Balance Is the Key
Think about this…you’re pouring water from a pitcher into a glass, you see it rising to the top quickly but you continue to pour. You begin to get anxious, nervous, even stressed because you see what’s about to happen. You’re thinking, “What if it spills over? It will be all over the place!” However, what you’ve haven’t considered is the fact that ‘you’ control how much goes into the glass and you can stop pouring anytime you want to. This is the same type of reasoning method that must be used when you’re receiving information, especially when it’s upsetting, negative, or frustrating. You are the one who decides when your glass is full enough.
Many times we want to know all our mental and emotional being can hold. We become like a sponge soaking up every morsel of news we can. But it’s important to earnestly evaluate why this is necessary. What is your motive behind wanting to know? What are your plans for obtaining? Who will you share it with; will it make a difference to them?
The quest for knowledge should possess certain aspects: purpose, basis, intent, ability to improve, and not lessen stability already in place. Most of all, question your motive for the necessity to know. Is it genuine or just to impress others in social circles? There comes a point where you must ask yourself honestly how necessary is this? In gathering continuous facts and opinions, you may begin to question ‘whom’ should you believe? There is the tendency to stay with those you routinely trust or have proven their loyalty in being truthful. However, when the information is new and the definite or assuredness is unknown, you start to weigh fact against fact, opinion against opinion. Too much information can create increasing stress and anxiety when attempting to determine ‘what’ is most essential to believe. We see and hear so much news information day to day that changes almost as quickly as received until we question our self ‘what should I believe?’
Let’s go back to the story at the beginning: the pitcher of water being poured into the glass. See yourself as the glass having an emotional limit for information you take in. You are the only one who can say when enough is enough. Know your limits and have red flags and cautions in place that will signal when you’re close to the full level. Put up a hand to indicate you’re stopping here or speak up that you’re changing location. Make the choice that’s best for you, regardless of others. You set the gauge for your emotional well-being and maintain the control. Be cautious about what you allow to take precedence in your mind and thoughts; they can improve or disrupt the tranquility of your life. Too much overwhelming information can cause panic attacks, depression, high blood pressure, and possible cancers. The things we continually see and hear over and over set up patterns for our thoughts, good or bad, and get filed away in our memory banks and are brought forward by stress triggers.
Balance is the key in knowing your limitations for taking in news information. Keep things in perspective and try not to overdo. Remember, you possess the control to deem when ‘enough is enough’ and use it wisely.
Marie DePRee is a healthcare college instructor with a nursing background as an LPN. She is also a Marriage & Family Therapist/Counselor and Licensed Minister.
