I’ve stopped watching the news!

Ok I watch the headlines at 6.30pm to know what is going then I turn over, I have for many years stopped watching the late news before bed as I didn’t want to fill my mind with negativity and sadness before I drift off to sleep or indeed as a result of watching it have to endure a sleepless night.

The same applies to my own life, if I can avoid drama I will, I know this isn’t always easy but for me it is a necessary skill in order to limit the stress that brings on my anxiety.

Over the years I think I probably invited drama in but as my friend said recently most of the drama that does decide to visit is now bought to me by other people. It is hard to ignore the dramas of others if you care about them but sometimes it is the only way to protect yourself from stress and indeed absorbing the drama as if it were your own.

So, how does one walk away from drama? I often say with difficultly for when you care for someone you want to step in to protect them, you want to shield them from any future hurt their drama may bring them personally or you may just want to solve any potential problems you see arising. However all this can do is give rise to your own chasing thought patterns, it can affect you physically and mentally often bringing with it many side effects.

As the world arounds forgets what peace looks like it is so important to hold on to the peace in your own corner of the world. If drama is visiting somewhere close then try to step away, it’s not about walking away but about stepping away as best you can to allow yourself to feel peace, calm and tranquillity. Be mindful of your own presence in this world, be where your feet are (a quote I heard recently) and stay in your own power.

I recently read a book by Mel Robbins entitled ‘Let Them’ which helps people embrace the theory that whatever others are doing, let them! Remember how you feel, how you react, how you respond to situations over which you have no control is a choice you have. You can stay and fight or you can walk away, you can argue or you can refuse to give anyone else a step up by remaining silent, the choice is and always will be yours.

Drama, bad headlines, sad news etc. is all around us, if we do absorb it then it does none of us any favours. Stepping back and staying silent does not mean we don’t care, in fact it can mean we often care too much, it also means we care about ourselves and is that so very wrong?

Staying mindful, not getting caught up in things that are out of our control and keeping things simple are all ways of protecting ourselves to ensure that when we are required to be strong we are, when we are needed we can be there one hundred percent and hopefully we can also sleep better at night.