The period between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is Lent for Christians. For Bavarians, it is also the strong beer season, but that is not the topic. Fasting means giving up what you are used to. Similar to New Year's resolutions, alcohol, fatty or sweet foods are often on the list of things to do without. In recent years, crisis reports and omnipresent news tickers have taken up so much space that I had prescribed myself a good mood. This year I wanted to smile away bad news and disaster reports, ignore them or at least not immediately fall into a doomsday mood. A status report from week four of stress fasting.
There has simply been too much bad news and supposedly catastrophic events since Corona. From the pandemic to the European war, to the energy crisis and economic recession. Now there is also the threat of a global banking and financial crisis. Add to that a number of incidents in the private and business environment and yet the last straw is still not in sight - even though new threats are constantly appearing on the horizon. At first I asked myself why we are not actually reaching a peak - or low point - in this spiral of escalation. On closer inspection, one realizes that major challenges and imponderables have existed since time immemorial, but these situations have only been called "crises" for a few years. Before the financial crisis in 2008, we may still remember the oil crisis of the 1970s or the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. In the second half of the last century, we were less concerned with crises than in the last two years in Germany. Are crises perhaps not crises at all?
The increasing digitalization of our daily lives creates the impression that we can not only predict all changes in situation, but also control them. The realization of this misconception then leads to fears. What is supposedly controllable turns out to be uncontrollable, despite all the technical possibilities. Thanks to social media and news tickers, we also learn about every development, or supposed development, immediately and usually in frightening wording with strong, emotional images. Stimuli that are intended to reach our emotions and thereby trigger our stress levels. At least the stressors to which we expose ourselves here are not unchangeable. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Philosophers like Richard David Precht earn their living by asking questions about personal happiness and satisfaction. In Europe in particular, almost everyone has the opportunity to shape their own future to a large extent. In Scandinavia and Switzerland in particular, a relatively high level of prosperity is spread across society. There, satisfaction is greater. Fairness and a good balance between work and leisure time promote well-being. The demand for perfection in Germany in particular puts a strain on our everyday lives, the pressure not to make mistakes if possible, our lack of tolerance for mistakes. Especially when we learn at every turn that in many areas we are mediocre at best. Instead of concentrating on the shortcomings, we should celebrate the many positive experiences. With mindfulness, we can also support those around us.
When trying stress fasting on yourself, the idea is to avoid negative news as much as possible if it is not really relevant. A ratio of positive to negative news of 3:1 should be the minimum. The good news can be part of everyday life, while negative news should only be processed after an appropriate waiting period, as far as possible. The effect is astonishing: after just a few days, a certain serenity develops. Fear of existence and doom and gloom disappear. Bad news usually no longer seems so threatening at second glance. With this positive energy, you can shape your own destiny much more sustainably. Just give it a try.
Your Ensider:Team
(Author: Markus Vogelbacher)
(Image: IFP Entertainment GmbH)