Coping with Outrage Overload
Inoculate yourself from the madness of modern times with these tactics.
We are living through outrage overload. You get it from any direction and have to deal with it in some capacity almost every day.
I have learned over the years that one must inoculate oneself from it before engaging in it. Build up a defense against it before dealing with any of it.
It took me a long time to realize the impacts of our societal and cultural programming, and how our interpretations and understandings of the world we are exposed to shape our very personalities and even destinies.
And without dissecting some of that, without slowing down and taking a step back, it often feels as if we are nothing more than cogs in a big dumb Machine with very little control over anything.
And even worse, it really feels like this Machine wants to eat us alive.
We can’t let it.
Here’s how to stop it. How to inoculate yourself from madness.
Aren't in a good headspace today? Stay off social and keep the news away. Nothing wrong with a little isolation or hermetic retreat from all that.
Ready to check the feed? Give yourself a time limit. Remind yourself that it's not going to be puppies and rainbows.
Small doses. Incremental access. If at all. Starve yourself of the dopamine "thrill" of like-checking, doomscrolling and headline chasing.
Take small actions like hiding trolls or crazy people. Unfollow anything or anyone that makes you consistently upset, outraged or otherwise out of control.
Even better, if you can stomach it, just delete your social media altogether. Uninstall it from your phone and only use the browser version.
Choose the news you use. The more bland the better. Reuters. AP. BBC.
The less, the better. Try to stick to a handful of trusted sources. You don’t need to read it all. Most headlines are the same across the media these days, so you don’t need 7 versions of the same story. Unless you’re a journalist, media pundit, or otherwise connected to the information, most of it is just noise.
Modern-day media is a tiny sliver of information in a giant diamond of reality. You’re getting a very skewed and limited perspective from the media as a whole and its goal is to keep you engaged, outraged and interested in whatever they are selling.
Most of the news nowadays is some form of partisan-based propaganda. You don't need any of it to live a fulfilling life.
As much as it may feel you're out of the loop, ask yourself any time you're checking the news or scrolling the feeds, what does this do for you? What can you do with this information? Is it information I even need?
Much like eating junk food all day, consuming junk information is just as bad, if not worse. Instead of impacting our bodies, junk information impacts our minds. It’s manipulation. It wants us to think certain thoughts, align with certain ideologies, band together in groupthink. The more emotional, the better. Over time this manipulation can shape entire personalities, world views and actions.
Junk information is at the heart of everything that is wrong with the human species. Not even joking. It’s the most dangerous aspect of our existence, if you ask me.
Junk information is why everything is so fucked right now. Controlling most of it is a very small cabal of elite, rich white males who wield this junk news at society with a clear goal of controlling the population and becoming even more hideously wealthy than they already are from it all.
You have to be vigilant with your mind diet, or you will quickly fall prey to the effects of things we have no control over.
Which is the way they want us. When we are afraid, angry and worried, we are more easily led, controlled and manipulated. We fall for anything and stand for nothing.
Negativity and fear hijack the amygdala, the part of our brain in charge of root survival. Our amygdala is not designed for complex rational contemplation. It was designed to keep you from being eaten by a bear.
The news, social media, the government, religious institutions and most arms of society are relentlessly triggering that panic button process, keeping us traumatized and stressed out.
Ever notice, every major news story is a negative one? It’s intentional. It keeps us in a state of reaction, not contemplation. Living in this state of mind is scientifically proven to shorten your life significantly. And the quality of your life while living this way is also shot. When we’re stressed out or afraid, we literally aren’t thinking. We are reacting. That’s not how to go about life. I know, because I’ve lived in this state for decades, due to traumas, experiences and the various career paths I’ve taken.
You gotta slow it down, take a step away, ground yourself in your present environment and look at the things that are within your control. Move to your prefrontal cortex, where intellect reigns. Where calm contemplation happens. When your thoughts are safe to process and shape a path forward.
At least once a day, AT LEAST do this: Take 5 minutes to sit in peace with your eyes closed and do some breathwork. Deep, slow, long inhales and exhales. Focus on the breathing. Let any thought you have float on by like water in a river or cars in traffic. Don’t attach to any of them. Just notice them and let them float on. Don’t worry, you won’t forget any of them, and most of them return anyway.
Reset the mind. Move from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex. Form reaction to thinking. Ground yourself in the present. Do this simply by looking around you. Name the things you see. It seems silly at first, but those things are what exists in your present reality. Most of the time, these are the only things you have any control over.
Pay attention to your body. Given the overwhelming levels of outrage we deal with, it’s easy to ignore when your body is inflamed and stressed out. It becomes so second nature that people develop chronic ailments from it, like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Learn to listen to your body. It will save your life one day.
If you feel a surge of adrenaline reading a headline, acknowledge that feeling and pull back. See if you can get that rush under control. And by all means, stop reading what’s stressing you out until you can read it without emotion!
If at all possible, just go outside. Sit somewhere. Get some sunlight. Touch grass. Seriously. Sit barefoot in the grass. Take off your shoes and get your bare feet on the earth. I don’t know how accurate the science of “grounding” is, but I can attest to something calming and rejuvenating happening since I’ve been doing this. When is the last time you actually walked barefoot anywhere outside? I’ll bet it’s been a while.
Even better. Go for a walk. Even if it’s not the best weather. A little rain won’t hurt you. Have someone motivate you if you need. Even a pet! I take my dog for a walk at least once a day and he loves it no matter what the weather is. His mood is intoxicating and his enthusiasm always conquers my urge to stay on the couch for his little excursion. He lives for block walks. He knows they are good for us. He makes sure we stay moving.
Take a hike. I did some weekend hiking near Mt. Hood with my wife and dog this weekend as part of a little cabin retreat getaway. We saw some incredible waterfalls, rivers and views. Any time you can get back to nature is worth the effort, time and money to do it.
Finally. Be kind to yourself. Every time you talk negatively about yourself, even in jest, you are basically talking to your inner child. You are either hurting them or helping them. Love should be the source of all the things you say and do, and that starts with yourself. Love who you are. Don’t complain to yourself about your insecurities or your hangups. It won’t fix them; it just hurts you and makes you more susceptible to abuse from others, which can come from strangers, writers, media, movies, and news.
Surround yourself (when possible) with people who inspire and love you, and give zero clock time (when possible) to anyone who drains your spirit or mind.
The more control you have over yourself, the more you inoculate yourself from the effects of the outrage machine and the chaos of this world. The more you discern between that which you can control and that which you can’t, the more impact you have on your life and those around you. It sounds counterintuitive, but it's true.
The more you do things like this, the better you get and more second nature they become, and with it, the more clearly you can heal yourself from far more than you realize.
It can't always be done, but if you find yourself in cockpit overload from the outrage machine, if you find your mood shot, if you are feeling the exhaustion of reality, or the collapse of sanity, remember this message.
These are just a fairly random list of tactics to inoculate yourself from outrage that I have learned from many sources, both modern and ancient.
Try some of them.
Report back.
Above all, be well, my friend.