Two new things I learned about doomscrolling this week:
The first is that I scroll more often in the afternoons... simply because my brain needs a break! I may feel inspired and want to get a few things done, but my brain is just not up to it.
So the doom-scroll is a signal to TAKE A BREAK. If I keep trying to get the work done then, I will keep “ending up” scrolling on social media. AND if I keep doing that for any significant amount of time in the afternoon… I’m going to keep reaching for screens in the evening, too. If I scroll in the evening, it’s harder to get to sleep.
By using the anti-doomscroll meditation to pull my energy back and use it to FEED AND NOURISH MYSELF, and to learn more about what I really need when I go scrolling, I save the whole rest of my day AND my sleep!
That's great! Is that information ALWAYS enough to get me to stop? Not so far! But that’s why this is a PRACTICE.
The other thing is that… some of my health problems are exasperated in the heat, and this has been the hottest summer of my life (so far!) and...
It has taken SO MUCH time and energy to deal with this...
It’s only now that it’s cooled off a little this week that I can see how much being in my own personal distress distracts me from the distress we’re all in together.
But just because my conscious attention is focused on figuring out how to manage these symptoms (10 days now until I see the specialist I’ve been waiting to see!) it DOES NOT MEAN that the stress of the world isn’t impacting me.
It just means I am less aware of it because I am focused elsewhere.
So… the distress of my own health problems was quickly replaced with the distress of the state of the world around me.
And it’s a lot to sit with. But the only options are to sit with it or distract ourselves.
And sitting with it helps us process it helps us see HOW we want to BE in all of this.
So… I am using the Hello Day meditations to give me space to do that.
And using the Anti-Doomscroll Kit as needed.
Recently someone mentioned they are using the Year of Hope prompts for making art! That feels like such a great way to explore how to hold onto hope in these times.
The more I think about it the more it feels like all of these big, painful creative blocks I have been experiencing this year are because of how important it is that we keep dreaming, keep creating, keep practicing hope, keep looking for how to create a better future for everyone.
It’s the job of the artist to hold up a mirror to society and to CREATE culture.
I feel so deeply called to this mission.
Of course this riles up the self doubt and inner critics.
And of course I will keep working through the muck and finding ways to make the art I am called to make.
This year I’ve put so much thought into my structures, habits + routines… feeling like this new phase of life I am in needs new structure! Which is true.
But I wasn’t fully noticing how this new phase of dystopia in the outer world ALSO needs us to revisit our routines, habits and structures while we also revisit our dreams and callings about how to respond.
Our dreams are our creative and spiritual response to the world around us.
As the world changes, our dream may change.
I think the dystopia is calling the artists, healers, helpers, visionaries and dreamers to step it up.
Not to work HARDER or dream BIGGER but listen more deeply.
