When I was a youth pastor, many of my students liked horror movies. In between church services or during our after school program, they’d tell me about the latest film they’d seen. Then, I’d ask them why they liked it, and they couldn’t always say. But they did tell me, they liked the rush it gave them of being afraid. Now, what I usually didn’t tell my students was that:
I hate scary movies.
For me, stories—whether in books or movies—often live on in my brain for a while after I read or see them. The characters find me in my dreams, and even when I am doing the dishes. So if I watch a horror film, it stays with me for days.
If I watch a horror film, it stays with me for days.
In other words, scary movies are obviously not my favorite film genre. But talking with my students helped me realize we all have different thresholds for what we can take in. Whether we’re talking about disturbing movies, or upsetting things that are going on in our world. Some of us can watch graphic images or hear scary things for hours on end before it becomes too much. But others of us, can only take in a small amount before we feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.
For those of us who fall into the latter category, this week and this season feels especially cumbersome. For an election year to fall in the middle of both a pandemic and a time where our country is more politically divided than it’s ever been—is a lot. All of us have been counting down the days until the election is over, and we’re finally in the home stretch.
Only, now more than ever, we need to pay attention to how much information we are absorbing in the midst of all that is going on. And, we need to ask ourselves,
How is this affecting us?
Some of us may be getting a rush similar to what my students felt watching their scary movies. But for those of us feeling our anxiety rising, it is time for us to take planned breaks to step away from all forms of media. To pay attention just enough to know what is going on—without causing us stress over things we can’t control.
For those of us feeling our anxiety rising, it is time for us to take planned breaks to step away from all forms of media.
With this in mind, today I want to re-share three media-free forms of self care to consider making time for over the next week. We don’t know how tomorrow will play out, but we do know the stress of it all will not disappear overnight and be gone on Wednesday. Take a moment to let your mind and soul breathe this week, by doing the following:
Listen to some old tunes.
I’m not talking about music recorded before you were born (unless it’s your jam). Rather, what music brings you back to good or meaningful moments in your life? What songs feel like home to you? Last week, I taught my dad how to use Spotify, and I made him a Simon and Garfunkel playlist. Listening to those old songs was so therapeutic for both of us. And, according to this article in Psychology Today, music is known to improve mood, reduce stress, and lower cortisol levels.
Do something with your hands.
Bake, paint, knit, scrapbook—do something away from the screen of your TV, computer, or phone. Knead dough. Paint. Write handwritten notes to loved ones. According to this Psychology Today article, the act of creating something with our hands can relieve anxiety, decrease stress, and modify depression—while also providing us with a sense of meaning, productivity, and purpose. All things that can feel elusive when our world feels out of control.
Go for a hike.
For me, hiking out in nature is incredibly refreshing. Seeing the colorful trees and walking through fallen leaves, grounds me and gives rest to my soul. And, according to many studies, including those sited in this article from Berkeley, hiking is an effective form of exercise that boosts our mood, sharpens our minds, increases our creativity, wards of anxiety, and so much more. Find a hiking trail nearby and “get lost” in the woods for a little while. It will do you so much good.
Have you found this election season especially stressful?
What can you do today to find rest?
Have you too, struggled with finding focus since the Pandemic? Are you having a hard time feeling productive because you feel mentally exhausted? Sign up for my email list today, and receive a free copy of my Six Ways to Find Focus in a Pandemic. It will help you find your footing again.
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
