Dear Beautiful You,
Google is Good.
I know, I know, many of you reading this today were on a webinar with me recently about stress, in which I said to unplug and go into nature. So why am I now saying the opposite?
Because Google is good... sometimes.
It is such a blessing to have information at our fingertips. We have the ability to learn things and to see things we never thought possible. And this is all because of technology. The problem arises when we become obsessive, or worse yet, dependent upon the information. It is difficult to sift through opinions vs. facts, and because of this vulnerability, many times we are left feeling inadequate or less than. Something as simple as typing "natural headache treatment" in the search engine can put you in a downward spiral of information. This can quickly lead you in the murky realm of distorted thinking, which would have you believe you have a serious disease and soon will be meeting your demise.
This happened to me many years ago when I suffered with anxiety. Every symptom or issue I had would be analyzed and checked excessively on the internet. I would find detailed information about my problem, but also found group forums and people talking about their obstacles,and I seemed to buy into their circus. I became a fan of misery. Yep. I would lurk in their comments and believe what was being typed. The deeper I ventured, the more alarming the content. This only fed my anxiety, and that is exactly what anxiety wants you to do. For it cannot exist without your particpation.
I soon learned that this internet community was a very lopsided view of any query. As I became stronger in my truth, I saw that people who commented and wrote about their issues (mostly) were not healthy people, but instead, were very scared people, just like I was. I began to understand that the healthy people were out having fun and not spending their waking hours on crazy sites, commenting with scary information. I actually began to feel empathy for these people, not just because of their health woes, but more because
I knew all they wanted was for someone to comment and say:
It's all okay. You are okay.
I unplugged. And in finding my strength, my health and my balance I promised myself I would be a light to tell others:
It's all okay. You are okay.
And so I write these messages and send kind words on social media because I understand how badly some may need these words.
So if someone googles anxiety help, I hope they find me.
Google is good... sometimes.
Love Always,
Lucie
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