My return to the office was pushed back to this past Monday, as the room I work in was full of chairs (which I presume had been removed from the waiting room, as there are far fewer chairs to allow for proper distancing).
Meanwhile, yesterday was Election Day, and due to the high number of mail-in ballots, several crucial states (PA among them) are still tallying votes.
News outlets have long since designed their programming to grab and hold attention, and attract eyes and ears. They try to get the audience's head in a spin such that they can't bear to look away. This leads to stress-inducing reports, and this is by design, not by accident. After all, how else can their advertisers sell you their stress-relief pills if you aren't worked into a frenzy by the nees?
Well, as anyone who reads my social media knows, there are individuals involved with this election who have been driving my BP up for the past four years. The last thing I need is to have my BP inflated even more by news reports that are intended to incite stress and keep viewers and listeners tuned in.
So this is how I am handling it, for the state of my own mental health. First, I am limiting my time on social media, and when I AM on there, I am gravitating toward groups where I will see little or no politics. Second, NO TV OR RADIO NEWS. Period. I even skipped my evening Alexa news roundup because I was concerned that it would be too stressful. Thank God that SiriusXM's music channels do not do news reports. I am tuning that son of a gun in during the workday and giving thanks that I can just immerse my ears in music.
Third, I am micro-dosing on written-word news by peeking at headlines that pop up on my phone. If I think it won't give me an ulcer, MAYBE I will read it. I tried glancing at Google News headlines, too, but I kept having to bail on them or heading to politics-free areas like their Tech News subsection.
Meanwhile, I am trying out a new method of passive income. This radio station is free to listen to, and the more folks listen to it, the more points I get. At the end of the month, the points would be converted such that I would get a few dollars. So kindly support your local blogger who lost a truckload of work hours thanks to the Rona, and give it a listen. Thanks!
