PROTECT YOUR MENTAL SPACE

By Kellye Howard-Jue | MS-ing Around

Lots of heaviness is floating through the air right now. You feel it, don't you?

Fear and uncertainty are consuming our minds like uninvited guests who've overstayed their welcome. Even if you're not intentionally looking for the news—even if you've sworn off doomscrolling and deleted apps and promised yourself you'd stay in your own lane—the news finds you anyway. It's being pushed on us through social media algorithms that know exactly how to hijack our attention. Random political ads that ambush you mid-recipe video. "Did you see this?" text messages at 7 AM from family members who think they're being helpful. DMs from well-meaning friends sharing the latest crisis like it's their civic duty to make sure you're as alarmed as they are.

And here's what nobody's saying out loud: it's okay to not want to know every single thing that's happening in the world right now.

I know, I know. That might sound irresponsible or privileged or like I'm suggesting we all stick our heads in the sand. But hear me out.

Your Nervous System Is Not Built for This

Our bodies were designed to handle acute stress—the kind that shows up, demands action, and then releases. Tiger chasing you? Run. Immediate danger? Fight or hide. Crisis resolved? Return to baseline, rest, recover.

But chronic stress? The kind that comes from a 24/7 news cycle reporting every tragedy, every political battle, every reason to panic? The kind that lives in our pockets and pings us with breaking news alerts about things we cannot control? Our nervous systems have no idea what to do with that.

So they stay activated. Constantly. Your body treats each notification like a threat. Your cortisol stays elevated. Your inflammation markers climb. And if you're living with an autoimmune condition like MS, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or any of the other diseases where your immune system is already confused and attacking you? You're adding fuel to a fire that's already burning.

It's not rude to pause, step back, and limit these interactions in order to protect your nervous system.

Read that again. Slower this time. Let it sink in.

It. Is. Not. Rude.

Inflammation Isn't Just Physical

We talk a lot in the autoimmune community about anti-inflammatory diets. Cut the sugar. Add the turmeric. Eat your leafy greens. Avoid processed foods. And yes, all of that matters. What we eat absolutely affects how we feel.

But inflammation isn't just from what we eat. It's also from what we consume in our mental space.

Every outrage article you read. Every comment section you scroll through. Every video of injustice or suffering or political theater that makes your blood pressure spike—your body experiences that as stress. Your brain doesn't distinguish between a physical threat and an emotional one. Stress is stress. And stress creates inflammation.

So when Aunt Karen sends you that article about the latest political scandal with seventeen exclamation points, your body responds the same way it would if someone was actually yelling at you in person. When your friend sends you that video of something terrible happening somewhere in the world, your nervous system reacts as if you're witnessing it firsthand. When you open social media "just for a second" and suddenly you're forty-five minutes deep in a rabbit hole of doom—your body has been marinating in stress hormones the entire time.

And then we wonder why we're flaring. Why the fatigue is worse. Why the brain fog is thicker. Why our bodies feel like they're fighting a war.

Friend, they are. But some of those battles? We get to choose not to show up for.

Setting Boundaries Is Self-Care, Not Selfishness

Here's your permission slip (not that you need one from me, but sometimes it helps to hear it):

• You are allowed to not respond to every "did you see this" message.

• You are allowed to mute, unfollow, or even temporarily block people whose content consistently spikes your anxiety—yes, even if they're family.

• You are allowed to say, "I'm taking a break from news and heavy conversations right now" without explaining yourself further.

• You are allowed to prioritize your peace over other people's need to process their feelings through you.

  
  

Because here's the thing: you staying informed about every terrible thing happening in the world does not actually help anyone. It doesn't solve problems. It doesn't reduce suffering. It just makes you suffer too. And when you're already managing a chronic illness? That suffering has real, measurable, physical consequences.

This isn't about being uninformed or uncaring. This is about recognizing that you cannot pour from an empty cup, and right now, a lot of us are running on fumes. You can care about the world and still protect yourself from being consumed by its chaos. Both things can be true.

Let Your Inner Child Come Out to Play

Remember when you were a kid and you could spend an entire afternoon coloring? When time disappeared because you were so absorbed in making that tree just the right shade of green, or carefully staying inside the lines, or deliberately coloring outside them just because you could?

Remember when play didn't need a purpose? When doing something just because it felt good was reason enough?

We need that now. Maybe more than ever.

Wellness Tip: Schedule intentional time away from your phone. Start with 5-10 minutes. Tune into your breath. Maybe color or doodle. Set a timer and let your inner child come out to play.

I'm serious about the timer part. Because if you're anything like me, you'll feel guilty about "wasting time" when there's so much to do, so many messages to answer, so much world-saving you should apparently be doing. The timer gives you permission. It says, "For these 10 minutes, my only job is to breathe and be present and maybe make some ridiculous doodles."

Try it today. Right now, if you can. Put your phone in another room—not on silent, not face down, in another room. Get some paper, any kind. Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, whatever you have. Set a timer for 10 minutes.

And then just... be. Breathe. Doodle. Color. Let your hand move without judging what it creates. Notice how your shoulders start to drop. How your jaw unclenches. How something in your chest loosens just a little.

This isn't frivolous. This is survival. This is giving your nervous system the message that right now, in this moment, you are safe. There is no emergency. There is just you, your breath, and the simple pleasure of making marks on paper.

Small Acts of Protection

Here are some other ways to protect your peace without completely disconnecting from the world:

Curate your feeds ruthlessly. If an account—any account—consistently makes you feel worse after viewing it, unfollow. Even if it's "important." Even if everyone else follows them. Your mental health is more important than staying in the loop.

Establish phone-free zones. Meals. The first hour after waking. The hour before bed. In the bathroom (yes, really). Let some parts of your day be sacred spaces where the outside world doesn't get access to you.

Replace doomscrolling with something tangible. When you catch yourself reaching for your phone out of habit or anxiety, redirect. Stretch for two minutes. Water a plant. Pet your cat. Do ten jumping jacks. Anything that brings you back into your body.

Practice the "headline test." Before clicking on any article or video, ask yourself: "Will knowing this information help me take meaningful action, or will it just make me feel helpless and anxious?" If it's the latter, you have permission to skip it.

Create a comfort playlist, video list, or bookmark folder. Fill it with things that genuinely bring you joy—comedy specials, baby animal videos, your favorite songs, anything that helps regulate your nervous system. When you need a break, you have a pre-approved menu of options that won't accidentally lead you down a doom spiral.

You're Not Obligated to Carry Everything

One of the most insidious lies chronic illness taught me is that I have to be productive to be valuable. That I have to be doing something, fixing something, aware of everything, ready to help everyone. That rest is laziness and boundaries are selfishness.

But here's the truth: You're not obligated to carry the weight of the world while your body is already carrying the weight of disease.

You're allowed to focus on what's in front of you. Your healing. Your peace. Your small corner of the world that you can actually influence. The people you love. The body you're trying to keep as healthy as possible despite it working against you.

The world will keep spinning without your constant attention. The news cycle will continue whether you're watching or not. And the people who truly love you will understand when you say, "I need to step back for a while."

An Invitation to Breathe

So here's my invitation to you today: pause.

Right now, wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Take three deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Feel your feet on the ground. Notice one thing you can see, one thing you can hear, one thing you can touch.

You're here. You're alive. You're doing the best you can with what you have. And that is enough.

The heaviness in the air will still be there tomorrow. But for the next 10 minutes? For the next hour? For the rest of today if you can manage it?

Give yourself permission to put it down.

Your nervous system will thank you. Your body will thank you. And honestly? The world needs you healthy and regulated more than it needs you informed and inflamed.

Take care of yourself, friend. It's not selfish. It's survival.

At MS-ing Around, we believe wellness includes protecting your mental and emotional space, not just managing physical symptoms. You deserve peace, boundaries, and moments of play—especially in chaotic times.

What's one boundary you're setting today to protect your peace? Share with us below or join our community for support.

💛 MS-ing Around is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) empowering women and adolescent girls living with autoimmune diagnoses. Learn more at msingaround.org