4 Ways That the Media Can Kill Your Vibe

Do you ever feel like you live in a dangerous world, and you have to fight to get ahead? Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up?  Though all of us want to feel happy and fulfilled, there are a few vibrational traps in the media today that often inspire feelings of fear, anger, and insecurity within us.

It’s good to point out first that in many ways, the world we live in today is a wonderful world.  Most of us have a high degree of comfort, flexibility and freedom (as compared to people of the past).  I’d go so far to say it’s the best time in history to be alive.  There are many reasons for us to feel good about our lives and the world around us.

With that being said, we’re always evolving, and there is always room for improvement.  Here are a few ways that today’s media can kill your vibe and some advice on how to rise above it:

1. The “News:”

I stopped watching the news about five years ago, and I’ve gotta tell you-it was probably one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. 

When I happen to see a bit of a news program at someone else’s house or at a restaurant or doctor’s office, it has become abundantly clear to me that the news creates a great deal of fear in society.  In just a split second of viewing I feel immediately become fearful, upset or angry.  The nature of the “news” is simply too negative for most people to watch and maintain a high vibration at the same time.

I cannot say for certain whether this is by design or not.  However, I can say I’ve noticed the level of fear in my life has reduced dramatically, and I attribute this in part to the fact that I no longer subject myself to every homicide, suicide, traffic accident, natural disaster and political debacle on Planet Earth.

For a more detailed description of how the news propagates negativity and fear, please read this article: 6 GREAT Reasons Not to Watch the News.

2. Dramatic Television (Particularly Reality Television!):

Though I’ve done a good job with eliminating the news out of my life, I must admit I am still a slave to the idiot box (ahem, television).  However, I believe I would be much better off if I stopped watching it altogether. 

There are number of vibrational traps that exist within television programming, but the one that sticks out to me the most right now has to do with fighting and arguing.  Particularly on reality shows, backstabbing and confrontation are major themes. 

I’m not sure why we are drawn to watching people tear themselves apart, but I do know that what we focus on we attract more of with the Law of Attraction.  What we see and focus on in our television programming often ends up playing out in our own lives. So when the drama in my life is running high, I try to limit my exposure to television show that are overly dramatic.

If you’ve given up television altogether, share your story with me in the comments.  I’d love to hear the perspective of someone who has chosen to live without tv.

3. Fear-Based Advertising and Consumerism:

I’m a proponent of the Law of Attraction, so I truly believe all of your desires are valid and you can have whatever you want.  My issue with consumerism isn’t in the having of things.  Instead,  I feel that our modern day advertising and marketing techniques are designed to stir up fear and insecurity, and this can create vibrational pitfalls for many people.

A great deal of advertising is set up to make you feel as if you are lacking something that you need for your physical (or social!) survival.  Most ads start off by pointing out a problem in your life, and many times it’s a problem you didn’t even know you had!

Marketers have learned that by instilling insecurity and fear, they can more easily encourage people to purchase products and services.

Ads are great at making people feel like they have to “fit in.”  They show smiling, beautiful people wearing crisp, clean clothes, driving shiny new cars and living in modern, clean homes with the newest appliances and perfectly manicured lawns.

As most Americans are constantly viewing some form of advertising, they are repeatedly getting the message that they don’t have enough money, their possessions aren’t “new enough” and they don’t have as much stuff as they are supposed to have. 

As a result, many of us make purchasing decisions to “keep up with the Joneses.”  The funny thing is, the “Joneses” aren’t even real people! They are simply this fictional illusion we are fed daily on our televisions, computers, magazines and radios.

When we make our purchasing decisions because we want to “keep up” with this illusion, we buy into the premise that having things makes us more valuable as people.   

Sadly, when we replace our innate value with the value of cars, jewelry and homes, we lower our vibration because we tell ourselves we aren’t good enough as we are. 

This is why shopping is often addicting.  Purchasing a new item can feel momentarily good and provide that feeling of “fitting in,” but very quickly we are again reminded that we still don’t have enough, and so we repeat the process over and over, always chasing the illusion-but never really having it.

4. Subconscious Body Shaming:

In American culture, it used to be relatively normal to see actors in movies and on television who looked like “real” people.  Roseanne Barr, Steve Buscemi, Joe Pesci and Nicolas Cage are all good examples.  People who weren’t “perfect,” yet they still had leading roles.  Though beauty has been prized for a very long time, it still used to be fairly normal to see “real-looking” people on the movies or on television.

Today, whenever we open up any type of media (be it television, magazines, video games, social media, etc.) we are inundated with images of people who are young and fit society’s definition of beauty.  Unfortunately, modern society’s definition of beauty has become much more rigid than it was in the past.

For example, leading women in movies and television are generally thin and young, with white, straight teeth, perfect hair, straight noses, nice tans, and manicured nails.  They lack cellulite, and they frequently have botox, lip injections and breast augmentations.

Leading men today have also set an unrealistic standard.  They are often trim, tan, tall and muscular, they also have nice teeth along with chiseled features and all of their hair.

Unfortunately, these characteristics aren’t just for leading ladies and men.  They are also the characteristics you typically find in supporting roles and advertisements.

The reality here is that most of us see more people on a daily basis through media, rather than real life.  When such a large percentage of the people we look at throughout the day are unrealistically “perfect,” what does this do to our collective self-esteem?

I’ll admit that I get caught up in this one myself.  I whiten my teeth, dye my hair, get my nails done and do quite a few other things that indicate I am also chasing this illusion.  But I bet I’d be happier if I didn’t feel the need to change myself at all.

Avoiding These Vibrational Traps

The “news,” dramatic reality television, fear-based consumerism and subconscious body shaming are all highly engrained elements in today’s society.  Unfortunately, for many of us, they inspire lower vibrational feelings, including low self-esteem.  

So what do we do? 

Of course, turning off the television or the computer is a great idea.   Putting down the gossip magazines is also a plus.  But there are other things you can do that can help you gain a more balanced perspective and keep your vibration from being flushed down the toilet in spite of these traps.

One thing I recommend is to become more aware of what’s really going on. Take some time to do some people watching when you are out and about, and notice what real people actually look like.  Go to the park, the mall or an amusement park and get a feel for how much variety there is amongst actual people.  

You can also take a good hard look at your neighbors and friends to see what their possessions and homes look like.  Some of them will have nice things, yes, but many of them will not portray “perfection.”  Your neighbor might be driving an old, beat-up car, and your good friend might have a couch with a few tears or holes in it.  So what?

When it comes to balancing out any fear you may see or hear on the news, do a quick reality check.  Are you safe right now?  Does everything seem to be going ok?

Remember, the news picks out the scariest and most tragic stories to highlight each day, but so much more is going well in this world than is going wrong.  Remember that most days everything is perfectly safe and things generally work out pretty well for all of us.  Remind yourself that you have a great deal of safety and security in your day-to-day life.

Taking some time to look at what’s really going on can help us remember that we are doing fine just as we are.  Things are going pretty well for us, and even though we needn’t measure up to anyone, when you look at the big (real!) picture, we measure up perfectly fine nonetheless.

Alright, so what are your thoughts on this one?  Do you have any advice for avoiding these media traps that can kill your vibe?  Do you believe it’s possible that some day the media might change and become more vibrationally uplifting?  Let me know in the comments!

Love Always,

Andrea

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