Photo by Nik Shuliahin
Do you get overwhelmed trying to keep up with current news and events? That’s probably a good thing.
Why? Because it means you are actually really sensitive underneath it all. You are responding naturally to something that’s crazy and upsetting.
I’ve been in the woods for a week, no TV and no news. When I finally got bars on my phone and read the front page of the NY Times, I just cried. Don’t worry – I had a lovely vacation even so!
I’d been so maxed out on the news that I stopped feeling it. The only thing that helped me to recover my natural state of giving a damn was taking a break – and it’s very hard to do that if you live in a city because the news is everywhere, even if you don’t deliberately read it.
I no longer expect myself to be immune to news overload, to be able to stop obsessively checking social media, to be able to stop the resulting emotional shutdown. My body is trying to help me out, and responding in the only way it can. There is no quick fix for this state. It’s human and normal to be affected by the news. What’s not normal is to expect myself to be able to conquer my own sensitivity.
One step, one nerve at a time, it’s possible to get back in touch with your self. It just takes time, and it helps to have a simple process to follow. That’s what I’ve devised over 17 years of teaching sensitive artists how to take care of themselves.
Try starting at the beginning. The first cranial nerve, the foremost one in your brain, is for smell. Try this experiment right now:
- Imagine the distance between your eyes, see out of your eyes into the distance.
- Your organ of smell is high up in this space. Feel the air going in, cooler, and out, warmer. Stay with this motion for a few minutes. Notice any smells.
Feel any easier – less focused, less tight, more balanced? I hopes so. Maybe you will be able to step away from the news now 🙂
P.S. The more sensitive you are, the more you need a good self care practice. I hope you will sign up for my newsletter if you want to get more self care tips.