Article By Ann Porter // EEW Magazine Online // Empowerment

My Grandma Lois always says, “Baby, you’ve got to protect your energy, your mind, your soul, and your spirit, because nobody else will.” Then she dramatically pauses, tilts her head to the side, and looks at me with those piercing brown eyes to make sure I got the message.

I have found her often-repeated advice to be especially helpful and useful in the current times when our global connection through social media and 24/7 news cycle fills us up with more information and negativity than ever.

Here are 5 ways I block out all the noise – both online and offline – for the sake of my peace and sanity.

#1 - I clean my feed. Who you follow on social media impacts what you see on your timeline. If I notice that a person thrives off of conflict and constantly posts things that are offensive to me, I clean my feed by blocking, unfollowing, or muting them. Does your social media feed need to be cleaned up? Take some time to do it. It’s good for your peace and mental health.

2 - I don’t engage. One of my family members loves to debate about politics and enjoys arguing. They will argue so long that most of the time, others either agree or shut down just to end the conversation. After years of going back and forth with them and stressing myself out, one day, I decided not to engage them in any discussions about politics. It has worked wonders for my peace, and I actually like family gatherings again.

#3 - I don’t always answer. Whenever a new message pops up on our phones, in our emails or social media inboxes, we feel this nagging obligation to respond. But I don’t always answer, because I don’t have to, and neither do you. I can’t take full credit for this one, though. I learned the power of prioritizing and being strategically unavailable from a business mentor. Initially, I felt guilty for not being immediately responsive, but now, I see it as a form of self-care.

#4 - I say no. Like millions of other women, I was once a too-nice people-pleaser, which is why saying no challenged me. But saying yes too frequently challenged me too. Whenever yes flew out of my mouth too fast, I found myself overcommitted and stressed to the max! As you know, too much stress is dangerous. It leads to depression, anxiety, chronic illness, and perpetual frustration. When I got tired of being frazzled and drained, I decided to make a change and discovered the incredibly freeing power of N-O.

#5 - I pray—a lot. This one should have been first, because it is the most important and consistent thing I do to block out the noise of life. Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that we should “always pray.” This is why I begin every single day with prayer, and I continue talking to God throughout my day. With His strong guidance, I know what to block and what to let infiltrate my space. If you are not praying enough, do it more. You will see your peace increase.

We all have limits on what we can handle, but many of us don’t honor our limitations and set boundaries. If you know you need to turn down the noise volume in your life, go ahead and use these 5 strategies to help you along the way. They will become some of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself.