Staying Sane in an Insane World

(𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘝𝘐𝘐𝘐 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘐𝘟 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸.)

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄: 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝

We are being flooded with too much conflicting information in effort to create confusion and disorientation.

– Don’t allow yourself to be bounced around by gossip and scandal.

– Journal daily to keep your bearings in a crazy, overwhelming, noisy world.

– Remind yourself what’s important, what’s true, what your values are, what your obligations are, what your duties are, and hold true to those.

– Remind yourself what’s not important, what’s not true, what is necessary to let go of and put aside for now.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄𝙄: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙮

In a time of dysfunction, conflict, and division, amidst chaos and dis/misinformation, when cruelty and meanness are widely accepted, our main job is to not let it infect us.

– Don’t allow the craziness of the world make you crazy.

– Stand apart from the chaos and don’t let it break you.

– We can’t control what’s going on around us, but we can control who we are and the principles we hold.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄𝙄𝙄: 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚

There will always be opposition and the less we can take that personally, the less we suffer, the more we can stand our ground, and make a difference with the things we have control of.

– Spending time arguing and fighting with someone who will never understand your point of view is a waisted effort.

– Accept that people are out there creating chaos and move on. Put your energy and attention toward people who are not chaotic and focus on not being chaotic yourself.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄𝙑: 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡

“Today I escaped anxiety, or no, I discarded it, because it was within me.” -Marcus Aurelius

– We are the common variable in all the situations that cause us anxiety.

– Find effective tools for discarding anxiety so you can function with clarity.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙑: 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙡

Slow down, act with restraint, be able to reflect upon your own opinions and put them to the test.

– Do not get swept away and be buffeted by forces outside of your control.

– Keep your bearings, keep your values, keep from loosing your mind when everyone else around you is loosing theirs.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙑𝙄: 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙨 (𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙)

While it is our duty to be an informed citizen, if we follow everything that is being reported in the news, we are going to get eaten alive.

– Pausing consciously from social media and breaking news to educate ourselves on era’s of history that are similar to ours, but without the partisan implications, allows us to see what is happening now through a different lens.

– Reading psychology, history, biography, and social science literature, as well as fiction, such as the Greek tragedies, teaches us about the people who are currently on the world stage, ourselves, and our own flaws.

– News today is not designed to hold up over long periods of time. When we allot time to focus on what has held true to our society across many generations, it helps us understand larger contexts and deeper truths.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙑𝙄𝙄: 𝘼𝙨𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

Is a world without opposition possible? No.

– When you are confronted with opposition, consider that it was statistically bound to happen.

– Don’t get worked up about it, don’t take it personally, let go of the element of surprise that opposition exists.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙑𝙄𝙄𝙄: 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙙

Problems in life are unavoidable. Because we don’t have full control, things that we don’t want to happen are bound to happen.

– It can only harm you if it harms your character.

– If it changes who you are, making you vindictive, resentful, lazy, entitled, if it makes you worse as a person, then you have been harmed.

– We are the ones who control if it makes us worse as human beings. We decide if degrades us or improves us.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄𝙓: 𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮

“The obstacle is the way.” -Marcus Aurelius

– Other people’s opposition provides opportunity for us to practice courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom.

– Let’s try to see these chaotic people in our lives as opportunities for us to be kind, loving, patient, creative…as an opportunity for us to teach and for us to learn.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙓: 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙗

Be the bright thread that makes the garment more beautiful by being your unique yourself.

– Be above the mob. Reach a higher plane of consciousness and awareness and hold yourself to a higher standard, both cognitively and ethically.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙓𝙄: 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪

This situation that you wouldn’t choose to happen, that you didn’t want to happen, that shouldn’t have happened, is an opportunity to act with courage, temperament, justice, and wisdom.

– Don’t let situations out of your control stop you from doing what you are supposed to do. There is always opportunity to uphold your values.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙓𝙄𝙄: 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

The power to have no opinion is a superpower.

– Events out of your control are not being asked to be judged by you.

– You can see it as it is without labeling it, categorizing it, determining if it is fair or unfair, positive or negative, smart or dumb. Just accept it as it is.

– Seeing things objectively is the path to peace and wisdom.

– Releasing opinions towards what you don’t have control of allows you to put more time and energy into what you do have control of.

Source: Daily Stoic (link in comments)

*****

Sitting with these 12 concepts has helped me feel less overwhelmed and disempowered as I watch the world stage play out.

Part VIII speaks to me because I have been harmed by people in my life who have projected their fear, jealousy, and hatred onto me, and I have allowed the pain of this harm to alter my character.

Part IX speaks to me because I see/feel/understand the opportunity and wisdom that these painful experiences have gifted me. They’ve helped me become a better person and see the strength I’ve carried within that I didn’t know I had.

The world stage is like a Shakespearean play at the moment. Tragedy, betrayal, hypocrisy, entitlement, slavery, judgement, blame, shame, anger, hatred, dominance, confusion, neglect…all of our collective wounds are on display.

But there is also a wide spectrum of beauty, both within us and around us. Shall we put our efforts into that which enriches us, or shall we put our efforts into that which fuels anxiety and fear?

The choice is ours.

I’ve sat quietly over the past month to get clear on how I want to show up in this uncertain world, and this is what I am choosing:

• to expand my capacity for embodying peace.

• to expand my capacity for responding with love, even when the threat of harm creeps in.

• to expand my capacity for listening to the wind, the birds, the trees (and my heart), over excessive amounts of chaotic noise.

• to expand my capacity for pausing, taking a few breaths, and finding my center, until the impulse to react dissipates.

• to expand my capacity for maintaining a balanced life, while deeping my devotion toward growth, connection, and being of service.

• to expand my capacity for holding faith over holding fear.

What do you choose?