After posting a list of questions I've been pondering the past few weeks since Russia brutally invaded Ukraine, I made my own Top Ten List of things I can do during this anxiety-provoking time.
This is my advice to myself, so listen in if you are interested.
#1 - Choose Your News
The temptation to doom-scroll (one word or two?) is real during moments of crisis.
It never helps. It is simply angst-provoked distraction masquerading as action.
At the same time - to put it mildly - disinformation abounds! Many, many news sources are so biased it is hard to discern fact from fiction.
So, choose your news.
Choose your source.
Choose the amount you will ingest. Less really is more in this instance.
Choose the time you will ingest said news. Perhaps tuning in as you drift off to sleep is unwise?
I am sure there are multiple lists of what are considered unbiased news sources and it is dangerous to even attempt to cite some here. But hey! its's my blog and I can do what I want, right?
I would consider these options:
A couple others - The Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, Pew Research
Just my two cents.
As we watch folks in Russia get fed a bunch of state-sponsored lies about this invasion and as the Russian government clamps down on other sources of news in order to control the minds of their people it feels more important than ever that we work harder than ever to find and attend to the most unbiased news sources we can.
And if all else fails, turn it all off.
Go outside. Talk to a neighbor. Sit in the sun. Pet a dog. Plant a flower.
But when you do choose your news, choose wisely.
Thanks for this, Alice. I easily find myself doom-scrolling and imagining the darkest future without really even praying or taking any action steps. Your thoughts help me to set a bounded time to check in with the news.
Me, too. Thus, my own Top Ten List for myself ... but shared with the rest of you to see if it might be helpful? Maybe I am not the only one struggling? Stay tuned ... there's more coming, my friend. 🙂
I got caught up in it all yesterday, listening to clips from Zelinskyy’s address to Congress and reading responses, and I felt such deep sorrow. Sometimes I need the shock to my system. I am so incredibly comfortable in my life here in the Midwest that it is too easy to forget about the reality other people live with. It may sound silly, but we bought sunflowers (Ukrainian national flower), and I stop and pray every time they catch my eye. But I have stopped reading articles and watching videos beyond a brief update. I’m especially avoiding any political commentary. It doesn’t serve my soul. Thank you Alice for confirming the need to filter sources and time spent exposed to the media.