Balance

Somewhere between hedonism and activism….

World affairs and politics make me so anxious. Still, I keep informed, mainly from non-corporate/non-shareholder-owned news sources like The Guardian so as not to be tainted by the will & whims & news story preferences of the oligarchs. I will not stick my head in the sand. I refuse to; I cannot. We cannot. None of us can afford to just ignore what’s happening in the world (I touch upon this in my recent podcast episode, come to think of it). The gears that are currently turning affect life as we know it, and will continue to do so unless we stop them. The very least we can do is pay attention to what’s happening to the world, to our countries, to our communities.

But for mental health’s sake, I have to take breaks, and I need to be increasingly careful about what time of day I read the news. Before bed, for example, generally leads to sleepless nights for me. And some days I have to tune out all together. On those days, and in times in-between, I try to focus on beautiful things, relaxing things, peaceful things, exciting things (but not agitating things).

Down time is important. Doing things you love and find enjoyment in, even simple things, is imperative. Life is short. We must all find a balance between appreciating the world’s beauty, and doing our part to preserve it.