In a recent interview with The Guardian, Greta Thunberg explains why at age 11, she fell into a deep depression and stopped eating and talking. When asked what she thinks made her unhappy:
One of the reasons was I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that people didn’t seem to care about anything, that everyone just cared about themselves rather than everything that was happening with the world. And being an oversensitive child with autism, it was definitely something I thought about a lot, and it made me sad.
Was it also because she had been bullied at school?
Yeah, to some extent.
The Guardian
World events and how we perceive them influence our physical and mental health. Suicide rates increase during economic downturns as do depression levels. During the recent pandemic, the average share of adults who reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive symptoms jumped from 11% in 2019 to 41.1% in 2021%. That’s a 30% increase.
When pessimism dominates how we feel about humanity and the world, it affects us negatively. For this reason, our self-care routines should include hearing about good news. This is not to say that we just focus on the good and forget the bad. Having a holistic view of the world helps us navigate it and solve problems when needed. Learn to appreciate the world for its complexity and diversity. Knowing that we can all do better, and that many, day in day out, try.
How Do We Bring More Good into Our Lives?
Letting in goodness can mean being selective when it comes to the people you keep close. It involves taking control of the type of content you consume and not letting algorithms dictate it. It requires self-examination, knowing when our thoughts lean to one side. Being grounded in reality, acknowledging its worse moments and its best, lets us make better decisions in life.
This mindset means giving yourself the gift of balance.
