Top ‘O the morning to ya! What a fine November day! We’re playing it loosely goosey in this session as there are no additional instructions besides what is shown here: Rules and Ping Back Thank you Linda for hosting! You are simply the BEST!
Today’s prompts are shortcut and/or cut short. No need to think, think, think. The thought bubble is front and center of my brain. Life cut short! We’ve most certainly had terrible examples of that recently.
Las Vegas, Manhattan
I have no words.
Wynona recently told me that she believes that way back in the day, the same number of atrocities occurred as they do now. Factoring in population increases of course. To her, the difference is social media. We are now simply more aware of what’s going on.
24/7.
In your face.
She holds that things are not getting worse. She even cited some really disturbing news from the 1920s. I say gurl you’ve got a fantastic coping mechanism. Me? I am Eeyore and life cut short happens way too often for my tastes. And I believe things are getting worse. At every turn there is another example.
And not just in media grabbing huge ways either. On a personal individual scale too. Yesterday would have been B’s brother’s 52nd birthday but he died 11 years ago. Life cut short. RIP Broham. You are missed. And we know a litany of others who have gone too soon. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
My CBT is going famously. On 11/1, I caught up after missing my much-needed appointment on 10/26. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: My anxiety is through the roof these days. Not worrying about Lulu, she’s fine. But life. Those poor people on the bike lane in Manhattan could not have seen it coming. Scary how random things are.
Therapist: What’s making you anxious is the lack of control.
Me: Exactly. I can curl up and never leave my house or go out and die. I pick curl up.
Therapist: You can’t hide from living but you can reduce what causes your anxiety.
Me: How?
Therapist: Do you watch the news and do you have news alerts on your phone?
Me: Of course, doesn’t everybody?
Therapist: No, not everyone and if you know watching the news upsets you, the simple fix is don’t watch the news. Turn off the alerts.
Me: But I want to be informed.
Therapist: Or do you want to be in control?
Things that make you go hmmmmm.
And with that, I remember all my insurance training. Avoidance truly is the BEST risk mitigation strategy.
And with that, my stream is no longer flowing. I am going to further release my anxiety by going on that walk with B. I am trying to keep pace with my teammates AND create life long habits. No shortcuts to better health! Today we take the scenic route :).
J-Dub's Grin and Bear It 
I do not watch the news, or even really TV at all anymore. I don’t read the paper. If something big enough happens, I will hear about it through word-of-mouth and then I can pay attention. I would rather spend my energy on things that I can control and not things that I can’t.
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I’m starting to go that direction too. I feel like an ostrich. Another mass shooting today in our own backyard. Makes me want to curl up and never leave my house.
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I try and stay away from the news too, though sometimes I feel left out when everyone knows about something and I don’t. Anyway, it’s still better not to know sometimes.
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I ignore the news nowadays, because I realized that so little of it applies to me. And your therapist is right, obsessing over the news isn’t the way to become “informed,” it’s a futile attempt to try and control things. You can’t. Getting mad at the news won’t make it any different. Like I heard years ago, you can’t change what happens, but you can change the way you react to it.
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Very true. Slowly but surely I’m getting better at how I react. It’s all I’ve got and that’s ok.
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There has been an onslaught of bad stuff in the news all right. I have written about how it is best to avoid it if you are sensitive like me. The stories about the sexual harassment and abuse are what has gotten to me too but I have been drawn to read them because of all these women and young men giving voice to what has oppressed them. It is a kind of mass catharsis. And with so many speaking out it makes it impossible for the perpetrators to quash it.
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I’m glad the silence has been broken. I have empathy. My heart weeps most days. Then something miraculous will occur. Almost like you can’t have one without the other.
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Hoping so much that something good comes out of it and soon.
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I don’t watch the news or have a feed but my anxiety has been through the roof lately too. Mine is never low but I can cope as long as the old ticker keeps it around 100. Exercise is good for me. It make the irrational heartrate rational. If that makes sense. My doctor said once, you could have several prescriptions to deal with this, and you choose not to. How do you deal with it. My first answer was, treadmill. I get on it then my 120, 130, 140 heart rate is at least rational now. It’s not much but it helps :):) Have a wonderful scenic walk with your honey bear :):)
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