Do the thing. Laundry cycle. Informed anxiety. Imperfection is gray. Anxiety as protection. Re-read something. Look for good news.
“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect.
Perfection simply doesn’t exist.”
– Stephen Hawking
1. “Do the thing that matters to you.”
Don’t live every day like it’s your last! – Annie Scott – (Midlife Mess)
Reflections on learning that her 80 year old neighbor has incurable cancer, and observing that neighbor’s own approach to it all. Scott’s major point is simply this:
The most valuable thing you can do for yourself in this lifetime is figure out what really matters TO YOU.
It’s step one of “THE AMAZING THREE STEP PROCESS TO LIVING A LIFE YOU (probably) WON’T REGRET!”. Step 2: do more of it. Step 3: repeat step 2, and step 1 as needed.
It’s not as selfish as it sounds, because so often what truly matters to us is not some hedonistic lifestyle of pleasure, but our contributions, and our people.
Do this: Figure it out.
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2. “Laundry is the actual rhythm of life”
The Ordinary Sacred – Joan Westenberg – (Blog)
Life seems optimized to bring our attention to the extraordinary. The result is that the normal things, the things that truly make up our daily lives and even our society, go underappreciated and under-noticed.
One day, the highlights will blur.
What remains?
The ordinary textures: the meals, the errands, the jokes with friends, the habits of daily life.
Those will be the sacred things.
The task is to see them before they vanish into hindsight.
Do this: Appreciate the ordinary. It’s most of your life, after all.
3. “With greater exposure, we see greater distress”
Why more and more people are tuning the news out: ‘Now I don’t have that anxiety’ – Josie Harvey – (The Guardian)
It’s constant, overwhelming, and anxiety-inducing. When you look at the flood of news aimed at us, and in particular the way it’s structured not to inform, but to enrage, it’s no surprise that people are actively choosing to disconnect.
We live in a world in which you can access news 24/7 and be inundated with information at all times. But that doesn’t mean you should.
But here’s the thing: society, and democracy in particular, relies on an informed public. Disengaging helps us as individuals, but at the cost of harming our awareness of important issues around us. The cynic in me believes some politicians are well aware of this and actively seek to cause disengagement.
Do this: Find healthy ways for you to remain informed.
4. “The grass on the other side of the fence will always have hidden brown splotches.”
The Importance of Imperfection – Even in Fantasies – A.J. Jacobs – (Experimental Living)
This got my attention because it touches on one of my hot buttons, but with a slightly different perspective.
I think it’s helpful to realize that nothing is black and white. The world (and maybe heaven itself) contains endless shades of gray.
Jacobs applies this thought to our dreams, wishes, and aspirations. The reality is rarely, if ever, as pure as we might imagine it to be. More likely, it comes with unanticipated downsides. Not that aspirational thinking is bad, but understanding the reality of what you’re wishing for often makes acceptance of your current situation easier, as well as avoiding disappointment should your wishes someday become reality.
Do this: Beware the black and white.
5. “Anxiety is protective”
How to Turn Anxiety Into Adventure – By Arthur C. Brooks – (The Atlantic)
Clearly, a disorder that involves dysregulated and debilitating anxiety should not be minimized, but rather treated as a serious medical issue.
Particularly when it’s not debilitating, anxiety can be something more. Perhaps something we can reframe as positive.
Reframe anxiety, not as dread but as evidence of an exciting opportunity.
I get the message, but it seems … well, I’m not sure. I can see how it applies in many cases, but certainly not all. Given the source of my anxiety over recent years, I have a hard time positioning the current maelstrom of world events as an exciting “opportunity”.
Do this: See if you can reframe some of your anxiety into a force for positive change.
6. “Start by re-reading something you love”
The Pleasures of Reading – Alan Jacobs – (The Homebound Symphony)
Reflections on reading, and how to do it more, for people that want to do it more. And before you say “just do it!”, you know that it’s significantly more complicated than that, especially in recent years.
Number one on his list was the takeaway above. Number two:
Never ever apologize for re-reading. Read the same thing three times in a row if that gives you pleasure.
There’s this sense that we should always read something new, something to expand our experience or knowledge. The truth is that re-reading almost always uncovers something. Particularly if it’s an enjoyable read, it also helps establish (or re-establish) the habit. That might be the most valuable thing of all. (You may note some of my reads in recent years are marked as “re-reads” for exactly these reasons.)
Do this: Read, or re-read, a book you enjoy.
7. “Stories of progress and problem-solving don’t get a lot of attention or engagement”
What Happens When You Trade Doomscrolling for Hopescrolling – Jennifer Mercieca – (Zócalo Public Square)
If doomscrolling, aka “the compulsive act of endlessly scrolling through negative or distressing news on social media, often leading to heightened anxiety or stress” — results in, well, heightened anxiety and stress, could the opposite work? Could intentionally seeking out and focusing on positive news and specifically “solutions journalism” — “hopescrolling” — improve our mindset? The experiment with high schoolers would indicate it can.
Some students even noticed that their social media algorithms changed, as they started to see more positive content on their feeds instead of quite so much doom. Intentionally focusing on solutions journalism once a week helped some students to cope with the daily torrent of doom in their feeds.
It’s one reason I started Not All News Is Bad over eight(!) years ago. Something to counteract the constant barrage that is our current news landscape. There’s a LOT of good stuff out there. You simply need to seek it out — no algorithm is going to do it for you.
Do this: Adopt hopescrolling, even if just a little.
#hopescrolling #positive-news #solutions-journalism
Random links
- Fifty Shades of “Greige” – the death of color and interesting design
- Could Lithium Explain — and Treat — Alzheimer’s Disease? – a) Interesting b) An example of the kinds of research currently under threat.
What I’m reading now
- Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World – Anne-Laure Le Cunff
- Creative Intellegence – Greg Storey
- Life, the Universe and Everything– Douglas Adams
- Swamp Spirits – Jana Deleon
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One 1929-1964 (Audio)(re-read)
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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