Wow! The world's going crazy. And we're all feeling the stress.
The past few years have challenged the human race, and the fallout seems to be getting out of hand.
So how do we keep moving forward when everything seems to be moving sideways?
I believe that we, as human beings, were never designed to handle this much - stuff. Violence, hatred, uncertainty, change, fear.
We 'grew up' in tiny villages from where no one ever travelled more than a few miles. We had a handful of people we relied on and cared for. We had limited resources, adequate knowledge for our needs, and the ability to manage it all.
But now, we have the knowledge of the world in our pocket, we have access to instant information about events around the world at our fingertips, and we're connected to practically every other person on the planet!
And yet, half of that knowledge is wrong, most of the information coming at us is prejudiced, and approximately 8 billion of the people we hear from daily are complete strangers.
It's too much.
So here's how I handle it. This is how I manage to live every day with positive energy, hope, and joy.
I turned off the news.
A number of years ago, as I was preparing to wake the kids for school, I turned the tv on as I always did for background noise, but something about the news that day just tipped the scales for me. I took a few minutes to check the guide and changed the channel to our Cottage Life Network. I then spent the next hour listening to tips to stay safe around the lake, learned about some of our native birds, and got a great recipe for pulled pork on the bbq.
The rest of my day followed in with the theme of nature and sunshine humming in my mental background. 
I never looked back.
To this day, I don't watch the news. I don't read the paper. I don't follow any news outlets online.
And yet, I manage to stay somewhat informed on world events. It's been 8 years.
Of course, anything that truly matters ends up reaching my ears. People talk. And then I'll go look for more details from a few reliable news sources, get a general overview of the issue or problem, and then forget about it.
I fine-tuned my social media feeds.
There's almost zero avoiding SM these days. B
ut we can take more control over what flashes past our eyes on our screens.
I don't follow anyone who spouts negativity, criticism, or reports on news items. I am not interested in strangers' opinions on world events. I have my own opinions. There's no room for more.
I do fill my feed with helpful, interesting, and entertaining feeds. Pottery and carpentry. Dogs and baby elephants. Comedy and inspiration.
I banned my phone from the bedroom.
I disconnect at night.
I do have a crap old iphone next to my bed. It has basic phone and text. No data. And one extra app - so I can listen to music as I fall asleep.
No social media. No shopping apps. (This has had the added bonus of saving me a ton of money as, apparently, I tend to shop in my sleep...) No interruptions. 
The phone is set to Do Not Disturb, and there are only 4 people who have the number. In case of emergency.
This was actually the most difficult of the three changes to get used to.
Having my phone in the bedroom at night was a bigger addiction than I'd realized.
But the results, now a couple years into the habit, are astounding!
My sleep is so much better: I fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and have no trouble getting back to sleep if I do wake up.
The $21 I spend every month for the privilege of quality sleep is worth every penny.
There's a lot to be said for turning it off.
I take some flack from others from time to time. For some reason my ignoring the world's problems and stresses seems to really piss some people off. They call me irresponsible, cowardly, naive.
But because I have had so much practice in turning off the world, I find it that much easier to walk away from the nay-sayers and let them wallow in their own stress.
It follows though, that every once in a while, the world does seep in. A conversation will blow up around me. I'll be stuck in a restaurant or what have you with a tv on. I'll catch a glimpse of an upsetting visual before I can switch it off.
Follow for Part II where I'll explain how I handle those situations, with just as much ease. It is possible to hold the world at bay and still live - and enjoy - your own life.
