Tapping In and Tuning Out
Ideas for resisting the culture of urgency and managing your mental health
The path to taking care of your mental health is an ever-winding road.
It’s the year 2025 and I don’t know about you, but so many of us are struggling to manage our mental health among a myriad of challenges. The economy isn’t in the best shape, new tariffs are being imposed each day, and we find ourselves living through what appears to be the normalization of autocracy. This is a really fun ride, isn’t it?!
Given this, it can feel next to impossible to keep ourselves well. There’s one little adjustment that might help things feel a bit more tenable for you.
I work with clients daily who come to the space of therapy asking the question, “How am I supposed to deal with this?” The tricky thing about therapy is, your therapist may not always have the answer, but hopefully they will always have an answer or idea to help you cope and navigate whatever it is you’re dealing with. Sometimes that idea will be a strategy that’s entirely new to you, or it might be revisiting something that’s been helpful at another time in your life.
Most recently, when clients come to me feeling beaten down by the world’s harsh realities, I’ve explored the idea of balance between tapping in and tuning out.
One of the reasons this idea of tapping in and tuning out has come up in the space of therapy is because right now our world demands so much urgency from us. When you turn on the television and see the news you hear about yet another thing you find disturbing. With that comes an ask, a request even, for both your attention and the mandate to do something about all those feelings the coverage inspires. If you log onto social media you may experience something similar. You check your email or phone and the notifications add up, all seemingly very important requests you must respond to and quickly. This kind of urgency is a lot on the nervous system.
It’s not wonder why we’re always so tired.
The natural response would be to tune out. And that “tune out” often means tuning everything out. That is, you might stop watching tv altogether, ignore friends who are reaching out, and isolate indoors. Sound familiar?
But here’s the thing, opting out entirely isn’t a realistic solution either.
What happens when you miss those emails from work? You put your livelihood in jeopardy.
What happens when you ignore texts from your loved ones or partner? They start to worry and become annoyed with you.
What happens when you turn a blind eye to the news? You later find out how you, or someone you love, has to now deal with serious consequences.
We have to be tapped in to some degree, but I argue with a bit less energy. This is especially true if you’re someone who is dealing with your own life challenges, as well as navigating systemic marginalization and oppression taking place at the highest levels of government.
The best tool we have in these moments to manage our mental health is to be intentional about how we spend our time and energy. We have to decide for ourselves when it’s time to be tapped in and active, and when it makes sense for us to tune out, hunker down, love on ourselves, and rest.
While the two may not be able to exist in equal measure at all times, having relative balance as a guiding north star can help you find your footing amidst mounting overwhelm and uncertainty.
Questions for reflection
How much time in the past week have you experienced a feeling of urgency to be “on” and respond?
What are your specific life barriers that keep you from taking the opportunity to “tune out” more? How might you start to problem-solve around said barriers?
What’s one self-compassionate phrase that you can offer yourself today as you try and manage it all?
Need examples of “tuning out”? Try these on and observe how your body responds:
Dedicating designated time to watch or read the news
Turn on “Screen Time” on your phone to monitor time spent on your device daily. Gradually cut back over time.
Opt for reading books (and supporting libraries by borrowing!) instead of more screen time
Find dedicated social service opportunities that feel fulfilling but not overwhelming
Stop reading the comments.
What else can you think of? What has helped you?