With all that's going on in the world, it's easy to get locked into...
Steve Magness@stevemagness
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Sep 12, 2025
~2 min read
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With all that's going on in the world, it's easy to get locked into consumption mode. Scrolling & watching news all day.
A study after the Boston Marathon bombing found: Those who watched 6+ hours of coverage reported more stress than those who were directly impacted by the attack.
A study after the Boston Marathon bombing found: Those who watched 6+ hours of coverage reported more stress than those who were directly impacted by the attack.
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What we feed the brain becomes the state we live in.
The brain is predictive. It uses past and present inputs to guess what’s coming next and primes your body accordingly.
Feed it a steady diet of alarm, and it will predict alarm everywhere.
You don’t just feel stressed; you start living as if everything is a threat.
If you want to feel less frantic, start by changing the inputs.
The brain is predictive. It uses past and present inputs to guess what’s coming next and primes your body accordingly.
Feed it a steady diet of alarm, and it will predict alarm everywhere.
You don’t just feel stressed; you start living as if everything is a threat.
If you want to feel less frantic, start by changing the inputs.
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1. Step away. Go for a walk.
Close the apps, and give your attention a breather.
Go outside and let your eyes take in far horizons instead of 6-inch screens.
Movement helps discharge stress chemistry; light and nature help recalibrate mood and attention.
Close the apps, and give your attention a breather.
Go outside and let your eyes take in far horizons instead of 6-inch screens.
Movement helps discharge stress chemistry; light and nature help recalibrate mood and attention.
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2. Redirect the energy.
Turn consumption into contribution.
Donate a small amount to a worthy cause, support a local effort, write a note to someone who’s hurting.
Action restores agency—the sense that you can influence something, however small.
Agency lowers threat and raises capacity.
You feel less like a spectator and more like a participant.
Turn consumption into contribution.
Donate a small amount to a worthy cause, support a local effort, write a note to someone who’s hurting.
Action restores agency—the sense that you can influence something, however small.
Agency lowers threat and raises capacity.
You feel less like a spectator and more like a participant.
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3. Alter the consumption to slow and 'boring.'
Much of social media and news is reactive, designed to get you to feel angst, so you never stop consuming.
Reading books is different. It slows you down, shifting your brain to a more deliberate, engaged mode.
Much of social media and news is reactive, designed to get you to feel angst, so you never stop consuming.
Reading books is different. It slows you down, shifting your brain to a more deliberate, engaged mode.
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4. Go local.
Most of life happens on the ground, not on timelines.
Show up in your neighborhood, your school, your team, your place of worship.
Pick up trash, coach a clinic, attend a meeting, introduce yourself to a neighbor.
Local action is a corrective lens. It sharpens what’s real and blurs what’s performative.
Most of life happens on the ground, not on timelines.
Show up in your neighborhood, your school, your team, your place of worship.
Pick up trash, coach a clinic, attend a meeting, introduce yourself to a neighbor.
Local action is a corrective lens. It sharpens what’s real and blurs what’s performative.
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5. Humanize. Do real things with real people.
You’ll quickly notice that most folks are decent, nuanced, and trying their best.
They are not avatars to be dunked on or caricatures to be feared.
When we humanize, the body downshifts from defense to dialogue.
Curiosity rises, rigidity falls. That’s how communities stay resilient.
You’ll quickly notice that most folks are decent, nuanced, and trying their best.
They are not avatars to be dunked on or caricatures to be feared.
When we humanize, the body downshifts from defense to dialogue.
Curiosity rises, rigidity falls. That’s how communities stay resilient.
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When the world feels angst ridden. A simple playbook:
1. Curate inputs
2. Move your body
3. Take one helpful action
4. Connect locally with real people.
Your aim isn’t to ignore the world; it’s to engage it wisely.
When your inputs align with your values, your nervous system steadies and your effort becomes useful.
Less outrage, more outcomes.
1. Curate inputs
2. Move your body
3. Take one helpful action
4. Connect locally with real people.
Your aim isn’t to ignore the world; it’s to engage it wisely.
When your inputs align with your values, your nervous system steadies and your effort becomes useful.
Less outrage, more outcomes.
