Take what you like and leave the rest!

Nowadays it can feel like we are bombarded with information. For me, it can be information overload. We are told don’t do this and do that or it’s don’t do that and do this instead. Even though many of the people on the internet are sharing information with the best intentions it can, if I let it, make my brain explode!

Many years ago I joined an organisation called Al-Anon Family Groups. They help the friends and family of problem drinkers. My brother died when I was thirteen and my mum found it difficult to cope. Therefore she started drinking to try and black out the pain. The drinking affected me for many years.

In the end, after long discussions with my mum’s best friend who was also a member, I went to my first Al-Anon meeting. For anyone who is wondering I’m no longer a member of this organisation. When you are a member you are not meant to tell people for the anonymity of the group. It could risk other people in the groups lives.

Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous have many sayings to help people get through their day. One of them is, take what you like and leave the rest. I feel that the internet should come with this exact saying, TAKE WHAT YOU LIKE AND LEAVE THE REST. When I watch videos on YouTube, Tiktok, Facebook, etc, I generally tend to try to remember this saying.

It helps me to navigate what can feel like a mind field and I think it also helps me to make better choices. I feel with this tool I can make a more informed decision about the ideas I take onboard. Also I feel I can leave what I don’t need behind me.

In recent years I have found that I don’t tend to carry the ideas that don’t work for me around. It’s one of the ways I try to make my life a little easier, happier and healthier. We can all get bogged down with to much information and it can start to affect our mental health. For me, it’s about learning to know myself well enough to know what will work for me. I don’t always get it right but I don’t hold onto it if it doesn’t work. Hence why I’m taking what I like and leaving the rest.