News Overload, Emotional Check-ins, and Dessert!

Lighthouse Conversations
Written By Matt Juzenas, Director of Strategic Operations

Lighthouse meets every other Wednesday evening from 8:30-9:30 pm (CST). If you haven’t joined us before, we invite you to come and sit awhile with this beautiful group of parents. As a community, we gather to celebrate the highs and support each other through the challenges. This is a conversation with other parents who understand what you are experiencing. Grab your favorite beverage join us. This is a program for parents with students attending Islands of Brilliance programming. Register here.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. Last night we spent time catching up and sharing how we are all doing. As we find most of the time these days, we are all feeling so many emotions…all of the emotions. It can be a bit overwhelming at times how quickly we move from one feeling to the next!

News Overload and Taking a Break from Screens

One topic that we discussed was how we and our children are feeling overwhelmed by the news cycle and the constant bombardment of bad news. Our brains are not equipped to handle the speed of the 24/7 news we experience today. If we think back to the days of our parents and grandparents, the majority of their news came from reading the newspaper. A day or two had passed before most news made it their way. We grew up with the newspaper and the addition of the nightly news. It was coming at us more quickly, but still took time to bring it to air. Today, we have information coming at us from all angles. Tweets, live feeds, and 24-hour news channels are broadcasting the news as it happens…often leaving us all to process it as it unfolds. The “big story” today is replaced and forgotten about tomorrow. It is impossible to process this amount of information on a continual basis. How can we slow it down?

Therapist Steven Stosny, Ph.D. coined the phrase “headline stress disorder,” describing the clients in whom the grueling news cycle triggered intense feelings of worry and helplessness. Here are a few tips on how to unglue yourself from the news during the pandemic:

  • Limit your news consumption time each day: Leaving your television on or streaming live news broadcasts on your phone while tending to other business can take a toll on you emotionally. Rather than having the news be your background noise, experts recommend less than 30 minutes per day total of social media scrolling and news exposure combined.

  • Watch reliable news outlets rather than social media: A healthy way to approach the news cycle is to rely on outlets you know are credible, have experienced reporters who do their research and provide balanced perspectives.

  • Get a news summary from close friends or family: If watching the news is triggering symptoms of anxiety or depression, many psychologists and experts alike recommend no exposure at all. Instead, ask a close friend or loved one to filter the news for you.

  • Subscribe to a newsletter or podcast to get a summary of important stories

  • Limit your exposure to other stressors

  • Do something healthy after watching the news: For most of us, consuming some form of news each day is essential. To help combat feelings of fear, anxiety, and worry that often accompany negative news, chose to do something positive or healthy immediately after, like taking a walk, calling a friend, or working on a hobby. Because things are so uncertain, we need healthy distractions right now to stay grounded and resilient.

Give yourself permission to unplug completely! Documentary filmmaker and creator of the Webby Awards, Tiffany Shlain has been observing a “Technology Shabbat” with her family for the past decade. One day each week, her family puts their phones and other technology aside to unplug and be present. Here is a five-minute video where she explains it. Shlain reminds us, “The most important thing to remember about technology is that it has an off switch!”

Spending so much time online in meetings and teaching, I have been trying to read a lot more lately. While it can be difficult to find a block of time long enough to really dive into a book, I often have a few minutes in between tasks, so I’ve been reading a lot of poetry. I have a stack of poetry books on my coffee table, and when I have a few moments, I grab one and open it up to read a few poems. Like taking in a beautiful painting, I let the words sit with me in a few moments of reflection, letting them settle into my thoughts. Here are the books I currently have on my table:

  • Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

  • The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems by Billy Collins

  • Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay

  • salt. by Nayyirah Waheed

  • The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged

Checking in with yourself.

Grab a pen and some paper and let’s spend a little time reflecting on an emotional inventory.

Here are a few prompts to reflect on:

  • When you think of the past three months and how much has changed in our daily lives, what is something you are surprised that you miss? What are you surprised you don’t miss?

  • What’s going well in your house right now?

  • What’s not going well?

  • Is there anything that you find keeps coming up again and again, making you feel stuck?

  • Is there anything from this community that you could use help with?

A few weeks ago we talked about the power of journaling and gratitude. I shared one tool that I use called the Five Minute Journal. Another great tool I’ve found to be helpful is to occasionally run through this mental health checklist:

  • How am I feeling today? (Mentally and Physically)

  • What's taking up most of my headspace?

  • When did I last eat a whole meal?

  • Am I tired?

  • What will I engage in today that will bring me joy?

Next week we can share with each other our experiences of taking a few moments to check-in with ourselves.

“A party without a cake is just a meeting.” –Julia Child

Finally, after all that reflection, we might need a delicious treat to share with the family. We spent a little bit of time talking about such things last night! Maybe you could make it while taking a Technology Shabbat!

Kelly and Garrett made this delicious Golden Oreo Cheesecake for Garrett’s birthday last weekend. Rosalie shared a Key Lime Pie recipe from the Joy of Cooking. And I talked about a favorite recipe from my childhood (and super easy to make), Mamma J’s Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake.

If baking isn’t your thing, we also identified that C. Adam’s Bakery in the Public Market has an amazing Key Lime Pie. And Portillo’s chocolate cake is tough to beat! Whatever you do, I hope you all have an amazing week, keep cool, and enjoy a little sweetness!


Peace and Love,
Matt and all of us at Islands of Brilliance

Matt Juzenas, Director of Strategic Operations

With a background in both special education and graphic design, Matt blends these two disciplines creating unique, engaging learning opportunities for the participants at Islands of Brilliance. In his corporate marketing and agency days, Matt was a strategic and empowering Creative Director. Guiding with compassion and kindness, he formed and led high performing teams who brought their best selves to work. As an educator, Matt takes a similarly holistic approach to each of his students.

With a passion for learning and an ongoing commitment to self-improvement, Matt is an avid reader and explorer of process. An advocate for mental health awareness, he believes that by sharing our stories we find common ground and connection, creating communities of support and understanding. He enjoys spending time playing board games, crocheting, and cooking delicious meals for family and friends.

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