Last updated on July 20, 2020
About a week into quarantine I wrote a post on Facebook about the power of inputs. Here’s that post.
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about inputs. In normal life we do a lot of outputting. We struggle with inputs. When I say inputs I’m referring to putting things in that refuel you. It’s beauty and knowledge; it’s things that remind you to slow down and breathe deeply; it’s things that cause your passions to stir.
When we are in our normal running and gunning, it seems that we are often running on fumes, and the inputs we do allow ourselves often don’t really fill our tanks. Another way of saying that is that we choose the wrong inputs.
So now we find ourselves in a place where, for perhaps the first time in our lives, we are no longer running and gunning. We have more time on our hands than normal, which means that we have more time for inputs than normal. That is good, but it’s still important to gauge what inputs actually do the job.
When so much of the news is producing in us anxiety more than anything else, is it a healthy input? If so, would a good discipline be to only read the news once or twice a day? This applies to sites like the NY Times, Daily Memphian, or CNN, but also to Facebook or Twitter.
How about tv and movies? It’s a great opportunity to catch up on some shows (our family is watching the Marvel movies), but at what point does it no longer fill our tanks and instead produce in us something negative?
These are the two areas I’ve been thinking the most about. Maybe there are other areas that for you deserve the questions.
Once I’m asking those questions, I need to ask the next set of questions…What inputs do fill my tank, fight anxiety, and cause true rest?
Here are some things that have been helpful to me…
Reading a novel
Researching a new topic
Reading Scripture
Reading a book on a topic that relates to your field of work
Reading a magazine
Cooking a new recipe
Praying/meditating
Taking a walk while listening to music
Taking a walk while listening to a podcast (not news or politics-related)
Taking a walk while not listening to anything (what a concept!)
Speaking of music, finding a new artist to listen to
Taking a virtual tour of a museum (lots of museums throughout the world are offering these)
Taking a nap
Going for a hike
Going for a bike ride
Doing yoga
Gardening
Catching up with an old friend via phone or FaceTime
Writing in a journal
Brainstorming with others ways to help those who are struggling
Reading through your old journals (this is one of my favorite activities)
In summary, inputs are good, and it’s a positive thing that in the days, weeks, and perhaps months ahead of us, we have more time for inputs than normal. The tricky thing is that not all inputs produce in us what we’re hoping for and what we truly need. So the great need for us is to choose wisely what inputs we’re taking in.