The other day I was sitting at my desk.

Rain was hammering down outside.

A leak had sprung up in one of our (newly decorated) windows!

And water was gushing from drains outside, turning the local streets into raging torrents.

I am usually a relatively happy, optimistic person.

But I was feeling down.

Not just because of the rain.

I’d just seen yet more horrible footage of bombs and destruction in the Middle East.

It was all so grim.

I didn’t mean to see it but I just thought I’d have a quick look on Facebook – and suddenly there it was.

It’s hard to go online at all and avoid terrible or deeply worrying news these days.

Wars, floods, droughts, cost of living crisis…

It seems to seep into every corner of the internet, like the rain seeping into the house during a deluge.

Drip, drip, drip, drip….

It’s so relentless it becomes hard to focus on other things.

Soon it starts to affect your plans and ambitions, like setting up a business or learning new skills.

Just endless and upsetting…and can make you question everything.

Do you ever feel like this?

I know that it’s something that a lot of people struggle with – and much more than I do.

In 2018 there was a study titled “The Consequences of Negative News” published in Human Communication Research.

It concluded that exposure to negative news can increase both sad and anxious moods, as well the tendency to catastrophise personal worries.

The sadness doesn’t take up your time, necessarily, or stop you physically from working on projects, like an online course for example.

But it overwhelms your headspace.

It makes you think negatively when there are already so many negative thoughts rattling around in your brain, like “I can’t do this,” or “I’m not skilled enough”, or “what if I fail?”

Sometimes it leads to a sort of paralysis, where you can’t seem to focus or get anything done.

So if you’ve been feeling a bit down recently and find it hard to focus your goals, I thought I’d share two bits of wisdom that have helped me and I hope might help you.

First…

Why the bad news could spur you on

When you look at all the chaos, misery and uncertainty in the world, it’s easy to opt out of your ambitious plans and hunker down, hoping that things will get better one day.

But I recommend the opposite…

The fact that there is chaos, misery and uncertainty in the world could inspire you take action.

After all, those are things you cannot control.

You cannot change events abroad any more than you can command the rain to stop.

But what you CAN do is make the most of what is right front of you.

By taking action, whether that’s learning a career-boosting skill, starting a side business, or creating a digital course, you put yourself in a stronger position.

Financially, you will be more protected from whatever life throws at us next.

Emotionally, you will be stronger because you will feel proud and fulfilled at what you’ve achieved.

And you’ll be in a better position to help other people or contribute to society meaningfully, because you won’t constantly be working or stressing over your income.

The same goes for other things closer to home that can make you worried or sad, like family illnesses, medical conditions, and relationship problems.

We are coping with all those things right now but I try to remember that…

Rather than putting a stop to your goals, they should be powerful reasons to put even more effort into reaching them.

Because you could give yourself the free time, emotional strength and financial power to actually help.

Of course, maybe it’s easier said than done…

But if you can muster up the strength to turn a rainy day into a productive one, then you could make the most out of your life.

That’s what I did the other day…

I focussed on an exciting new work project and as I got deeper into it, all the sadness lessened.

Sometimes focus is the cure!

The other suggestion I’d like to share with you is this…

How to Turn Off The Noise

I understand that we should all be engaged with what’s going on in the word, and it’s normal to feel compassion for our fellow humans.

But…

It’s not natural for us to be exposed to everything that’s happening everywhere ALL THE TIME.

It can be overwhelming psychologically and lead to feelings of helplessness (and even hopelessness).

So don’t feel guilty about switching off the noise.

In fact, if you have a big goal to reach, I recommend that you do this every day.

Designate specific times to check news and social media, and stick to these limits.

Avoid starting your day with news that could bring you down, or accessing news just before you go to bed.

You could simply watch the evening TV news when you are more prepared for it, and don’t allow yourself any other media inputs for the rest of the night.

Or you could set aside a morning to work on a project THEN give yourself an hour to access social media and websites at lunchtime.

I recommend you limit your sources to a few reputable outlets to avoid sensationalism and misinformation (especially conspiracy theory rabbit holes!)

And if you’re on social media, unfollow or mute accounts that trigger negative emotions.

Ultimately, we all need to find ways that we can regulate how much depressing news hits our brains, so that we can focus on things that we truly can control.

The more empowered we are, the more power we have to contribute something good to the world!

Anyway, if November has been a bit miserable, dark and rainy, then I hope this helps give you boost.