Thank you for reading to my new newsletter here! My goal is to share my coaching insights, client learnings, and my own life lessons so that you can grow your mental fitness and maximize your happiness and potential.
I hope everyone had a long weekend with a healthy dose of relaxation. We needed it. From Uvalde to Ukraine and ongoing COVID outbreaks (my family and I are under quarantine as I type this), last week was a hell of a ride. For many, it’s still a bumpy road.
How we are coping with the onslaught of curveballs is as diverse and complex as our humanness. How much we feel impacted by the tragedies of last week, month, and year is a reflection of our own history, culture, upbringing, and innate wiring.
I sit here curious about what the difference is between avoidance, (a mechanism for denial, perhaps), and self-care. At times, I feel the need to know more, to face the tragedies, to know the details of the doings. I also feel the need to bury my head in my kids’ chests and squeeze them harder instead of watching any more news.
Is watching little to no news avoidance that keeps me in denial and ignorant of painful realities? Is shopping online for something as superfluous as home decor a gross behavior? We can all have our opinions, and that’s okay. One could say that consuming every last nugget of news is unhelpful and even destructive. There is no right or wrong. Only your judge tells you that. That’s who whispers the word “should” and tells you to feel guilty if you “don’t.” There is also, of course, the in-between.
What’s enough news to feel informed, but not so much that you start to spiral? What’s enough to conjure up empathy and healthy anger that you can turn into productive action? For some that “enough” might be a headline. For others, the full article.
Personally, I’m still not ready for the full article. My imagination of what it might be like for those suffering is enough for me to handle. Maybe tomorrow I’ll read more news. Today, I need to focus on the impact that I can have as a mother, a community member, and someone who advocates for mental health services and gun control.
There is no right or wrong way to feel, act, do business, or be. I just ask that you don’t let the whispers of your judge carry you into a deep dark place that doesn’t serve you or your loved ones. For me, celebrating life, working to support my clients, getting involved, and honoring my values are ways to honor those who have lost life.
Comment and let me know how this sits with you and how you are staying mentally fit.
