We are one week away from the US’s Presidential Election. Michigan is a battle ground state. That means that we are being flooded with campaign ads, political mailings, and incessant text messages asking for more money. If you are experiencing what I am experiencing, politics feels unescapable at the moment. And while it is an important election (I hope you all have voted or plan to vote), this inundation of politics to every aspect of our lives can also be detrimental to our mental health.
This fall, we are discussing what it means to be a steward of faith. Part of being a good steward is making sure that we are being mindful about how we use our mental, emotional, and physical energy. When talking about stewardship, we don’t always think about our time and energy as a resource in the same way we discuss money as a resource, but it is easier to see how our attention, mental energy, and emotional energy are resources in an election year like this one. Campaign ads are trying to use your emotional energy every time they try to make you afraid or anxious. It takes mental energy to sift through headlines for the truth amongst the exaggeration truth and the outright lies. And many campaigns are asking for your physical energy as we engage in conversations about politics or as people help to canvas for particular candidates. While I am supportive of people who willingly choose to participate in campaign efforts, if you are feeling tired, anxious, or afraid due to this election, here are some of my tips on how to be better stewards of our time and energy: Set a timer for how much time you want to spend on the internet or watching television. Then, turn it off. By setting a timer or time limit, you set you intentions before engaging in an activity. This can prevent doom scrolling on the internet or watching the news for longer than you intended because of gripping headlines. Make plans to do something that is not technology-based. Schedule time to read a physical book. Make plans to spend time with family or friends. If you know that you will be tempted to scroll the internet or binge-watch the news, make plans so that you are too busy doing things to interact with the internet or tv. Remember, it is easier to avoid temptation if you don’t go near it. Set boundaries around conversations or topics that makes you angry, frustrated, or anxious. Take some time to plan out responses to conversations that you are not in a place to have. This can sound like, “I care a lot about this election, but talking about it right now is not helpful for me. Can we discuss something else?” “I can see that you care a lot about this topic. However, we don’t agree on this topic, and I don’t think we will be able to change each other’s minds. Can we change the topic?” or “I want to be able to listen to what you are saying because I care about your opinion, but I am not in the right headspace right now to give you the attention you deserve. Can we discuss this at another time?” Make a plan for how you are going to spend Election Day next Tuesday. The best time to make a plan for how you want your election day to go is to plan it out this week. How much time do you want to spend watching the news and election results? How will you let yourself know when to go to sleep? If you feel anxious or angry, how will you deal with those emotions? If you don’t follow your plan, how will you remind yourself of the intentions you have set this week? Your time, energy, emotions, and mental bandwidth are all important resources. Unlike money, we all have a limited amount of them to use and when they are gone, they are gone. So please be good stewards of your time and energy these next two weeks. There are many things that will be trying to get you to use those resources for their own purposes. By making plans, you can gain more control over how you use those resources and be able to allocate your time, energy, and emotions for things you really care about. Blessings, Pastor Chris |
AuthorPastor Chris Hallam earned her degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and moved to Michigan to become a pastor. Also trained as a studio artist and graphic designer, with an interest in pop culture and social science, her passion is thinking creatively about the future of the church. Archives
October 2024
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