have become entertainment. The goal is to keep us entranced, listening for the next detail just like a good piece of fiction. But it is not fiction! And we do not have the resources to handle the problems of the whole world. We are finite. Our resources…mental, emotional, spiritual and financial resources….are all finite. When we are constantly inundated by problems and tragedies that happen far away and cause us to grieve and worry as if we could do something about them but cannot, we put ourselves in a position to get sick.
So how do we stay informed without becoming overanxious? We cannot avoid hearing what is going on around us, nor do we really want to. We can, however, be a little more selective. Some TV personalities are more dramatic and inflammatory than others. Also, we can choose to listen just once. We don’t have to listen to several shows in a row, all repeating the same thing. It is amazing how you can learn most of what you get during several hours of TV coverage in a good 5 minute synopsis.
We can select shows that give unbiased news without a lot of commentary. We are smart enough to make our own conclusions, and often don’t realize how we are influenced by the opinions of people that we do not really know. Do you really know Bill O’Riley or Anderson Cooper? And when something wholesome or encouraging is reported, we can email or write to show that we appreciate that! For them, it is about ratings and keeping us happy and coming back for more.
It cannot be right to put our head in the sand or to pretend we don’t care! We were designed by our creator to be relational. But how far does our own sphere of influence extend? Who in that sphere is doing well and who could use our help? For most of us, our sphere of influence is not the whole world, no matter how influential we would like to think we are. It is not heartless to not want to hear about every imaginative crime in cities not our own. Wherever we live, our own city has enough. And we might be able to help in our own city. So perhaps we should save our energy for that.
Our own mental health is also improved by looking for the good that surrounds us. In the midst of this fallen world there is a tremendous amount that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable. Let us look for what is excellent and worthy of praise and give it at least equal billing! And if someone else does this on TV or radio or in print, then give kudos to them!
