I think one of my biggest personal issues is the negativity we are bombarded with every single day. All one has to do is turn on the news, watch a television show, go on social media, or even talk to acquaintances to see that virtually everyone is in a very negative place right now. Unfortunately, negativity is a socially transmitted disease. If we subject ourselves to it for too long, it will rub off and we will find ourselves also acting and feeling negative.
I am a natural Empath. I pick up on the feelings of those around me, and if I am not careful, I can even project them as my own. This is one of the reasons I have always excelled in customer service jobs; I can perceive the needs of those around me. This allows me to help people, and can be a great thing. There is also a darker side to this coin. If I spend too much time around people who are negative, angry, or sad, it lowers my vibration. I naturally want to help people, and uplift them, but it can come at a pretty large personal cost.
Working with negative people exhausts me. Being bombarded every day by negative media makes me queasy and almost disoriented. I have to step away from anger and remind myself that it isn't mine. I have to be very careful when dealing with people who are in pain, because my natural inclination is to pull it out and away from them, which can be chaotic for me. I tend to feel things too deeply, and when I hurt someone, it leaves a mark on me that I can't erase. I try to never hurt people, and yet, sometimes I still do.
We are in such a dark time right now. Even though it is inevitable that we will pass through this time into a period of enlightenment, it is hard to navigate through and remain focused on the positive. Part of life is balance, and we cannot hide completely from the negative - we have to realize and recognize that it does exist and also serves a purpose. However, that does not mean we should take up a permanent residence there. There are things we can do to keep to the positive.
Turn off the television:
The news is no longer the sharing of important events. It is a program designed to stir you up and keep you in that state. It is also a tool to instill fear. If one believed the news was an accurate depiction of our environment, one would be led to believe that we are constantly at risk, constantly being victimized, that nobody can be trusted, that the police and government is evil, and that we are all going to be killed by one form of terrorist or another. Living in fear of things that might or might not happen is a waste of time. Believing what you see on television is also a waste of time - if you want a clear picture of the world, get out into it and experience it. Don't trust a glass screen.
Modern media is also designed to keep us divided. If you look at what is portrayed, you always have one group of people either insinuating or blatantly blaming another group of people for something that is wrong. Media pits races against each other to give them a false sense of reality where everyone is racist and we'd best keep to our own kind (which is ridiculous - what the fuck is "our own kind?"). They pit political preference against each other and each party mocks the other one, sending a message that diversity among thought is a bad thing. Stories on the news make us fear our neighbors. They lead us to believe that living lives of selfishness, ignorance, and negativity is glamorous. They promote a mob mentality. Have you ever noticed that news reporters will always seem to find the loudest, most ignorant person in a group, and then use them as the bystander interview?
Television can keep you in a constant state of negativity. It is better to read the news that interests and applies to you online, and let the rest go.
Screen your social media:
This one is a hard one for me, because I love the diversity of my social media pages. However, I have noticed steadily over the last five years that the average person has become angrier and angrier, and meaner with the sharing of their opinions. If I were to believe what I saw from some of my online friends, I would be led to believe that they led their entire lives in a state of hatred and condescending mockery of other people. I have learned that it is better to let certain people go. Diversity in opinion is a great thing, but when anyone spends the majority of their time blatantly bashing other people, mocking their differences, and shaming their beliefs, that is damaging. Even if you agree with their beliefs. Once upon a time, it was possible to respect differences. Now, people feel empowered to use their beliefs as a sword to cut other people down with. It's sickening to watch.
There is also a lot of violence on social media, which is hard as an Empath to be subjected to day after day. Everyone knows there is evil in the world. We don't need to see pictures of boiled dogs to know to fight the dog meat trade in Asia. We don't need to see some guy hanging a puppy and slicing its throat, or dragging a shark behind a boat at full speed. We don't need to see some woman who beats her child bloody. While I think social media can be an awesome tool for exposure of those who are cruel, I also don't want to watch their cruelty glamorized for all to see. We have children committing suicide on social media. We have videos of people dying. Do we really need to see these things to know they exist?
My biggest worry is that these kinds of publications don't raise awareness as much as they shock and excite people.
Watch what you listen to:
I love music. I listen to everything from classical to rap, and everything in between. I have learned lately to pay attention to what I listen to - not just the catchy beats, but the lyrics. Negativity rubs off, so if you are listening to music where people are always out to get one another, to use people, be violent, or just overall negative, it is going to affect your behavior and mood. Be cautious of exposing yourself to too much darkness.
Be aware of the company you keep:
Anyone that you spend a lot of time with is going to rub off on you. It is great to have a circle of friends, but I would encourage you to spend your time with people who are supportive and uplifting. Our biggest influences are those whom we spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with people who are angry, judgemental, rude, and dark, this is how you are going to feel and act after a while. If you surround yourself with people who are generally upbeat, positive, and happy, this will also rub off. I am in no way saying that you should abandon your friends when they are having a bad day or going through a crisis. I am saying that one should beware of spending too much time around people who live in a constant world of negativity, lest you want to dwell there, too.
Know the difference between being informed and being negative:
It is important to be kept up to date on what is going on in the world, as we have to live here. It is fine to keep up with current events. It is fine to discuss them. However, there is also a fine line between discussion and gossip, and between living your beliefs and belittling others for theirs. If you need to check yourself, always ask if what you are sharing or about to share is beneficial, necessary, and kind... or at least not cruel. Once you cross that line into negativity, your message is no longer useful. It is simply negative.
We were not put here to hurt one another. We were put here to compliment each other with our differences and add more color to the world because of them. So many of us will never discover our true purposes in this life because we are stuck in these negative cycles. We are not only cheating ourselves by not becoming who we are meant to be become, but we are cheating the world by suppressing the gifts and talents we have brought. The whole point of life is to learn and grow. We need to keep doing it, or we merely stagnate.
Empowered, we rise.
-R-
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