5 Stratagies When the World is Heavy
I have to admit the world seems very heavy right now. It feels as if the push and pull between good and evil is at an all time high. I’m about to turn 42 (October baby here) and in my lifetime I haven’t seen this sort of battle taking place in the real world or in the spiritual world like it is right now.
It feels as if everything is under attack. Regardless of where you stand politically you can turn on the news and see disaster after disaster. Lately a line of natural disasters from tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires have ravaged the United States. It’s overwhelming and heartbreaking to say the very least. It certainly puts into perspective some of the other things that I worry about or get frustrated over when you see the devastation people are having to overcome.
In addition to the natural disaster we have so much tension between the values and morals of the country; everything from abortion laws, free speech, gun rights, open borders and immigration policy or lack of, child trafficking, Hollywood and it’s huge stars seems to have lost their minds, government agencies appear to be running amuck and we’re all sitting around wondering who can be trusted and what is a blatant lie. We have health issues, food issues, chemical issues… the list just goes on and on and seems to touch every aspect of life.
So what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to navigate the craziness with actually going crazy ourselves? How can we find the truth? And what can we do to make a difference?
I have a few strategies I’m using and thought I’d share here with you.
Unplug when needed.
Although it is extremely important to stay informed and know what’s going on across the globe, our country, our state and our communities it’s okay to unplug. Getting overwhelmed and depressed with a flood of negative information only stands to stifle us in our own life and the potential we have to help ourselves and others. Check out of social media, turn off the news, put the newspaper, close the magazines, log off the internet. It’s okay to walk away and get yourself re-centered. Focus on something that feeds your heart and soul. When you’re back on solid ground feel free to jump back in with a fresh perspective and knowing that you can again, walk away when necessary.
2. Do one thing daily that’s just for you and your spiritual wellness.
Whether it’s reading your Bible and journaling, praying, turning on worship music, do something that reminds you who you are and that you have a purpose all while knowing you are loved. Often in these times of alone with the Lord, God will reveal an answer to you. Maybe He’s just urging you to spend more time with Him. Maybe a need will pop to your mind and you know how to fill it. Maybe a desire to volunteer will be born in your heart. Spending time getting closer to God will always fill you with a peace that passes understanding and reminds us we already know who the ultimate victory goes to.
Lastly, in this category I would also say, commit to prayer the leaders of our country, states, counties and communities. Pray for the leaders of the church. Pray for the people, all the people. Collectively we make up the nation and every single person needs to be covered in prayer.
3. Do one thing daily that’s good for your physical body.
Often we get caught in a loop of anxiety and/or depressive feelings because our bodies were actually made to move and be active. Stifling that actually causes all our symptoms of overwhelm to be worse. You don’t have to run out and join a gym and start doing hours of workouts, although if that’s your desire, do it, but it can be simple. Take a walk outside. Do some stretching. Pick up the weights that are collecting dust. Take the clothes off the treadmill and jog it out. Getting sweaty for about 30 minutes a day releases feel good endorphins. Often these little sweat sessions will bring relief, clarity and overall feelings of accomplishment and who doesn’t need just a little more of that in their everyday lives!?!
4. Get busy.
While it is a necessity to have times of relaxation if that’s all we do it starts working against us instead of for us. Find something to do! Find an organization to volunteer with. So much is happening across the nation and the holidays are just around the corner, there are lots of agencies that are looking for help. Seek out what aligns with your heart and spend some time focused less on yourself and helping others more.
In addition, don’t forget about your own home. Often outward clutter is a product of inward clutter. Tackling the outward clutter can be very therapeutic for your heart and mind. That closet that needs to be cleaned out, the kitchen drawers that have too many utensils, the pile of old stuff that’s collecting in the garage… maybe it’s time to go through it! Donate what you can, discard the rest. A clean, organized home is a breeding ground for clean and organized thoughts.
5. Research on your own.
Part of what is overwhelming and even maddening is not knowing where to find the truth. You are going to have to take matters into your own hands. We no longer can rely on truth in advertising. The standards and regulations have been stretched and perverted to make things look more healthy than they are. This applies to people, places and products. If you want cleaner, greener products in your home you’re going to have to find them on your own. If you want to know what places are funding agendas you don’t support you’re going to have to find that on your own. If you want to know what a person, politically or otherwise, believes you’ll have to find unbiased reporting, look to their past, look to their promises about the future. It’s a lot of work and it can be hard to dig through all the nonsense but it’s worth it in the end to find out as much information as you can for your own mental health and physical well being. In some cases you’ll be shocked and others you’ll already have had a gut feeling.
Finding reliable sources is key for all of it. One way I’ve been working to find the truth, is when I take to the internet I use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. They seem to have a less biased pool of information they pull from. It appears that the truth is also important to the controlling parties and the dissemination of accurate information is the goal. Try it out.
Ask around to those you respect and see doing the things that you find in common or have the desire to also be doing. Most people are really excited to share what they are doing, using, or have discovered in their own research time. It’s a great way to build community and develop a tribe of people that you know are on the same page.
These strategies are ones I’m employing in my own life. You can keep yourself on track by creating your own checklists, reaching out for accountability or committing a chunk of time daily to areas you know you need to prioritize. We can only lighten our own burdens by taking action to reverse their effect. No matter what area is at the top of your list I hope and pray you will take matters into your own hands. You’re the only one who can do it.
The heaviness of the world is not going to go anywhere and having some tools to be able to combat the weight on your own shoulders is important. Don’t shrug it off, get involved to do something different in your life and that makes the lives of those around you better.
Praying for us all that a supernatural peace takes hold, clear thoughts, knowing we’re loved and the bravery to take action on whatever the Lord puts on our hearts.
