Friday, December 21, 2012

What’s Beautiful in All of Us




I have a hard time dealing with super negative, scary, or violent things.

I’m not a news junky for this very reason.  And I avoid certain types of movies and news as much as possible because I get quite affected by it all.

After watching the film, “The Road,” I was incredibly upset and wasn’t sure how I was going to sleep that night without having nightmares.  I felt panicky.  My husband was laughing at me and asking why I watched that movie. I groaned, “I had no idea it would be like that! Why didn’t you tell me?!” He just laughed.  He had read the book and knew it was grim.

I knew I needed to replace all those horrid images with positive ones.  I snuggled in bed, lit a candle, and found the fotopedia World Heritage Sites app on my iPad. I kept quietly chanting, “I just have to see all the beautiful things in the world. I just have to see all the beautiful things in this world. The world is beautiful. The world is beautiful.”

I’m a little embarrassed telling the whole world about my mini panic attack after watching “The Road,” but I’m illustrating a point which you’ve clearly figured out by now: I’m just a teensy bit sensitive about things, so…err… try to avoid yuckiness. (I’ve learned this is part of a personality trait called Highly Sensitive People.)

But there’s been a lot of unavoidable, horrific news lately.  We don’t have satellite TV so my main way to connect with the world is through Facebook. There’s also been a lot of super negative, blame-y, nasty stuff there, too. Sometimes you have to dig for the good.

I've been doing some digging around lately because...well...there's a lot of that yuckiness around and frankly, I don't want to be bogged down in negativity.  So just like I had to find my trusty, happy iPad app, I've been looking online for the happy stuff.

Thankfully, there is lot of nice, fluffly, restore-your-faith-in-humankind content online. I’m thinking most of us need a bit of that right about now. I know I sure do.

 So, I thought I'd share some happy websites you can visit:


I have a Pinterest board dedicated to inspirational stories and people. You can find it here

I’ve discovered that many people have similar boards which are very uplifting.


At the beginning of this post, I mentioned Highly Sensitive People; if you think you might be someone who’s quite sensitive as well (check out this test here), then here are a few lovely blog posts from some of my sister bloggers that you might find helpful:


Below are some cool news websites I’ve found that only report positive stuff. I listed some of these on my Facebook page recently: 



  • What are some of your favorite uplifting sites? Where do you go to get positive news?

    Enjoy! Hope you have a happy, peaceful day!








12 comments:

  1. I am sooooo looking forward to getting that book in the mail. I took the Highly Sensitive Person quiz and scored 24 out of 27. Though the years I have built my own protection mechanisms. I never watch the news. Before bed, I have a whole ritual I do to calm down and be at peace. I light a lot of white sage. I feel I require much more "alone" time than most. It is super refreshing to know that there are "others like me". Thank you so much for posting this blog!

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    1. I totally need to order it or see if I can somehow buy it online! I like that you have a nighttime ritual to help you feel at peace...that makes a lot of sense to me. I totally relate to the need of alone time...

      Thank you, Amy, my sister HSP!

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  2. Thank you Becky. I feel the same way and have been struggling a bit with not allowing myself to focus soley on all the sad neews and then the just plain unnecessary and offensive FB stuff.
    Nik

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    1. I know! That's why I totally needed a big pick-me-up!

      Love you!

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  3. Becky, to say I love Brene Brown's work (ordinary courage) is an understatement. She is actually how I found KRR's work. I love how you gathered all those incredible people and stories on a Pinterest board! Thanks for posting such a great resource!

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    1. Thank you, Jenny! I'm glad you enjoyed the Pinterest board. I felt so happy posting those...it made me feel delighted in all our goodness instead of focusing on all that negative yuck stuff!

      Thank you for your sweet comment!

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  4. Thank you so much Becky, I am honoured that you linked to my blog post "Taking time for self care". It's been a big step to own my sensitivity, I grew up in the countryside without television, learning to discover the world through my eyes. I am grateful for that that now I live on the edge of a big city where being big and noisy seems celebrated. Being highly sensitive is not a dis-order, it's a gift. I would not have it any other way. I see more, hear more, feel more, live more, every minute of the day. It has been such a delight to meet you and many other sensitive soul sisters this year online, I am truly blessed. We are out there, everywhere hiding in the shadows ... smiling. Thank you for being you.

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    1. Hi Suzi,
      Thank YOU! You really helped inspire me and connect the dots with the HSP thing! I can relate to your growing up in the countryside; I did too for the better part of my childhood. We did have a television, but only one. And it received about two or three channels. We played a lot. Outdoors. Or I was in my room writing! lol

      Big and noisy is hard for me. I like it for a little while, but then it exhausts me and I need quiet. In big crowds I get antsy and sweaty and grumpy!

      Thank you so much for your take and your positivity about HSP.

      Thank you, also, for such kind and loving words.

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  5. Wow! Becky, you're an HSP, too! I don't watch the news and often rely on my husband to tell me when major things are happening! Thanks for letting us know about all the good links! I'll check them out. As an introvert and an HSP, one has to be somewhat guarded;being an HSP is a gift I didn't realize until I was much older.

    Thank you for being the wonderful HSP you! :)

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    1. Hey, Indigene! Yes! I didn't know about the term for it until a few weeks ago, really!

      Thank YOU for being YOUR wonderful, introverted HSP self! No wonder we've felt connected!

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  6. No doubt Becky you are a gentle soul and an Highly Sensitive Person. I relate 100%. I used to watch all sorts of things when I was way younger, but also used to be terrified after. Now I have to walk out if anything the least bit negative or violent is on TV or anyone else's computer, which is usually my guys. My energy cannot handle it.

    Thank you for sharing all the lovely links that you did. Embrace your sensitivity. It makes you the Special and caring person that you are. xo

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    1. Aww, thank you, Suzanne. Totally relate to what you're saying. I've noticed more and more the sensitivity in my daughter also, though it's expressed differently with her than with me. She's super sensitive to smells and she's very tactile: touch is incredibly important to her, but especially soft, soft things.

      Thank you, Suzanne! :)

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