Moving forward in life with a positive attitude
OK, I had to take a little break from writing about current events. I found that I wasn’t sleeping much, and when I did my dreams were very tightly woven with the day’s current events. My mind couldn’t let go and it was getting very creepy. Continue reading “Is all of this political turmoil messing with your sleep?”
Child 1: “The dog knocked it from the table. Terrible dog.”
You look and confirm that the dog is outside. “Fake news” starts early. You ask again:
Child 2: “We were playing and then the vase fell over, but I didn’t do it as I wasn’t closest to the table.”
You ask again:
Child 3: “We were running in the room and someone tripped me and made me knock the vase over.”
Each child reported the same event differently, but when pieced together you can get a pretty complete report of what really happened.
According to Pew Research Center Studies:
Pew Research Center – Basic facts are in dispute
Trump supporters relied heavily on Fox for their election news and information. No single source was as pronounced among Clinton supporters, but this is perhaps due to the perception that there are more liberal leaning news options.) (Pew Research Center – Trump, Clinton Voters Divided in Their Main Source for Election News)
Press Widely Criticized, But Trusted More than Other Information Sources
While this diagram from Imgur may not be perfect (the center may be more liberal than is shown here), but it’s a good place to start. Try to:
It may not be pleasant, but we need to make the effort.
Recently a friend and I were discussing how we both were having a hard time focusing on the tasks at hand. I constantly find myself distracted and forgetful, and too often a bit short-tempered.
According to the recent American Psychological Association’s (APA) report Stress in America™: Coping with Change,” two-thirds of Americans say they are stressed about the future of our nation, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.”
Not surprisingly, Democrats are more stressed out by the outcome of the 2016 election and the future of the nation overall, but Republicans are also stressed out about the future.
Most every morning I have a conversation via text with a few close friends. Sometimes we share our dismay at recent events, or exchange a funny video that makes us laugh. The conversations are usually brief, cathartic, empowering and always reinforce our friendship.
With many of us on edge, a little act of kindness can go a long way. If someone bumps into you (or you into them), imagine the difference it makes if you give a big “hello” or “good day!”
If you see someone who needs help, why not stop and give them a hand. Showing acts of kindness not only help others but also ourselves. It feels good to be kind.
There is so much real news to take in, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Set up some time to dive in, decide how you want to act (not react) and then get out.
It’s become a great way to get your blood pressure up.
As much stress as I feel now, I know that there are many others who live with constant stress. Going forward we could all benefit by showing greater understanding and compassion.
There is a lot that needs fixing in our nation (and the list seems to grow every day), but together we can make things better.
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/emotional-support.aspx
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-political-change.aspx
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/02/stressed-nation.aspx
www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/15/515366975/feeling-way-more-stressed-out-youre-not-alone
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/emotional-support.aspx