Turn It Off
Do you find yourself wanting to have a respite from the constant input that leaves you anxious? An old rock and roll song suggests a desired state:
Someone's radio has the news tuned in
But nobody cares what he's sayin'
Don't you know
It's a turn down day, nothin' on my mind
It's a turn down day and I dig it
Things that are waitin' to mess my mind
Will just have to wait 'til tomorrow
Turn-Down Day by the Cyrkle 1966
Andy Kessler of the Wall Street Journal asks a question that many of us have asked ourselves, “How do you turn it all off? You know, thinking about work, the fire hose of newsfeeds, emails and texts, or constantly solving the never-ending puzzle of a job.”
Why do we want to turn it all off? For some, it’s the constant state of anxiety about the state of the world or the madness that comes with too much information. It’s not a new concern, but it’s gotten a lot worse with 24 hour news cycles, addictive attachment to electronic devices, clickbait, Twitter, TikTok and similar distractions. Whatever happened to three television stations that turned off at midnight?
Trying unsuccessfully to turn the mind off may explain the growth of alcohol consumption and both prescription and illegal drug addiction. Getting drunk or high shuts down the flickering thought factory temporarily and provides a short respite and, for a while, a little peace. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last and may result in more depression, which has also been increasing. In fact, depression has jumped from 8.5 percent pre-pandemic to 33 percent in 2021.
Kessler’s article is funny, about trying a spa with exotic scents (mugwort?), hot oil, and never-ending soothing chatter, bells, chimes and drums. OK, that is clearly not for everyone (including him). One of the things that does seem to work, at least for me, is hiking. From 2010 to 2021, hiking increased by 80 percent. Of course, that increase in people hitting the trails causes a problem for me. I do it for the quiet. There is nothing worse than hearing the chattering a hundred yards before they get to me and hundred yards after. I wonder if this actually relaxes those people or have they just found another way to replace their cellphone addiction. Maybe, like the train cars, we could have quiet paths?
I’ve also tried food courts in malls and sometimes, the white noise is just enough to let me tune everything out and think.
Another way that’s gotten more expensive with increased gas prices is driving. That works, particularly as soon as I get away from city traffic. Getting out on a quiet mountain road and just meandering with the radio off works miracles as, after a while, the inevitable stream of things that I have to do fade out.
I have also tried, and am continually trying, to meditate. What is interesting to me is that my coach explains that those intruding thoughts should be expected to occur, and I should accept them and just return each time to focusing on my breath, coming in cool and going out warm. I find that, like anything else, if you do this enough, you get better at it, and it really does work.
I think this is like what we see in nutrition and medicine, that there isn’t anything that works for everyone, it’s personalized.
I hope you find your own way to turn it off. Happy Thanksgiving.