How To Stay Sane in These Crazy Times – A Decluttered Mind

Three weeks into the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Manila and my daily social media usage has skyrocketed faster than I could say ‘Duterte‘. With everything that’s happening around, I need to stay informed and whether we like it or not, social media is one of the few things that connects us to the outside world. Without it, my mind would go crazy trying to think about what the heck is going on. And it’s not just the fear of missing out that’s a factor here. It’s also integral to my job to gather and disseminate information. So, I had to.

Unsurprisingly, staying on social media for too long, especially in these times, gave me so much stress than ever before. Fighting off the virus is hard enough as it is but having to put up with politics in the Philippines is proving to be an even more daunting task.

The current political climate has turned Philippine social media into a bloody warzone. People have been fighting their online battles left and right and no one seems willing to raise the white flag. Pundits vs Pundits. Trolls vs Trolls. Trolls vs Pundits. I admit: even I have participated in the messy hubbub. Somehow it made for a cathartic experience as I got to release my frustrations but at the end of the day, it only added to my stress.

I figured that I can’t change what’s happening around me but I can change how I respond to them. So, here are five ways on how I personally deal with social media stress especially in times of uncertainty:

Declutter your feed

I should’ve done this ages ago. If you’re in the same breed as me who doesn’t like ‘unfriending’ people on social media, you may opt to unfollow these people or mute them instead so you won’t be exposed to their social media presence. That neighbor who posts nothing but hate speech? Unfollow! That chauvinist former classmate who argues with everyone who supports his rival political party? Mute! Life would be so much easier if we minimize these unnecessary distractions in life.

I don’t, however, automatically block everyone who shares an opposing belief. I don’t think that we should restrict ourselves to the opinions of like-minded individuals as it will give us a myopic view of of the world. Engaging in a healthy discussion trains one to be more open-minded and accepting of others, so long as ideas are expressed in a smart and civil discourse.

Stick to trusted sources

Come on, it’s 2020 and you’re still falling for that dubious article? Have you not seen the typographical errors? Nowadays, it’s so easy to fall victim to these untruthful news bits and manipulated photos especially if many others are falling for the same thing. But before you share that photo of a crying president of Italy (who’s apparently the president of Brazil), do some quick research first and verify the information from a reputable news outlet. As much as possible, stick only to those sources and be skeptical of the others. The virus is spreading way too fast, let’s not spread fake news along with it.

Do NOT read comments!

This one I have to constantly remind myself to stop doing. The comments section of a Facebook post for example is filled with uninformed opinion of many and conversations are simply unhealthy. I am guilty of reading through long threads of people bickering nonsense on several news items. If you’re having a good day so far, do yourselves a favor and don’t ruin it by reading through the comments of a Facebook post.

Avoid Twitter – AT ALL COSTS

Twitter used to be my social media of choice. I get to choose which accounts I want to follow and there’s no guilt whenever I refuse to follow an acquaintance if I don’t want to see their tweets on my feed. Recently, though, the platform has been reeking of idolatry and bigotry. “Woke” people are stomping their perceived superiority on others, people “cancelling” celebrities and other influencers on a daily basis, and trolls purposely triggering the rest with their empty rhetoric. It’s a bloodbath in there, I’m telling you.

If you can’t avoid Twitter altogether, make sure that you filter all the information that would reach you. For instance, you may mute some words or phrases, report accounts or hashtags that are offensive, and follow We Rate Dogs (@dog_rates) because dogs are the only remaining pure beings in this wretched world (aside from baby elephants).

Express your emotions in other ways

I know that being locked down can be too taxing mentally. That is why it is important that we release our emotions because keeping them bottled up can only lead to more anxiety. But instead of posting on social media every thirty minutes, try to find other ways on how to cope with the situation. Call a trusted friend. Bond with your family. Write on a journal. We all know how social media can be a big trap. Don’t actively fall on that trap.

What’s keeping you sane right now?

Featured image grabbed from Libreshot.