Is The Media Draining Your Energy?
When we think of physical energy, we most often think of the supply and demand of energy in our bodies. But are you aware that mental, emotional, as well as your physical energy can be drained through negative media?
Think about the last time you watched an intense movie, e.g. an action-packed thriller or a nail-biting drama. How did you feel afterwards? Did you feel anxious, stressed or fatigued?
Now think about the last time you watched or read the “news” (most mainstream news is 20% fact and 80% opinion). Did you feel better or worse afterwards?
What about the last time you were on social media? If you spent more than ten minutes scrolling through posts, comments and articles, chances are you felt blah, tense or even angered after you logged off.
Media platforms can be like vampiric junk food. Sure, they may entertain us for a while but how do we feel after we consume them? Anything that evokes intense or negative emotions, like fight or flight, fear, worry, dread, hopelessness, sadness, anger or rage, and leaves you feeling down-trodden and/or drained isn’t healthy. Alarming headlines, disturbing photos, and shocking videos that command an emotional response are common in the news media. Trolls routinely stir-up dissension on social media with their verbal assaults. Hollywood has further desensitized society to energy-sucking negativity by making visual junk-food look cool with a shiny black coat of angst. It has become commonplace for people to binge-watch multiple episodes filled with murder, drug addiction, torture, infidelity and abuse without giving it a second thought. Sensationalism is the old name of the game in a slick, seductively-fanged new cover.
The more we engage with negativity on these platforms, the more life force energy is drained from our well-being. This drain on our well-being can manifest as mental, emotional and physical dis-ease like depression, anxiety, insomnia or adrenal fatigue.
The less we engage in the negativity on these platforms, the fuller and healthier our lives become. That is not to advocate burying our heads in the sand or becoming rose-colored-glasses-wearing Pollyannas. But just like establishing a healthy diet, let’s be mindfully selective on the brain food we partake.
Protect your precious supply of life force energy. Pay close attention to how you feel when you consume media. If it makes you feel depleted and gross, turn it off. Find something to do that uplifts you. Here’s some ideas:
Make a phone or video call to a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time
Journal, draw or paint
Volunteer work at a local charity
Take a walk in nature
Deliver groceries to an elderly neighbor
Pick up a new hobby like macrame, crochet, photography
Begin a new indoor workout routine (like 100 squats a day!)
Start a new meditation practice
Listen to upbeat music
Sing or dance
Whatever you decide to do, surround yourself with a positive atmosphere conducive for healthy living. (Garlic bulb necklaces optional.)
Natasha Sol, Reiki Practitioner