So where is sanity? How does one cope? The flood of garbage that enters our consciousness on a daily basis makes it almost impossible to think. From mailboxes full of junk mail to e-mail boxes full of disgusting spam, we are battered too much to think of finding a moment of peace. We drive in clogged traffic for hours on end and feel we must listen to the radio's endless hashing of the day's tragedies. We feel obligated to look through every piece of mail and all the ads, thinking we might miss something. We cast about trying to organize the mass of papers that seems to procreate on our office floors while we sleep.
So what do we do? We can't completely shut out the world: we are making a living out there. The spam problem seems endless and impossible to solve. And we have to wade through it - we might miss an important message from a client.
The good news? We were blessed with Response-ablity. We are able to respond - to choose our actions. You have heard that before.
So- choose peace. Listen consciously at specific times of the day to the news. (Psst, it doesn't change much… someone bought a company, someone sold one, someone was promoted, someone was busted, someone was born and someone died… )
Listen to soothing music in heavy traffic. Pick songs that make you feel refreshed. Here's a tip: pay attention to melodies that give you a lift. Write down the name of the songs (NOT while you are driving!) and make a CD or tape of that music. When you are stressed, play your collection. I have few CD's that bring me back home to myself and a few that pick me up. Make this a priority. Music and rhythm are two keys to coping with stress.
Next: Review your subscriptions. Are you receiving professional magazines? How many? Limit those. Pick one or two and scan them for the good articles, rip those articles out and give the magazine to a school. This gets rid of that awful paper pile growing on your office floor.
And the Newspapers? Reduce the number you receive - or - subscribe online. Keep an eye on those things that directly affect and benefit you, but don't get buried in newspapers. The trees will love you for it.
The best coping mechanism is detachment. Step back from your problems and stressful situations enough to see reality. We become so attached to our issues that we can't see the proverbial forest for the trees. Are you attaching too much importance to this problem? Are you able to find a different way to look at it? Can you change some habits that keep you from finding peace?
If you tense up in traffic, realize that it ebbs and flows. Find a way to travel routes that are less packed. And expect it to be busy. Get that traveling music out and play it while you drive. Personally I like to rock'n'roll to Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love in a Pink Cadillac" when the going gets hairy. I'm groovin' to the music while my freeway partners are gripping their steering wheels and their teeth. Guess who gets to their destination happier? Hey - it is there. That's reality. Deal with it. Don't create more stress than you already have legitimately in your life!
And then… Take time every day to integrate your brain. We take in so much information every day, both through our eyes and ears, that our brain is overwhelmed by data. Take a deep breath and for a moment, stop and look out the window or at your favorite photograph. Let your brain sort through the information and make sense of it. Meditate for a moment each day and you will sleep better at night.
And think differently about your "stuff." We fret and worry because we want that new computer. We want that new cell phone. If only we could have that pair of shoes we saw in the window downtown… We yearn for stuff to replace stuff that 90% of the world will never own in their lifetime. Roger von Oech, author of "A Whack on the Side of the Head" and "A Kick in the Seat of the Pants" put it best: -- go to the junk yard:
"Going to a junk yard is a sobering experience. There you can see the ultimate destination of almost everything we desire."
Remember - you have a choice in how you respond. Take on only what you can handle. Take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and focus on getting healthier each day. The world has enough crazy people. Take care of yourself… we need you. We need you healthy.
Beth
During the last few decades America has been bent on mass consumerism: accumulation of wealth and "stuff" at an unprecedented rate. We are inundated daily with waves of ads screaming: we aren't enough; we don't have enough; we aren't beautiful enough; we aren't skinny enough; we don't have enough hair or have too much in the wrong places. Advertising and TV shows have worked us into a frenzy of insecurity about the status of our "stuff" compared to the "stuff" of our neighbors and complete strangers in the mall.