All that said, it’s okay to feel emotions. It’s okay to feel afraid. It’s even okay to express that fear outward to release some of the pressure building up inside. But, it’s not okay for me to give into those emotions and spend my life avoiding every little thing that scares me. If I did that, I’d never leave my house!

Of course, there are a few things I should (and do) avoid to help keep my fears at bay. Those few things are the news, social media, and whatever drama’s going on in my family.

I’ve come to realize that there’s not a damn thing I can do to influence whatever’s happening on the news/social media, let alone what’s going on in my own family. I can’t force my great aunt halfway across the country to eat right and exercise for the sake of her health, just like I can’t force the government to do anything about anything, really.

I can’t dictate whether or not the weather will stay nice or turn nasty. I can’t control what other people do online or in public. I can only control what information I take in, and how I personally react to things that are going on around me. 

I’m not saying it’s good for everyone to just stick their heads in the sand and ignore everything. We need to have some awareness of what’s going on around us. But, it’s not healthy for anyone, let alone for someone as neurotic as me, to watch the news 24/7, scroll through the bullshit on social media, and constantly refresh the weather radar.

Personally, I have zero social media, and I limit myself to 15 minutes of scrolling through the local news website every morning. When bad weather’s on the way, I keep an eye on the radar only periodically and pay attention to any watches or warnings that may be in the area. But, that’s about it. That’s about all that I can healthily handle. And, that’s okay.