“Wanting to be Safe”

Perhaps at times you have noticed your heart is racing while watching a movie or listening to a negative conversation. If this is your experience, you can be certain that you may actually be in a state of panic or fear. By regularly listening to the news or watching action-flicks may actually result in our subconsciously conditioning ourselves to experience a feeling of being out of control or unsafe. Just as we are influenced by television or commentary on the radio, imagine young children being in the room. Without our realizing, children are also being exposed and influenced through media communications. Information related to violence, disease, and a host of other circumstances also result in children experiencing feelings of being unsafe.

So much of what we believe comes to us from through various media platforms. And these various platforms actually influence our thought processes and belief systems. Much of our belief system is determined by things we may have heard or seen via a movie/TV, a song or radio commentary, or something we saw on the internet or printed media. Without realizing that often while we are participating in watching/listening to the TV, radio or internet activities, reading the newspaper or magazines , we may be clenching or tensing up.

In all honesty, does watching the news, commercials, or violent or disturbing programs really make us feel safe? Quite frankly our being overwhelmed with fear is holding in mind fearful outcomes. We may notice at times we may cry or jump during a movie. And yet we may believe we are being entertained. Many people actually believe that on some level they are supposed to participate among the various media platforms so that they can be informed or entertained.

Without realizing we are all creatures of habit. We so often turn on the TV or radio and then pretty much go to sleep worried about something we heard or saw while being entertained through the media. Then we awaken up in the morning and begin our day by again turning on the radio, TV, or internet to get even more information. Then we hurry to get to work/school. Then throughout our day we may discuss with others our reactions or considerations as related to an item on the news or perhaps something related to a TV program. And, again without our realizing we are reinforcing more negative patterns. Conversations about violence or negativity are actually quite disturbing. These types of conversations are also disturbing to children.

And in all honestly we can’t help but wonder why at times we may be feeling tense or clutched about traffic, the weather, the economy, or something else that was brought to our attention via the media. It is helpful to consider that we are causing ourselves to experience additional stress and unnecessary fear or anxiety by continuing to act in an automatic manner. If we take a moment and look at these patterns, and notice our own participation or reactions towards negative activities, it makes absolutely no sense for us to willingly agree to engage in activities that cause us to become repeatedly agitated or to feel unsafe. In having 24/7 access to TV, cable and satellite systems, radio, internet, etc. isn’t really helping us to feel safe. We are being bombarded with information and are creating unhealthy and unwanted situations within our own lives by focusing on fear.

Our thoughts create our reality. In order for us to feel safe more of the time, and also have more peace in our lives, we need to practice being at peace. Perhaps a better way to begin feeling safer would be to turn off the TV more of the time and begin spending time being entertained in other ways. If TV watching is important to you, may be you might consider watching programs that are less violent or disturbing. Perhaps you might consider giving up the news before bedtime. If you are looking to be entertained perhaps working on arts and crafts projects, painting, body building , cooking or baking would provide you with a more enjoyable experience. Even working on puzzles or perhaps taking a walk may help you to feel calmer and more at peace . You might also consider turning off the radio commentary and choosing musical selections that are calmer which will also allow you to feel safer and more at peace . There are plenty of wonderful musical selections available for your consideration. Recommendations such as listening to jazz, symphony or classical music, or meditative compositions will also help you to relax and allow you to be enjoyably entertained.

Think back as a child, if the weather was good, sometimes even when the weather wasn’t so good, there was always something to do that didn’t involve sitting in front of the TV set or computer. Or perhaps you remember being on vacation and during that time you hardly, if ever, turned on the TV or radio, and had a wonderful time. So give yourself permission to try new things. Also begin making better decisions about activities that will help you to feel comforted and secure. By taking ourselves off of being on automatic certainly helps us to feel calmer and safer. Hold in mind that no matter what you are doing, you are safe. Practice having positive intentions. Life is a decision!