Every morning I turn on my computer, check my email, log on to Twitter, and get sucked into a vortex of horrors. It’s been really hard to stay positive and hopeful lately. I know more than one person who’s found it hard to write because there’s a constant barrage of terrible news.
There are numerous studies like this one, that correlate hearing/reading/viewing bad news with a decrease in productivity and overall happiness. In other words, if you read bad news in the morning, it can keep you feeling down or anxious for the entire day.
I think I curate my social media pretty mercilessly. No auto follow backs. I will check out profiles and tweets before following. All retweets are off unless you’re someone I know and trust. I sort almost everyone into private lists, so that I can only view minor controversies when I have the mental stamina for it. A few weeks ago I installed Self-Control in my browser (because I have none) so I limit my social media time.
Regardless, when the world’s gone mad, you can’t avoid the world. I hear coworkers talking about T*mp in the lunch room, or in the desks across from mine, at the next table when I go out for coffee. CNN is on the TV when I walk into the kitchen to get TV at work.
But the opposite of despair is hope.
Sometimes I fall into despair because it feels like I have no control over my life or the world. Finding something small I can do can give me back one fresh breath of air to suck on before I go under again.
Today my one tiny first action was to make a list of all the things I can do to help make the world better, now and in the future. It was just a list of possibilities, but by their nature, all possibilities are hopes. Now I have a plan, a direction to move in, a light to turn my head towards. It’s a small step, but it’s going somewhere.
Sometimes you only need to wedge the door open, so that a little light can spill through. It doesn’t take much to let the hope in.
So I hope you scrape, claw, write, your way back to hope, because every small step is still a step towards something new. There are still things worth fighting for. I still have hope.
(And when you do find that light again, it’s time to get to work)
Additional reading:
- Productivity in terrible times. “All of our work is capable of enabling righteous acts.”
- Small Protests via Kristan Hoffman “Art reminds us of our humanity. Art broadens our humanity. Because art strengthens our empathy.”
I’m glad you’ve found some paths toward the light!
One step at a time 🙂