Navigating the Darkness

Is peace of mind even possible anymore?

We live in troubled times.

I’m a Canadian, and our neighbour to the south is making me really nervous, careening more towards full-on fascism with each passing day and threatening us economically, if not physically (although sometimes, I wonder if that’s next).

The province of Alberta is threatening to secede from Canada, and right-wing extremism is creeping its way into our own politics north of the 49th.

The situation in Ukraine isn’t getting any better.

Gaza is a mess.

The U.S. economy, in which most Canadian retirement plans are heavily invested, is teetering on the brink of a massive collapse. The general wisdom is that the markets are highly over-valued, and markets don’t like the uncertainty that comes with a President suffering from full-on dementia combined with psychopathy. Many are worried about the long-term viability of their nest egg, and with good reason.

It’s all pretty bleak, isn’t it?

But it’s not hopeless.

I’ve become aware, in recent days, of how my social media feeds have become saturated with negativity. I’m being bombarded with this stuff on the daily, and it’s affecting my mood.

Certain popular influencers (Brendon Burchard, Tom Bilyeu, Jay Shetty, Tony Robbins, etc.) teach their followers not to pay attention to the news. In fact, they tell them to block it out entirely, because of its impact on mood and performance. The prevailing opinion in that bubble seems to be that things will just all work themselves out; that their followers have a ‘higher calling’ and they should just leave the work of dealing with all that crap to others.

That’s an extremely privileged approach, and one that I have a really hard time with. We can’t live under a rock and ignore the fact that democracy is crumbling around us. That’s how democracies fall, and it’s how fascism, racism and xenophobia take hold. Every citizen in a democracy has a responsibility to do their part in supporting and fighting for that democracy. We have a responsibility to be informed. We have a responsibility to advocate for truth and fairness, for freedom of speech, for unbiased journalism, and for the education of our population.

But, by the same token, if the mess, if the fight, is the only thing we are focused on, we will end up broken, depressed, and exhausted. If we don’t take care of our mental health, in the end we won’t be able to continue doing our part. Not only that, but every other aspect of our life will suffer as well.

So, what’s the answer?

I’m not a professional in the mental health space, but I have some ideas about how to navigate the mess in which we currently find ourselves. I offer here five suggestions I’m adopting myself, that I hope will make the coming year a little less dark.

1. Curate your feeds.
   Social media is not the best place to be getting your news. No shit, sherlock. Between AI deep-fakes and sensationalist posting designed to maximize clicks, you should know you’re not getting unbiased information on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, BlueSky, etc. And the algorithms are designed to give you more and more of whatever catches your eyeballs, meaning you get sucked into a black hole of negativity, fearmongering and left-right mutual hatred. Go through the list of pages and groups that you’re following, and get rid of most of them. It’s ok to pick one or two that seem to provide more balanced information, but you don’t need to be a member of 15 ‘progressive Canadians’ groups railing against the oligarchy.
   Instead, if you insist on spending time on socials, sign up for more positive pages and groups. There’s nothing wrong with following pages that remind you of the little joys in life, such as nature photography, cat videos, memes with affirmations, and self-care nuggets. Instead of doom-scrolling, let’s call it joy-scrolling.

2. Avoid all news sources first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.
   Influencers may spout a lot of B.S., but they are right about this - the way you start your day is critical in determining how the rest of it will play out. Picking up your phone or turning on the TV at breakfast to catch up on what horrors have occurred overnight is only going to throw a pall over your mood, raising your stress hormones and putting your body into ‘fight or flight’ mode before you’ve even clocked in. Feed your mind with positivity instead.
   Likewise, watching the news or scrolling right before bed is going to poison your brain and prevent a restful night of sleep. Not only does the blue light interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, but all you’re doing is giving yourself things to lie awake worrying about (and/or have nightmares about). Restful sleep is one of the most important gifts you can give to yourself. Those 8 hours of shut-eye are when your body heals itself physically, and your brain literally washes itself, too. Deprive yourself of that, and you’re risking your long-term physical and mental health.

3. Pick a specific time to catch up on current events, and stick to it.
   I’m planning to carve out a half-hour in my day - possibly at the end of the work day and before preparing dinner - to read the handful of reliable news sources I’ve chosen to follow. Thirty minutes, and no more.
   Just enough to stay aware of what’s going on, but not enough to plunge me into a state of despair and hopelessness. Having a time limit helps to make it a more objective exercise, and prevents you from going down a rabbit hole. If need be, set a timer.

4. Engage in daily, deliberate self-care.
   This is going to look different for everyone. I’m not necessarily talking about the stereotypical things like pedicures and massages.
   It could be making time in your day for a craft you love to work on. It could be curling up on the sofa with your cat and listening to music together or reading a good book. It could be a walk in nature with someone you care about. Or, how about feeding your body more nourishing food? Going to bed a half-hour earlier so you feel more rested the next morning? Breaking ties with that toxic ‘friend’ who is just using you to get what they want?
   Every day, make sure you build in one thing that affirms that you love yourself. Even if it’s just standing in front of the bathroom mirror and saying, “I like me”. (That might actually be the hardest, and most powerful, thing you can do).

5. Give back.
   When we focus on people and things outside of ourselves, it's proven to improve our happiness and our sense of self-worth. It’s especially important for members of a society to take care of each other. Looking for ways to help our fellow humans gives us a sense of control over our life, and takes our attention away from our own wants and needs for awhile. And the psychological boost we get when the recipient of our goodwill expresses joy or gratitude is great medicine for a troubled heart. This is how community is built, and community gives us strength and a sense of safety.
   Again, this may look different for each of us, depending upon our circumstances. If we’re younger and have fewer financial resources, we can give of our time to a cause we believe in, volunteering for a charity, school, or community group. Those in their middle years who have less free time due to work and family commitments but who have sufficient financial resources can make charitable donations. Seniors and those who are less mobile can still make themselves available by having others come to them for guidance and support, whether in person or online.
   
   This isn’t an exhaustive list, and if you personally have other approaches for fighting the darkness and preserving your mental peace in these difficult times, I would love it if you’d share with my readers by commenting below.
   
   In 2026 I’m returning to a mantra I first came up with some years ago, and that has always helped to motivate me and keep me centered:
   
   Take stock. Take Heart. Take ACTION!
   
   This Substack is one of the ways I am personally choosing to give back. If you find my ramblings meaningful or helpful, I’d be truly greful if you would subscribe (it’s free!) and spread the word. Thank you!