People need to find the tipping point for themselves where social and technological input gets to be too much. Partly, some of our choice has been taken away by the convergence of super-massive government contrived catastrophes. You want to keep your finger on the pulse and stay watchful for danger. But some of it is in our realm of choice.
Getting overwhelmed means that we have a stress response to too much of something and begin to cope the same way we did as children. Some people take on too many household chores and tell themselves they should be able to do more, more, more. Some people consume too much media, start to lose their grey matter, and become zombified and pacified. Some people watch porn and trick their brains into mammalian satisfaction, leaving their ambitions and hopes to the side. Some people wade into horrendous traffic in failing cities and drive like lunatics.
When we are stressed, a bit of our madness leaks in to our decision making. The emotional register of our chaotic childhood homes and schools makes itself known. We want to limit how much contact we have with stressful material, to the extent we have choice, so that we can remain balanced and optimistic about the things that are firmly within our command. When we get the hang of this, we can build agency – which allows for more and more things to come under our command. Command is not to be confused with control. To gain control, all you have to do is nurse your addictions and manipulate others. Command is to do with your competence and a positive contribution to meaning in the world. The people in control now have no command. Zero.
Each of us has to start small. Each of us needs to respect our own limits, work within those limits, and build up our command over time. This is how to stay out of being overwhelmed. Stay with yourself. Keep yourself company. Don’t go outside of what you can do. You won’t know who exactly is in control…
