Online Obsession

Every day I try to log on to my social media accounts, I see obsession with particular individual or world events.  No, I'm not going to name them because it is secondary to what I am writing.  The obsession online is mind boggling.  It seems to be all that anyone can talk about, focus on or share with everyone.

I just don't get it.  Unless everyone is locked into the trauma of the situation, isn't there more to this life and the world?  Does every waking moment need to be about one person or one event or one whatever it may be?  I know, that's a rhetorical question.

Of course, social media tends to be for the most part about superficial topics.  We go from one sensationalized headline to another, one celebrity to another, all the time oblivious to what our life is really like.

If you can't tell, I don't follow 99% of that stuff online.  We don't have cable anymore and from what I see playing out in social media, I don't think I'm missing a thing.  I don't watch the TV news - not any of the TV stations, so I don't get swept up into the frenzy of fear most days.

There is good online...

Yes, there is some great stuff online in social media where it is truly trying to make a difference.  This obsession online though with the repeated over and over single focus drives me insane.  It serves no purpose, but everyone has to eat, breathe and depend upon what is being fed to them.

I'm not saying you have to give it up but maybe it is more helpful to find some balance in our day.  It doesn't do your mind and body any good to stay this engaged in the fear and hyped up engagements of the day.  It isn't good for your nervous system, your overall health and your mental health.  It is damaging if you stay in this stuff every day.

Yes, I know it isn't easy walking away from it.  Everyone thinks they have to like, share, and post it all day long.  If you go to YouTube it is there.  If you go to websites, ads pop up with all of it.

Another world outside of this...

If you can begin to step away from it, you'll find that there is another world outside of this.  There is a world that exists which is much more deep and fulfilling than this online obsession.

It reminds me of a city I lived in, who had to build up the barriers between the cars on the expressways.  If there was an accident or a car stopped and people going the opposite direction could see it, traffic would back up.  It was like everyone had to just look and see the accident, even though it was usually horrible to view.

We are like that online.  Even though we think it is horrible or it makes us fearful, we stay so engaged to it.  It is like a deer in the headlights.

We need balance and we need it badly.  No, it doesn't begin with everyone else.  It begins within each one of us.  What we choose to take in each day says so much.  If we are engaged in that which we so despise, then we are just as much a part of the problem as that which we complain about in our day.

#OnlineSocialMedia 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Doom And Gloom Worry

If I am not careful, I find my mindset going into an area I would rather not travel.  It is easy for me to see a situation and think all is doom and gloom.

In my mind, it feels like the end of the world or like I will not get through the situation I face.

Worry comes easy for me during this doom and gloom thinking.  In fact, I can hold my ground with the best if it was a competition of worry.

I was taught how to do this all my life and I had some excellent teachers.  Unfortunately to unlearn these behaviors of worry, it is much more difficult.

I am doing better these days with worry during doom and gloom thinking.  I am able to stop myself quicker so that I can see a different route to take in situations.

Instead of trying to do everything on my own, I am learning to ask for help from the universe and angels.

The more I heal my life, the more I see that there are options beyond worrying about a situation.

Sure, it is easy for me to get swallowed up by the events of my day, but I am learning that I have a choice.  I don't have to go down the route of doom and gloom thinking.  I can choose differently.  It is all up to what I allow into my life.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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I Choose

Many times we think we are in a situation where we have little control.  We look at those moments that we need something or we want something to happen.  Yet, we are just giving our self the illusion that we we have a handle on whatever it is that we are dealing with in life.  Through all of this we will come to understand that the power within us lies when we realize we choose for our life and our moments, rather than we need or want.

This has come front and center for me in many ways.  Initially, I was talking to a very gifted healer and she shared with me that we need to look at things not as if we need them or want them, but we choose them.  In fact, she told me to look at it from the perspective that I choose whatever it is that I did.  It wasn't just something that happened on its own necessarily or that I had little control over.  The mantra or thought of "I Choose" was the way forward for me.

You see, when we choose something, it gives us the possibility of making another choice.  If we don't like the choice we made, we are free to make a new choice.  It is all up to us and the power is within our mind and body.  On the other hand, if we just look at something in our life as being a thought of needing it or wanting it, we've giving up the power to forces outside of ourselves.  It is about becoming conscious in our life, rather than just riding life through as if we have no control.

Making Choices And Decisions

According to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, this hypothetical situation was used to help illustrate a greater concept. It is also known as the story about Buridan's donkey

Imagine a donkey standing between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. The donkey continues to look to the hay and then to the water. However, the donkey is unable to decide which to consume first. Eventually the donkey falls over and dies of hunger and thirst.

While there are many ways this could be interpreted, it is easy to see that if we get so locked up in the fear of the decision, we fail to make a choice. When we fail to make a choice, our life is at a standstill.

Sometimes decisions and choices aren't always easy and sometimes we treat them as a matter of life and death. However, regardless of the choices we make today, we can always make a different choice tomorrow. While it is true that the choices we make today do impact those of tomorrow, with each new day, we are still able to make choices with our life even in the roughest of circumstances.




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Blog Post & Images (c) 6/10/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
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Things To Expect Going To A Therapist

Here is an article that Debbie Owen passed on to me, who is the creator the site, OnlineDoctorateDegree.com . Since it has some good information presented in a very simple format, I thought I would share it on my blog.

On the Couch: 10 Things to Expect When Going to a Therapist

Going to a therapist can be a difficult decision to come to. Movies and books make therapy out to be for crazy people and often put a bad spin on what goes on when you’re on the couch. While it may be hard to open up to loved ones, sitting down with a therapist gives you an opportunity to air your feelings in a judgment-free zone.

Don’t mistake therapy for something that has to go on for the rest of your life. Many do see a therapist for a number of years, but others see a therapist to deal with hard decision or crossroads in life. This means you can see a therapist for as few as three sessions or well into the next decade. Only you and your therapist can decide the right plan of action, but here’s what to expect once you sit down on the couch.

To read the entire article, click here.