When You Begin to Feel Too Much — It’s Time to Unplug
Sometimes you need to cut the external noise to get hold of your overwhelming emotions.
“We get sucked into the Internet and streaming information, and it’s time to just unplug and look within.”
— Jonathan Cain
I am the type of person that feels everything. So much that if I see something gut-wrenching, I get sleepless nights. Some call me weak or too sensitive. But I see it as living an emotionally rich life that has pain, but it also has enriching experiences.
Over the past few days, the news has gotten worse. With COVID-19 and other world disasters, it just breaks my heart, and I just have this sinking feeling. A feeling that doesn’t go away overnight but lingers on for a few days. This is why I need to unplug to remain in a positive frame of mind to get going with my life.
While my friends can binge-watch anything quite quickly, I have a tough time. Whom shall I blame my genetics or how I am wired? I don’t know? But since I am an avid reader of novels from childhood, stories stay stuck in my head for days.
I still remember when I reached the last page of the last book of Jeffrey Archer’s Clifton Chronicles, I cried. The stories in this book series stayed with me for over a month. I couldn’t stop obsessing over them. The same happened with Harry Potter too. Oh, how I wished my school magically turned into Hogwarts.
Time to Unplug
But with time, I did come back to reality; the after-effects of these stories lasted with me for days together.
With time social media came in, and I was flooded with content. Now more than ever, content is being created at an alarming rate, and how much is one supposed to keep up with.
A few days ago, I was washed with hate towards myself. All the time, I thought that where I am at is not enough. I started comparing myself to others, and I had difficulty telling myself that my journey is unique. It’s as if the content I was viewing was influencing me towards a downward spiral of emotions.
That’s when I realised the need to unplug.
While my family religiously watched the news at 9 PM, I chose to lock myself in another room reading a light-hearted book. I kept myself away from any information. It worked wonders, and my mind could get back to reality.
I made a gratitude list, and that gave me the proper perspective I needed to focus on where I am currently and how grateful I am to live. Gratitude lists aren’t overrated. They work as medicine and help get back to a safe space in life when we have no clue why we feel a certain way.
I spoke to a friend who then made me realise that we need to focus on what we can do at this moment. If we can’t do anything about a situation, we cannot let that affect our wellbeing to the extent that we find it difficult to get on with our daily routine. We cannot take care of everyone, but we can positively affect the people around us. That itself is one step towards service. One small action makes a lot of difference; she said — a lot more than I realise.
My to-do List
Maybe I feel too much. This is good and bad. But I cannot change how I am; instead of focusing on why I feel so much all the time, I realised that I must focus on how I can get back to a happy place. And the following steps worked.
Unplugging from all devices: This helped cut out all the external noise.
A hot cup of tea: Helped calm my nerves.
Soft music: Shifted my focus and made me think of my happy place.
Meditation: Positive affirmations and soothing sounds helped me get back to the present.
Chocolates: Helped release feel-good hormones in an instant.
Positive books and movies: Helped refocusing on my daily routine as I stopped thinking of the horrific news.
Harsh Truth — We Cannot Escape Reality
Yes, I know I cannot escape reality. Reality is hard, and I must accept things the way they are. I do my best to think straight and be aware of what’s happening around me. But sometimes, it gets too much. Sometimes I cannot function normally as emotions get the best of me.
That’s when I need to unplug. That’s when I need to get back to my happy place.
There is nothing wrong with feeling too much. What’s wrong is letting those feelings dictate our lives in a toxic way, preventing us from living life the way we used to. To get back, we must unplug, detach from the things that overwhelm us, and think of the life we are blessed with.
Living our lives to the fullest is the only way to respect the life we are given. So the moment we question our existence and think we are not enough is the exact moment we need to shift our perspective and count our blessings, starting with the fact that we get to breathe and live another day. And that, to me, is the biggest blessing ever.
And just when I started to count my blessings, I came across this image on my Instagram feed.
It’s just what I needed to read. It’s then I decided that I need to create my positive headlines to feel good. Starting with — ‘My Mom Cooked My Favourite Meal Today.’
What joyous news made your day today? There must be plenty. If nothing comes to mind right now, it will. All you need to do is unplug.
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