We are all losing it. Snap Out of It.
Last night I had a panic attack. Not sure if it was from reading all of the doomsday headlines on the news and social media or if I had one too many RedBulls (sugar-free). I had racing thoughts. My heartbeat quickly, I became light-headed and lost my balance, and had to ground myself. I put peppermint oil beneath my nose (I do not recommend doing this without first diluting it) and lay in the dark to calm down. It was all too much.
I get it. We are at war. We are in a pandemic. We are experiencing hyperinflation. But is anything right with the world? Anything at all? I try to read intelligent content, so I read the news and watch social media. Currently, it is all so overwhelming:
Your money is not safe!
The Fed is hiking rates!
There is a pending atomic threat!
Build yourself a bomb shelter!
Stockpile tampons! (Yes, that is an actual story on YouTube)
Plane crash in China mountains!
We are entering World War III!
Maybe it is just the PMS in me, but everyone seems so depressed and everything abysmal. Is it? Is everything bad? That is hard to believe.
The irony is that there is also a stigma if one ignores the headlines and seeks happiness. I get it; responsible, intelligent adults are cognizant and empathetic to the problems and communities of the world. We cannot be oblivious and insensitive to the issues.
But there comes the point where the all-encompassing devastation is enough.
My body and psyche are rejecting all of the negativity around me. Literally, it is making me physically ill. I am also beginning to contemplate if the world's influencers and social media stars are fearmongering and using such dystopian topics as clickbait or if we are all truly experiencing armageddon.
Does society have PTSD from COVID? Are we forcing a trauma bond?
If we are in the middle of armageddon, and you are reading this, that means you are not dead yet. Resolve to try to find happiness in each day, no matter how small that happiness is.
Not entirely, but I plan on disconnecting slightly.
I am late to the party but have downloaded the Hidden Life of Trees on audible. I plan on getting lost in it for the next few days. Yes, it is a privilege to be able to enjoy an audiobook while others are fighting for their lives, while some have lost their jobs, and while the world is falling apart.
We can do what we can, but no more. We can donate. We can raise awareness. We can contribute to the solution. But panic incapacitates us.
I plan on being thankful for and acknowledging the days when the air is clear and the sun is shining. I plan on being grateful for my health however imperfect it may be. I plan on letting the family in my life know that I love and appreciate them when in their presence and hearing their voices.
These small moments and people are privileges. And we should be grateful for them, without being guilty and downtrodden by the limits of how we can help others.
If you are reading this, I hope you find happiness each day despite the impending doom. Do not be ashamed to be present and experience happiness, however fleeting it may be.
This life is all we have.
