Can I be honest for a minute?
It’s difficult to focus on mundane tasks these days.
With so much heavy stuff going on in the world, by the time I make it to evening, I’d rather take a nap than deal with household chores. On good days, these chores feel boring. But when it feels like the world is coming unhinged, the mundane can feel like emotional whiplash.
One of the difficult things we face in the 21st century is the constant stream of news. Never before have we been so aware of the pain and suffering that people are experiencing across the globe.
We’re bombarded by tragedy, advertisements, and the realities of daily life in the same minute.
For example, let’s say you’re reading an article about the war in Ukraine. But in the sidebar are ads for products and services that have nothing to do with what you’re reading and lists of other trending articles with click-bait titles.
After getting sucked into reading more articles than you intended, you feel more worried and stressed about the world, and now it’s time to get dinner on the table.
Crisis story
Software advertisement
Crisis story
Another depressing article in the sidebar
Make your grocery list
Crisis story
Help kids with homework
This context switching is disorienting.
We’re weighed down by global scale situations we can’t control, but the things we can control (like carpool and packing lunches) seem so insignificant that it feels meaningless to take action.
It’s a vicious cycle.
Since living off the grid isn’t really an option for most of us, what can we do?
First, dramatically reduce your news consumption. Seriously. The issues that are truly important won’t be solved in minutes, so you don’t need to stay constantly connected. Pick a day or two each week to catch up. When it’s time to catch up, set a timer so you don’t fall down the rabbit hole.
Second, just take the first next step in the areas where you have commitments. Don’t wait for motivation to strike. Just do the next thing and don’t worry about all the steps that come afterward. Getting into motion is key. For example, that might be turning on the oven or putting rice on to cook.
Third, instead of reading article after article and feeling hopeless, pray for the situations where you feel helpless. This is such a significant step. In addition, find out whether there are ways you can volunteer or donate.
Fourth, check in with people in your life. We can get so distracted by the things going on in the world that we forget the people at our doorstep.
Now it’s your turn. Think about one mundane task that seems hard to do when life feels heavy. What’s the one next step that you need to take?
Good suggestions!