THE LIFESTYLE THAT LEFT ME TOYING WITH MY EMOTIONS

Story By: Chris Ann Cravens

Distractions like social media, movies, gaming, and T.V. can suck mountains of time away from you before you realize it, which creates anxiety. Not tending to responsibilities to catch up on episodes you missed in the fantasy world leads to stress in real life. Take that time to tackle some of your life duties to lessen your anxiety. What have you chosen to fill your environment with? Which outside influences are under your control or can be limited?

One night in my late twenties, I stopped to think about my addiction to television, movies, video games, etc. As I watched a two-hour film, I noticed my emotions got pulled from one spectrum of the emotional scale to the other and everything in between. Joy, sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, rage, hope, love, excitement, disappointment, etc. Wow! It was exhausting. This is not meant to happen in nature, I thought. I tried to imagine a time in nature that would take me through the entire gamut of emotions in less than two hours. I couldn’t think of any. No wonder I was so depleted.

There was no separation between the artificially induced emotions and the naturally induced emotions in my world. I had been feeling everything fully as if it were real, and it was too much of a pull on my energy. I didn’t need more emotional stimulation in my life. I needed peace. The only way it seemed for me to separate from the emotional tug at that moment was to stop watching all entertainment altogether.

I disconnected the T.V. and began reading and researching things that were of interest to me. The metaphysical world was calling. My quest to connect with my spirit and to get a handle on my emotions continued. I would later learn how the external media had repeatedly triggered my fight or flight response and how it affected my health. Nevertheless, I was determined to find a way out of the emotional anxiety trap.

My philosophy was this, the outside stimuli from the environment were taxing my system. It was an overwhelming emotional load. I felt helpless. It seemed I spent every day trying to rebound from the onslaught of debilitating emotions due to what I saw in my personal life and the bigger picture of our world. I figured by turning off television and movies, I could at least limit some of the input.

I couldn’t use my remote to turn off the tragedies of the world or my personal life, but I certainly could make better decisions in limiting what my senses endured when I was in the confines of my home. I simply wasn’t interested anymore in conversations with friends about Hollywood storylines and fictional characters. I wasn’t interested in watching others live and experience life. I was ready to live life through my own experiences firsthand.

It seems television and movies are a bit like a modern-day Roman coliseum. Viewers are more concerned with getting entertained than they are about addressing their health duties. It has become a legal addiction. Take sports as an example. If sports addicts can’t watch their team play, they may become disgruntled. The latest hit television series can have a similar effect. The majority of Americans plan their schedules to include watching every episode of the season. Or they will set aside an entire day to “binge-watch” their favorite show.

Examine the term “television programming.” T.V.s don’t get programmed; people do. The program is broadcast from somewhere else. The television is just the transmitter. The human beings watching the screen are receiving the programming. And when I realized this, I said, “No way! I’m not going to sit here and let someone else program my life.” It was as simple as turning off the television; immediately, my life was my own again.

What is this obsession with living vicariously through others or a fictitious plot? It can be a form of escaping reality. The problem with using entertainment as a distraction to life’s anxiety is that it doesn’t help solve it. It only places the issue on the back burner until it must be dealt with again after the movie, show, or whatever distraction. I’m not anti-entertainment. I’m suggesting a healthy balance of discipline and awareness of boundaries. Enjoying entertainment does have its place and can be beneficial when watched in moderation.

I started having more thoughts about this concept. Had I spent twenty-eight years or so living vicariously through a T.V. screen rather than living my own real-life experience out in the world? How could I have been a slave to entertainment for so long while letting my health suffer? I was ready to live my own adventures and create an exciting and meaningful life. It was time to activate my God-given avatar – my human body – and explore the planet’s vast reality rather than virtual reality. There was no turning back for me.

I began making observations about my music selection, much of it old, from my past. Most of it triggered emotional memories. So I changed up the songs, artists, and genres filling my ears. I asked friends for suggestions and found more supportive lyrics, which inspired me instead of wearing down my emotions.

Yoga and massage music was tranquil and assisted me when my energy was low. I found passionate lyricists that motivated me to take action in my community and beyond. Sappy old love songs have their nostalgic place, just not in my everyday life, if I want to aspire to greatness.

Treasure Key:
Examine your music selection. Begin to include calming and tranquil music. Reach outside your typical genre. Change up the soundtrack to your life and see how your life responds.

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Author: Chris Ann Cravens
www.MyAntidote.life
instagram.com/antidoteauthor