Part 6: Media promotes Burnout

Media messages promote burnout

Television, films, newspapers, and journals are impossible to avoid and the messages we receive from them can affect us both positively and negatively. Violence in the media, for example, may cause us to feel afraid—even if we aren’t fully aware of that fear. News coverage of wars, civil unrest, terrorism, accidents, family tragedies, even natural disasters, can cause us to feel insecure and heighten our own fears. If you pay attention to which stories tend to make the news, you’ll notice that they are rarely heart-warming, life-affirming, or uplifting.

Low-brow Shows

Take a break from the hype! This quiet time will help you to avoid burnout.

Take a break from the hype! This quiet time will help you to avoid burnout.

American Idol, Wife Swap, Big Brother, Jersey Shore, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!, Real Housewives, and many other such shows interfere with our ability to think, question, and remain in tune with ourselves. In effect, they turn us into media zombies. If we stop being able to think for ourselves, we also lose the ability to make responsible, informed decisions or to take responsibility for our actions.

Allowing ourselves to be seduced by programming which does nothing for our intellectual or emotional development and well-being can cause us to lose sight of who we are as individuals. In turn, this leads to inaction and apathy and depletes our energy, which can then lead to depression, allergies, burnout, etc.

Unconscious beliefs can promote burnout

Nothing is as strong as your own belief system. If you are convinced that you will catch a cold by walking barefoot on a cold tiled floor, you may well catch a cold after walking barefoot on a cold tiled floor.

If, as a child, you got used to going to bed every time you were punished by your parents and you faked migraines when they checked up on you, this may still influence you today. For example, you may believe that if you get in an argument with someone, you will suffer from a migraine afterwards and need to stay in bed.

Next: Part 7: What comes after Burnout?