1239: When The World Feels Heavy: Staying Grounded Without Shutting Down

Erin Moon (0:00): Are you the type of person who when I say in conclusion, no one knows or be suspicious of your certainty, you just take a little breath of fresh air? Or maybe you feel like this describes your faith journey. I'm Erin Moon, one of the hosts and resident bible scholar over at Faith Adjacent, the podcast that is unwavering in its pursuit to have spiritually abutting conversations that straddle the line between sacred and sacrilege. New Faith Adjacent episodes drop every Thursday, and you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Unknown Speaker (0:41): Welcome to the anxiety coaches podcast, a relaxing and informative show where we explore anxiety, panic, and PTSD, sharing how you can overcome them for life.

Gina Ryan (0:57): Aloha. Welcome back to the anxiety coaches podcast. I'm your host and coach, Gina Ryan, and I am so happy to be with you again today as together we can consider the many ways to bring your mind and body back to its natural peace and calm. In today's episode, I'm talking about when the world feels heavy, and I want to give you some ideas on staying grounded without shutting down. We wanna be able to be in the middle there.

Gina Ryan (1:32): We don't wanna shut down. So this episode is going to expand outward a little bit. Not just your thoughts, but what you're absorbing from the world. I wanna help you to be able to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed, to care deeply without burning out, and to stay engaged without living in constant anxiety. You'll remember in our last episode, we talked about how negativity can build up internally and how that can fuel our anxiety.

Gina Ryan (2:14): Today, we're going to, like I said, gently widen the lens because sometimes it's not just what's happening inside of us, it's what's happening around us. The world can feel heavy right now. I got you. I know. And if you've been feeling that, remember, you're not alone.

Gina Ryan (2:40): The weight of the world can be heavy. We are living in a time where we are constantly connected. The world has felt heavy before. Believe me. But we were not as connected as we are today.

Gina Ryan (3:00): I've lived through heavy world times and many other people have too, but we were not engaged with it in the way that we are now with our news, our updates, and the constant alerts. Much more of what we see is conflict, uncertainty, fear, division, right? We see so much of this. And our nervous system was never designed to process this much input this often. I want you to hear that.

Gina Ryan (3:45): It's not that our nervous system can't process input or heaviness or conflict, uncertainty. Yes, we can take all of it. But what is different now is that we are getting so much more and we're getting it so much more often. Back in the day, we would watch the news. I know you've heard me say this before.

Gina Ryan (4:12): Walter Cronkite came on at 06:00, I think, and there was a half an hour of that news, world news. And before that, there was a half an hour of local news, which really was a lot about local events and the weather. But now we have constant input. And I want you to understand that that is something you have some control over. But I am getting off on my soapbox here.

Gina Ryan (4:45): So let's pull it back in. Like I said, what we see is so much more of conflict, uncertainty, fear, and division. And if you've been feeling overwhelmed, anxious, heavy, or even a little hopeless, that makes perfect sense. Not because something is wrong with you, but because your system is responding exactly as it's designed to. Now, there are two extremes here.

Gina Ryan (5:19): When the world feels like this, people often move into one of these two extreme places. See if you identify with either of these. First one, overexposure. Constantly checking the news, scrolling, and absorbing everything, which can lead to anxiety, exhaustion, and helplessness. Now on the other end of that extreme, we have complete avoidance.

Gina Ryan (5:56): Shutting it all out, ignoring it, trying not to think about it, and that can bring guilt, disconnection, a quiet sense of unease. And oftentimes, if you don't find yourself in one of those camps or the other, you may be someone who often vacillates between those two extremes. I see that a lot in my practice where people are overexposed. They are taking in too much, you know, between their checking the news and scrolling on social media and sucking everything in, taking it on as their own. And then they become exhausted, feeling helpless, and totally anxious.

Gina Ryan (6:50): And then they stick their head in the sand. Right? Go to complete avoidance, shut it all out for a time, ignore it, and trying really hard not to think about it, which is really impossible to do. Right? We can try and try, but then we're still thinking about it.

Gina Ryan (7:09): So if you find yourself in one of those camps or maybe one of the people who vacillate between the two, I want to offer to you an idea of a middle path. What we're looking for really to be alive and well in this world is something in between those two extremes. What we're looking for is a way to stay aware, A way to stay compassionate with the world around us. A way to stay human without overwhelming your system. Before we begin, let's hear from the sponsors that support the show.

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Gina Ryan (12:50): Get this exclusive podcast only offer now at airdoctorpro.com, airdoctorpro.com using promo code ACP. And I know full well how it feels to have an overwhelmed system because our personal lives in the world around us will offer us opportunities to become overwhelmed. But maybe we can find another way. Because shrinking away from the world obviously is not the answer, but neither is us drowning in it. As we see with many other anxious patterns, we can find ourselves getting stuck in one of these two extremes.

Gina Ryan (13:40): So let's remember that there is a middle way. You know, you are really allowed to protect your nervous system. This is really important to just understand that this is your job to protect your nervous system. You can be caring about the world. That does not require you to feel anxious all the time.

Gina Ryan (14:08): You can be informed. This does not require you to have constant exposure. And you can care deeply, and I hope you do, and you can still create boundaries. Have you ever found yourself feeling like it is almost your job to worry about the state of the affairs of the world? Like the worry itself is actually doing something?

Gina Ryan (14:37): That can feel like we are accomplishing something by worrying, by, you know, looking online, being constantly aware of the newest developments, knowing full well what is unfolding in the very moment, and worrying about it, being overly concerned about it. Maybe worry is too strong of a word for how you do it, but maybe you're overly concerned about the state of the affairs in the world. And sometimes in our mind, we can think that doing that is actually accomplishing something. Well, what it's accomplishing is you having more stress. Like I said, we don't have to go all the way into one camp or the other, but I want you to check with yourself and see if you have been somebody who is worrying or overly concerned about the news, let's just say the news, and if that might be making you feel like, hey, I think about it, but we're really not accomplishing much just by soaking it in.

Gina Ryan (15:55): So if we find ourselves in either one of those extremes, we really wanna come to the middle and find some practical ways to stay grounded. And that way we can make our existence count. We don't have to be overly concerned or worried, and we don't have to be closing it out altogether. So what we can do is create gentle boundaries, especially with the news. Instead of constant exposure, which is easy to do.

Gina Ryan (16:34): I mean, it's so easy to do now. I hate to keep going back to the day, but there were two newspapers that came. One came in the morning and one came in the evening, and there was the one half an hour of world news. And I have to say Walter Cronkite did not present it in a way every day as if it was the end of the world. Now sometimes that came across, as being extremely important, but it was so rare that you really perked up and you paid attention.

Gina Ryan (17:09): And those two newspapers, they were filled with all kinds of stuff, not just scary world news. So we were not constantly exposed, and the world still clicked along. I want you to feel that. The world still will move along whether you're extremely aware of everything that's going on and actually even if you're not aware of what's going on, the world will continue on. Now I think it's good to be aware and to have some exposure, but I don't want you to have constant exposure.

Gina Ryan (17:51): So instead, try checking the news once or twice a day, even if setting it in your schedule as to when and where you will check. Sort of like we have the worry hour. I know I've talked about that in other episodes. Maybe you can have a news hour or half hour, whatever will suit you. But set it in your schedule as to when and where you will check on this news.

Gina Ryan (18:17): This can eliminate the nagging urge to check all day long. Just remind yourself that you will check at your scheduled time and place. You could also try choosing a trusted source. Now, I want this to be your trusted source, not one that is suggested to you by me or anyone else. Because if you follow someone else's trusted source, you will open up your mind to saying, yes, but I wonder what my trusted source x y z says about this issue.

Gina Ryan (18:56): You won't be satisfied unless you have chosen a trusted source. And I also want you to avoid late night consumption. While you know this intellectually, this isn't news, it's just common sense, but you may still have old habits that have you checking negatively charged news or information late in the evening. This will be a good place to use and strengthen your discipline muscles. Let your mind digest, not just consume.

Gina Ryan (19:38): So I also wanna look a little bit at having you notice your body while you are taking in news. As while you're reading or watching, I want you to pause and ask yourself, what's happening in my body right now? Be with the present moment when you are consuming that. Do you have a tight chest? Has your breath gone shallow?

Gina Ryan (20:10): Do you have a clenched jaw or clenched fists? Are your shoulders up around your ears? That awareness alone begins to interrupt the stress response. Then I want you to come back to what is within your reach. You know, the world is big and much of it is outside of your control and my control, but not everything.

Gina Ryan (20:43): And this is where we want to stay out of those extremes. The idea that we have to fix everything or that nothing we do matters, those are the two extremes. Ask yourself, what is mine to do today? It might be something as simple as being kind to someone. Maybe it's taking care of your body, your mind, and your spirit.

Gina Ryan (21:13): I wanna remind you what Yogananda said about meditation. He taught that one true yogi in deep meditation exerts a more profound positive influence on the world than politicians or government officials can achieve through a political action. He emphasized that peace and harmony cannot be legislated but must originate from within. So I want you to never discount your time spent caring for your mind, your body, and your spirit because it really matters. Your time on your meditation cushion, so to speak, makes a difference in the world.

Gina Ryan (22:02): And finally, maybe you could be supporting a cause in a small way. Small actions restore a sense of agency. I'd like you to also begin to balance your input with nourishment. And what I mean by that is if you take in something heavy, like the news, and I want you to balance it. Step outside.

Gina Ryan (22:33): Listen to some music. Connect with someone in real life or on the Internet or the phone. Send a text. Send some love. And sit in silence.

Gina Ryan (22:50): That can be a source of nourishment. Let your system recalibrate is what I'm trying to say. Balance that input with nourishment and let your system recalibrate. It will make a difference in your day to day life. Let's look at doom thinking.

Gina Ryan (23:11): Yes? I think that will be a good thing. Your mind will try to go to, what if this gets worse? What if everything falls apart around us? I want you to then gently bring it back.

Gina Ryan (23:28): Right now, in this moment, ask yourself, am I okay? And most of the time, your answer is going to be yes. I wanna remind you here that you don't have to carry it all. This might be the most important part today. You are not meant to carry the weight of the entire world.

Gina Ryan (23:54): You can care without collapsing under it. You can stay informed without becoming consumed, and you can remain open without losing your sense of safety. So let's take a breath together, shall we? Let that inhale come in as it will and slowly and a little bit longer, let that exhale go. And gently ask yourself, what boundaries would support me right now?

Gina Ryan (24:34): What would it feel like to stay informed but also still be at peace? The goal is not to turn away from the world. The goal is to stay present within it with a steady supported nervous system because that's where real strength comes from. Thank you for spending time with me as we move through the world that can feel heavy at times. I appreciate you being with me.

Gina Ryan (25:10): Remember, you don't have to carry it all, and you're not alone in this. So until next time, may you feel safe, steady, and at ease. And now for today's quote. You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.

Gina Ryan (25:39): And that's from Norm Kelly. I'll be back in a few more days with another podcast. Until then, be well and aloha.

Unknown Speaker (25:50): Thanks so much for joining us for today's episode of the anxiety coaches podcast. Find more information at the anxiety coaches podcast dot com.