When I was working in journalism, at one point, it became a physical pain, all day, everyday for years. I thought I was sick. And I was too sick that I left the profession. I went to the mountain, rarely have internet, and climb and walk everyday. I then lived by the sea with little internet. Suddenly I had no pain left, no anger, no sadness, no profound pain in my heart. I get what you wrote in the article. the whole awfulness of the world in your palms. I managed to get rid of it and get back to it in my control system to be able to work in my profession and not to be harmed by it.
Many people practicing meditation asks students to "quiet your mind". I think I did it, by not having a connected phone. And things wind down on its own. Thank you for your article.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I think I'm close to adopting your strategy—a clean break from the frenzy of information and toward a closer connection with viscerally stimulating environments. Namely, nature. Congrats on quieting the mind. It's a big achievement.
One of my mentors is a somatic therapist who has been teaching about trauma since long before it became a popular buzz concept. One of the most important things I've learned from her is that our nervous system doesn't know the difference between sensory information that we experience first-hand, and that which we are exposed to via media. Even though our cognitive mind can (usually)tell the difference, our nervous system (and therefore, our ability to self-regulate) can easily get overloaded, and possibly even traumatized, by exposure to images and sounds that depict dangerous/harmful events. Anytime we are traumatized, without successfully resolving the trauma on a visceral level, we add to the level of chronic stress that we carry with us. Depending on our individual physiology and history, it is not unusual to either "shut down" emotionally, or become hyper-reactive, or to vascilate between the two. That's why disengaging from, or limiting our exposure to, media can be helpful.
This is such an insightful comment, and so well explained. I think a lot of people are in the dark about why they fluctuate between shutting down and hyperactivity during times of heightened media exposure. In the case of being overloaded/traumatized by online exposure to images and sounds that depict dangerous/harmful events, do you have any suggestions for resolving the trauma on a visceral level?
There are a lot of things that can help; try things out, and see what is helpful individually. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but each of these are more or less helpful for many, depending on finances, accessibility, individual physiology, social location, etc. NOTE: I am not a therapist, and this is not professional advice. If you are struggling with a mental disorder or illness, it's best to talk to your doc or therapist before you take on any sort of contemplative embodied practice.
1) Take breaks from media, based on how you are feeling, rather than on some sort external expectation about what you “should” be able to participate in. 2) If you don't already have one, find an embodied contemplative practice that appeals to you. This can be an established thing like insight meditation, yoga asana, tai-chi, etc., or it can be less formal, like going for a walk, generally being out in nature.
3) Interact with other people or pets, listen to music, look at art, etc. Just do whatever it is in as mindful a way as possible, being as present as you can.
4) Find a somatic practitioner/therapist to work with.
5) If you don't want to have a meditation or contemplative practice, get in the habit of taking breaks once in a while and focus on grounding, centering, and/or orienting. Depending on your physiology, this might be as simple as feeling your feet on the floor, noticing your breath, looking slowly around your surroundings, or stopping to notice sounds.
6) This is my favorite book on this subject, written by the mentor I referred to in my original comment: https://halakhouri.com/book/
Wonderful article and learning lesson. I love this word and how these powerful word combinations have been formed in the German language. An excellent accompanied piece to the points being made here is listening to the artful, lush musical effort by the singer/songwriter, Fish (https://fishmusic.scot/discography/weltschmerz/)
Thank you for this. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt this despondent and despairing over the state of humanity as I have these last few weeks. It’s good to have a word for it, and I’m sure you’re correct that the cure for it is several million small mercies. If only those were televised, too.
I learned a lot in this short piece and added a few words to my collection of vocabulary that don’t directly translate.
Are you sure about “The advent of social media and mobile phones has amplified our inclination to feel problems rather than think about them”? Based on most reactions in the comments sections, disagreeing would be impossible. But ideological screaming matches aside, doesn’t it seem people are also becoming numb? Or maybe, it’s not a lack of feeling, but a lack of meaning. Sometimes, I think the world is becoming more nihilistic. We seek constant stimulation instead of experiencing the meaning in stillness.
Would love to know what other words are in this vocabulary. Feel free to share some favourites.
Maybe I should have phrased it a little differently. What I meant is that the messaging is designed purely to evoke emotions, leaving little room for contemplation. The result is exactly as you described: overstimulation leading to apathy.
I don't have my list on me/ it’s not on my phone. But I'll share my list once I think it’s long enough. If I remember, I'll respond to this comment tomorrow with what I have. However, this is my last night in Budapest, so my memory might be a bit blurry tomorrow.
When I was working in journalism, at one point, it became a physical pain, all day, everyday for years. I thought I was sick. And I was too sick that I left the profession. I went to the mountain, rarely have internet, and climb and walk everyday. I then lived by the sea with little internet. Suddenly I had no pain left, no anger, no sadness, no profound pain in my heart. I get what you wrote in the article. the whole awfulness of the world in your palms. I managed to get rid of it and get back to it in my control system to be able to work in my profession and not to be harmed by it.
Many people practicing meditation asks students to "quiet your mind". I think I did it, by not having a connected phone. And things wind down on its own. Thank you for your article.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I think I'm close to adopting your strategy—a clean break from the frenzy of information and toward a closer connection with viscerally stimulating environments. Namely, nature. Congrats on quieting the mind. It's a big achievement.
The whole world needs more "small mercies".
Be kind. Do small things with great love.
One of my mentors is a somatic therapist who has been teaching about trauma since long before it became a popular buzz concept. One of the most important things I've learned from her is that our nervous system doesn't know the difference between sensory information that we experience first-hand, and that which we are exposed to via media. Even though our cognitive mind can (usually)tell the difference, our nervous system (and therefore, our ability to self-regulate) can easily get overloaded, and possibly even traumatized, by exposure to images and sounds that depict dangerous/harmful events. Anytime we are traumatized, without successfully resolving the trauma on a visceral level, we add to the level of chronic stress that we carry with us. Depending on our individual physiology and history, it is not unusual to either "shut down" emotionally, or become hyper-reactive, or to vascilate between the two. That's why disengaging from, or limiting our exposure to, media can be helpful.
Hi Laura,
This is such an insightful comment, and so well explained. I think a lot of people are in the dark about why they fluctuate between shutting down and hyperactivity during times of heightened media exposure. In the case of being overloaded/traumatized by online exposure to images and sounds that depict dangerous/harmful events, do you have any suggestions for resolving the trauma on a visceral level?
There are a lot of things that can help; try things out, and see what is helpful individually. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but each of these are more or less helpful for many, depending on finances, accessibility, individual physiology, social location, etc. NOTE: I am not a therapist, and this is not professional advice. If you are struggling with a mental disorder or illness, it's best to talk to your doc or therapist before you take on any sort of contemplative embodied practice.
1) Take breaks from media, based on how you are feeling, rather than on some sort external expectation about what you “should” be able to participate in. 2) If you don't already have one, find an embodied contemplative practice that appeals to you. This can be an established thing like insight meditation, yoga asana, tai-chi, etc., or it can be less formal, like going for a walk, generally being out in nature.
3) Interact with other people or pets, listen to music, look at art, etc. Just do whatever it is in as mindful a way as possible, being as present as you can.
4) Find a somatic practitioner/therapist to work with.
5) If you don't want to have a meditation or contemplative practice, get in the habit of taking breaks once in a while and focus on grounding, centering, and/or orienting. Depending on your physiology, this might be as simple as feeling your feet on the floor, noticing your breath, looking slowly around your surroundings, or stopping to notice sounds.
6) This is my favorite book on this subject, written by the mentor I referred to in my original comment: https://halakhouri.com/book/
(It’s “Peace From Anxiety” by Hala Khouri.)
Thanks. Is there a word for feeling overwhelmed and just stop caring?
I believe the word is “despondent”
Excellent. Your framing list of compound expressions in German invites complex thinking.
Perhaps not a surprise so much complex thinking occurred in this language over the years.
This was wonderful.
I’m always happy to learn new words, especially one that feels so applicable now. Thanks for the very thoughtful and interesting piece :)
Thank you, as always, for reading.
“Jesus, get me off this rock” is a pretty great summation.
Glad the escapism resonated with you.
Wonderful article and learning lesson. I love this word and how these powerful word combinations have been formed in the German language. An excellent accompanied piece to the points being made here is listening to the artful, lush musical effort by the singer/songwriter, Fish (https://fishmusic.scot/discography/weltschmerz/)
Thanks for reading, and the music pairing. Always into a lush sound.
Thank you for this. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt this despondent and despairing over the state of humanity as I have these last few weeks. It’s good to have a word for it, and I’m sure you’re correct that the cure for it is several million small mercies. If only those were televised, too.
Just gotta keep on keepin' on. Thank you for reading 💜
I learned a lot in this short piece and added a few words to my collection of vocabulary that don’t directly translate.
Are you sure about “The advent of social media and mobile phones has amplified our inclination to feel problems rather than think about them”? Based on most reactions in the comments sections, disagreeing would be impossible. But ideological screaming matches aside, doesn’t it seem people are also becoming numb? Or maybe, it’s not a lack of feeling, but a lack of meaning. Sometimes, I think the world is becoming more nihilistic. We seek constant stimulation instead of experiencing the meaning in stillness.
Would love to know what other words are in this vocabulary. Feel free to share some favourites.
Maybe I should have phrased it a little differently. What I meant is that the messaging is designed purely to evoke emotions, leaving little room for contemplation. The result is exactly as you described: overstimulation leading to apathy.
I don't have my list on me/ it’s not on my phone. But I'll share my list once I think it’s long enough. If I remember, I'll respond to this comment tomorrow with what I have. However, this is my last night in Budapest, so my memory might be a bit blurry tomorrow.
Perfect. Enjoy it!
Nice. "Weltschmerz" is now a little arrow in my growing quiver.
A great way to put it. Thank you for reading.
Love this, thank you. Is there an antidote for “Weltschmerz”? What’s the word for it?
Thank you 💜
Not sure about an antidote. Fresh air? What would you suggest?