What if we weren’t created to know what’s going on in the Congo?
What if we weren’t created to see what’s going in Syria?
What do you think about that?
Is it offensive or maybe you kind of agree with those ideas?
What you ever thought about that?
So many of us live our normal day almost instantaneously learning, seeing and absorbing so much of what happens 1,000’s of kms away. From all over the world.
But what is learning all of those things, and watching those things doing to our minds, our hearts, spirits and physical bodies? Thinking about how our bodies and minds respond to what we expose it to through media might not be something that you have ever thought about before.
I admit I haven’t thought about it nearly enough in my own life. But I really think I should. Maybe you should to.
Here is a short list of some of the emotional and psychological effects watching traumatic videos can have on us.
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Increased cortisol levels
- Neuro-biological activation, activating the fight or flight and stress responses in the brain
- Increase emotional distress
- And even desensitization
Our bodies can even respond as though we are going through the trauma ourselves as we watch. Yikes!
There are so many things that we go through in our own lives that cause stress and trauma, that if we can reduce the impact of some of these things on our bodies why wouldn’t we? We aren’t able to stop much of what we live through, so choosing to not keep on top of everything going on everywhere else is within our power.
I learned so much from this podcast, Dr Josh Axe, “Why Your Soul Is Starving, & How to Nourish It” with John Eldredge. You might find it helpful too.
So friend am I recommending that you stick your head in the sand and ignore everything going on and everything on the news and social media? Nope! You’ve probably already guessed it, I am once again encouraging you to become more informed and enable yourself to make a more informed decision. Choice! Yes, choice.
Knowing more about the consequences of the way things work now in this time and place, might push you to make some different decisions. Maybe instead of striving to watch more videos and read more post and stories about what is going on everywhere, you might decide to choose to make changes.
I am definitely not recommending that you just cut off everything and not know anything at all. But maybe you create some boundaries around how you engage with the world, social media and the news. Our ancestors might not have gotten news from far away for weeks or months from newspapers or letters from loved ones. There is a happy balance between that lengthy delay they experienced in receiving news and the instant way we receive information and news today.
In general I think it’s more important for me to know more about what’s going on right around me. Very important things are happening around the world every day, but most critical for me and I would argue also for you, is what is happening in the in-person world that you see everyday.
The boundaries I set for myself with this will be different than the ones that you set for yourself or your family. But I encourage you to at least think about it. What emotional, physical and psychological impact does watching videos or reading posts about everything that is going on around the whole wide world have on you?
Does it make our brains explode? Sounds dangerous, I know. Maybe not the choice you want to make? So friend, I will pray that you think about this and seek wisdom in the choices you make in the things you consume and what impact that will have on you and those you love.
Comment below with your thoughts about this or anything else. I would really like to hear your thoughts or your questions. Shoot me a personal message through the contact form on the site. I would love it if you like this enough to share it with others. Please SUBSCRIBE in the box above, it helps you know more of what’s going on.
Melodee Glassford 