The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most challenging times for everyone around the world especially Africa. The coronavirus has been the talk of all media houses for months and the effect of the constant bombardment of this news are anxiety, stress, and fears.
The recent events in Nigeria have in so many ways truncated the level of anxiety and uncertainty in the heart and mind of Nigerians. People are in shock and devasted due to the economic and social injustice in the country. There has been so many killings and riots all across the nation that one is compelled to feel anxious and afraid.
Although the facts are glaring that things aren’t really going well in Nigeria and also other parts of the world, we can’t also ignore the fact that our media houses have a knack in exaggerating events. The truth is that things aren’t as bad as it’s always propagated on media. We must always discern what is right and wrong and also know how much bad news to consume at any given day.
To avoid getting pulled deeper into the conundrum in your surroundings, the following are steps you can take to keep sane and avoid anxiety:
Limit Exposure to News and Social Media
Recent research shows that an average person has upward of six thousand thoughts per day. This number isn’t small and if you think about it, it can be overwhelming considering we are in an information age where we are constantly being bombarded by social media. There’s research that also shows how social media and other forms of media affect us negatively. They also control and manipulate our emotions to achieve their business purposes. They do this because humans are easily drawn to bad news.
We need to understand that social media and media houses are in business, and their ability to get us glued to the screen is good business. It’s, therefore, our responsibility not to get carried away with excesses. We must get the facts needed to stay informed and not get paralyzed or addicted to our screens.
The best way to avoid getting carried away by social media news is to have a time-block. The time block is a specific time you allocate to news and other social media activities. You must keep it to a minimum so you don’t get sucked into social media feeds.
Talk to Someone
As social media can exaggerate things and make one feel anxious, staying alone, and bottling our feelings is a leeway for our mind to get overwhelmed with thoughts – especially negative thoughts.
In difficult times, we must share our feelings and vulnerability with people we trust and respect. Like a wise saying goes; a problem shared is a problem half solved.
One of the reasons why people find it hard to share their feelings and emotions is because most people care about what other people will say or think about them. This fear has led to a lot of people into depression, anxiety, and even suicide.
We all have to understand that no one is perfect and that we all go through challenging times. It is by sharing our problem that we can get help and necessary support.
Permit yourself to live free and happy.
Avoid Negative Conversations and Associations
In difficult times and situations, it is quite easy to see people get consumed with the details of events especially the negative aspect of things.
To keep sane and avoid anxiety, we must avoid getting exposed to too much negativity because it is not only addictive, it is time-consuming and depressing.
When in difficulty, seek out the facts of the situation around you and don’t get carried away by trivialities.
Conclusion
In as much as we can’t control what happens around us, we owe it to ourselves to control our reaction and also maintain a positive perspective.
We live in an information age where information is readily available to us. And the information we take in controls how the perception of things. We must control the information we take in and not get overwhelmed by them.
Understand that your life is in your control and you have the power to choose how you live it. Your mental well-being is your business, control what you consume.