I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like the information just needs to stop.
You know what I mean?
Here’s an example…I was recently sort of diagnosed with a low thyroid (I’ll probably get into this in another post as there’s a lot to tell here). And so, of course the inclination is to jump online and see what people are saying about it.
So I dive online to see what a ‘thyroid friendly’ diet looks like.
Herein lies the problem.
I visit blog after blog, after site, after expert, after guru, until I’m left thoroughly confused wondering who the hell to listen to?
Anyone else had this issue?
It’s like the internet is this sort of contradition….you as the punter get endless knowledge all for free….but of course it comes with a price! And the price is confusion. Overload. Overwhelm.
Back to the low thyroid diet.
In the land of the internet, some people are saying don’t ever eat raw spinach or strawberries or broccoli, while others are saying that high protein diets are the way to go.
Some are saying iodine is the devil while others are saying iodine supplements are the only way forward.
I mean, how are we ever supposed to know who to listen to right?
And it’s not just like this with dietary information, it’s like it with everything!
So, what are we to do in an age where information is so prevalent yet true wisdom is so lacking?
Insight #1 – get specialist advice
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and here’s what I think.
Two things.
The first one is ‘talk to a specialist.’
Instead of finding lots of mediocre opinions on one subject, go and find a recommended specialist who knows what they’re talking about.
While aunty google is often great at finding us what we need, she doesn’t always deliver. Just because someone’s at the top of google search, doesn’t mean they really know what they’re talking about.
Especially for health matters – go and get proper advice. And don’t stop until you find it.
Insight #2 – your intuition knows stuff
So, I have a belief (and this is nothing new by the way), that deep down inside us, we all know what we need. Our bodies have an intelligence that’s beyond what our logical minds can comprehend.
Call it intuition, call it gut instinct, call it whatever you want.
We’ve all felt it.
I mean you’ve felt it right?
Tell me that you haven’t ever had a moment of intuition where you just ‘knew’ it! Something didn’t feel right, or maybe it was the opposite. Maybe it felt so right that you just had to do it. Even though everyone around you was telling you not to.
We know what we need.
We do.
So why do we get so confused?
Well, we fog up our ‘knowing’ with other people’s stuff.
We don’t trust that inner voice and so we look elsewhere.
We go online and we decide to listen to complete strangers about things that we already know the answer to.
Take my low thyroid condition. I knew there was something up with my thyroid. I had all the symptoms. And I had this feeling that I just couldn’t shake.
Yet every single doctor I went to see turned me away.
Your thyroid’s fine they said.
“But I know it’s not!” I cried on the inside.
Cut a long story short, 5 doctors, 2 naturopaths later and I’m finally told that actually yes my thyroid isn’t functioning right.
Now there was a point to this story what was it again? Ah yes that’s right.
We know.
We know what we need. And when I think back to my body and my diet, there were clues. I naturally didn’t want to eat raw spinach, I naturally started taking B vitamins. I felt a spike of energy every time I ate kelp. My body was subtly telling me what I needed, but I wasn’t really listening.
I was choosing to listen to someone else online.
Finding that connection
You know, when I work with people as a coach, I don’t really do much. No really. They do all the work. My job is to help them get in touch with who they really are and what they really want out of life. It’s like assisting them to connect with things that on some deeper level, they already know.
Sure, there’s the research & the science behind how it all works. And don’t get me wrong – I’ve got bucket loads of that stuff. There’s the techniques and the processes to breakthrough limitations and old thinking patterns. Sure – these tools are needed for transformation to take place. But the real magic happens when I get people tuning into their own wisdom.
Because this is the bit that changes lives.
And I see it happen.
I see that change in people. Where the light bulb goes off. That aha! moment where something inside springs to life. Something changes.
It’s really a beautiful thing.
So…I wonder if there are times where your inner voice is trying to tell you something?
Those times where you’re online getting sucked into the vacuum of too much information?
Maybe you already know the answer you’re seeking?
Maybe it’s time not to listen to the droves online.
Perhaps it’s time to tune in and listen to your own wisdom?
Simple Life Strategy: How to Deal with Information Overload
1. Next time you’re caught up in information overload, just stop looking.
2. Move away from the computer
3. Consider if the information your reading is really valid? Should you be listening to it? Or could you find an expert on the matter?
4. Now take a moment to tune in to how you feel
5. What’s your instinct or intuition trying to tell you? Listen now and act accordingly.
Know someone who’s in the throws of information overload? Be kind and share these insights with them.
Tell me – how do you deal with information overload? What’s worked for you in the past? Leave a comment below.
Oh and thanks for listening. I really mean it.
With love
Zoë B
PS: Don’t confuse information with knowledge…there’s a real difference you know.
PPS: And wisdom – now that’s a whole other ball game.
PS ~ Sick of working just to pay the bills? Get my most popular, FREE online training here: My 3 Step process To Find A More Meaningful Career.
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