I see news through the filters of my own life, which then determines the quality of my thoughts and the quality of my emotions. This in turn tells the cells of my body to be in a state of wellness or a state of dis-ease. I only attach meaning to what I choose to attach meaning to. My perspective is flexible. I choose what lens to see news through.

from Finding the Well in Wellness Cards, by Juli Conard, Art by Faith Myers

In a world with news and media coverage that is often skewed by politics, religion and ulterior motives, heavily focused on the negatives, tragedies, injustices and inequalities of the world, it is a wonder any of us can even keep our heads above water these days.  It seems we have lost the balance. Where are the stories that boast gratitude, good-Samaritans, servant leadership, love and kindness? Honestly, watching the news these days leaves me with more heart work to do at the end of the day to find the balance in my own life and perspective again.  For every news story I watch I feel like I need to meditate, focus on my own personal gratitude’s and process through to find meaning in all that’s wrong with the world.  Some days, I feel like the hole is a vast void of ugliness.

And then I remember that I don’t have to see it that way at all.  I get to choose how to interpret what I read, watch and hear.  And that is a powerful awareness.

For every death, there is compassion and an extension of kindness that follows.  For every injustice, there is education and hope for a change for tomorrow.  For every inequality, there is a new awareness and sensitivity that arises. For every tragedy, there is an outpouring of support and concern.

To be honest, these last months of Covid I have turned the news off.  No more checking in daily either online or on tv.  The radio is off when I drive (mostly.) I’ve stopped reading the newspaper (unless it is the local FOCUS magazine that is full of humanitarian and feel good stories.) I made the change simply because I was feeling so bogged down energetically with it all that I felt I had to restrict the incoming stress-traffic. And this is important, because when our bodies are in a state of stress, our bodies are in a state of dis-ease. It starts subtle, with symptoms like a restless night’s sleep, indecision, a feeling of being “off” and then it begins to morph into a sore throat, aching muscles, headaches and fatigue…you get the idea.  What happens in our mental and emotional bodies directly affects our physical health and well-being.

This week we are encouraged to monitor just how much of an impact news has on our lives.  Perhaps it’s time for a technology detox?  Maybe it’s time to cut back or limit social media or those external inputs that tank our energy?  Maybe it’s time to do a brain dump and find a new perspective on it all.  Perhaps it’s time to put our discontent into action, educate ourselves and move forward without the good or the bad of it all and just let news be news. Let’s be brave friends – choose what we put into our minds, choose what we attach meaning to, choose our perspective and keep it flexible. After all, as individuals, it’s important for each of us to find our own way, our own meaning and our own truths. And to tolerate other’s.

#findingthewellinwellness

XO Juli