33. When The World Feels Heavy

The hardest part about heavy world events isn’t only what we see on the screen. It’s what lingers after we put the phone down: the uncertainty, the sadness and that low background hum of stress that can follow you through an ordinary day. I share what’s been on my mind lately as someone with Lebanese roots, and why you can feel deeply affected even when you’re far away. Distance doesn’t erase connection, and it doesn’t make your emotional response any less real. 

I am happy we can share this journey of leveling up, together. Send me a text by clicking the link at the top of the description. I would love to hear from you :) See you next week! 

- Alita <3 

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Transcript

Feeling The Weight From Afar

The Toll Of Constant Updates

Guilt About Living Normally

Practical Ways To Cope

Support, Community, And Closing

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi everyone, welcome back to Vita with Alita. I'm really grateful you're here today. This episode is going to be, I think, a little bit different from my usual ones, but I think it's an important conversation and one that I've been thinking about a lot lately. So lately there has been a lot happening in the world that probably feels very heavy. And personally, I am someone who is Lebanese, right? My parents are both from Lebanon. And I do still have a little bit of family there. And because I am Lebanese, it's something I've been thinking about more. And even if you're not directly in it, you can still feel it. You can still feel like the uncertainty, the sadness, the emotional weight that maybe sits in the background of your day. And I think sometimes we don't really acknowledge how much it can affect us. So I'm just wanted to maybe touch base or talk slightly about this potential weight that we might be feeling. So the first thing I kind of wanted to acknowledge is you can still be affected even from a distance. You don't physically have to actually be there to feel something. You can still feel connected to this through your identity, your family, your culture, or just your awareness of what's happening sometimes can be enough. And that emotional weight is real, even if it's quiet or not always acknowledged. Now, I also secondly want to make a point that constant exposure takes a toll. When we're constantly exposed to information through social media, news, even just conversations, while I think it is very important to stay informed, there's a point where it might actually become overwhelming and where your mind may not actually get a break. And that can impact your mood, your energy, your ability to focus, and even your motivation. And lastly, this is the thing that I've been, I guess, struggling with a little bit is kind of the guilt. And the guilt for, you know, continuing with your normal life, doing things that make you feel good, laughing, resting, enjoying moments. That guilt may be there in the background. Like you're not allowed to feel okay when something serious is happening somewhere else in the world. But the truth is, and something I'm still learning to come to terms with, is that taking care of yourself doesn't mean you don't care. So I think I kind of want to provide maybe a little bit of practical support, things that we can all do. If you've been feeling a little bit heavier mentally, I think there are a few things that can help and things that I've found quite helpful. So this can be, first of all, limiting how often you're checking the news. So being very intentional, like going in, I guess a little bit prepared. Sometimes you just, I don't know, open an app and it's the first thing you see, you're maybe not mentally prepared. So by limiting how much you check the news or coming in prepared, that might be a little bit helpful. Taking breaks from social media. So again, intentional breaks, staying connected to the people you trust. So the people around you just connect with them, text somebody you maybe haven't texted in a while, a friend. Just keep your connections strong, the ones that you do have. If you can, I would try to maybe get outside, move your body, ground yourself. And most importantly, give yourself permission to take care of your mental health. Again, I know that whatever is happening in the world may feel heavy and is impacting different people differently. And you don't have to be there to feel the impact. You the emotional weight of it can sometimes be very heavy. So you can care about what's happening in the world, but still take care of yourself. It's it's something I still struggle with. I feel guilty for it sometimes. But I'm coming to terms with realizing that those things can exist at the same time. So just because something feels heavy doesn't mean you have to carry it alone. And it doesn't mean that you know it feeling heavy means you cannot be taking care of yourself at the same time. Just be a little gentler with yourself right now. This was a little bit of a shorter one, but it was an important one and one that I think I have been thinking about a lot. So thank you for being here and listening to this episode. If this somehow resonated with you, I hope you do take away that I'm I'm here with you. And and please don't feel like you cannot reach out for support. Reach out to those around you, reach out to people in your community. It's it's something I think is very important. So, yeah, short and sweet episode, but just something that I wanted to acknowledge, something that has been on my mind, and I think something that is becoming increasingly relevant as the world or world events continue to be a little bit heavier. Take care, and I'll see you on the next one.