How can you turn bad news into brighter days?

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Bless Your Mind. It’s me, Isis, and I hope you’re doing well today.

There’s just so much tough news out there—whether it’s about society, politics, or just the craziness of social media. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, like it’s all too much.

So today, I want to talk about not letting the news take over our minds, not letting negativity fill us up to the brim, and instead, choosing peace.

今日は、ニュースに振り回されず、ネガティブな感情に飲み込まれず、代わりに平安を選ぶことについて話したいと思います。

You know, there’s a verse in Psalm 112:7 that says:
“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

詩編 112:7 にはこう書かれています。「彼らは悪い知らせを恐れず、その心は主に信頼して揺るがない。」

That’s a reminder for me. Worrying—what does it even do? Nothing. It doesn’t change the situation. And yet, when we think we have to fix everything, it’s so easy to panic.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we can be prepared. Like here in Japan, we’re always encouraged to have an emergency backpack ready, near the door—grab and go in case of an earthquake or tsunami.

ここ日本では、地震や津波に備えて、玄関の近くに非常用リュックを準備しておくように勧められています。いざという時に、すぐ持ち出せるようにするためにね。

Water, a flashlight, some snacks, phone charger… you get the idea. And yes, that’s wisdom. That’s being prepared. But worrying about it 24/7? That doesn’t help anything.

So live in today. Live in the moment. And be grateful.

A friend of mine once told me—(I wonder if she’s listening… hey girl! haha)—she told me she almost felt guilty sharing how peaceful her life was here in Japan, because back in her home country, there was so much violence and fear. But you know what? That’s not how it works. Don’t let anything steal your joy.

どんなことも、あなたの喜びを奪わせないで。

Even something as small as a hot cup of coffee on a cold day—that’s a gift. Even if it’s not Starbucks, even if it’s just a convenience store brand—it’s still a gift.

Japan isn’t perfect, but let’s focus on the good things happening in our daily lives. And hey, we don’t need to share it on social media either.

Humans seem obsessed with bad news.　人間は悪いニュースに夢中になりがちです。

Like, I was in a public bathroom with my kids, and there was something gross in the sink.

例えば、子どもたちと公共のトイレにいた時、洗面台に何かすごく気持ち悪いものがあったんだ。

I went, “EWW!”—and of course, my kids ran over to get a closer look.

I was like, “NO! Get away! You don’t know what that is, you could get sick!!”

And then it hit me—wow, human nature. We gravitate toward negativity. And once we open that door, more and more of it pops up on our radar.

その時ハッと気づいて。これが人間の本能かと。私たちはついネガティブなものに引き寄せられる。そして、一度その扉を開けると、どんどん目に入ってくるようになるんですよね。

So how about we make a habit of focusing on good news instead? Actually, let’s do that right now.

Something good that happened in the world this past month? Here’s a cool one—

scientists developed a rapid new cancer treatment, and 200 companies in the UK introduced a four-day workweek with full pay! How great is that?

科学者たちが新しい迅速な癌治療を開発し、さらにイギリスでは 200 社が給料そのままで週 4 日勤務を導入したんだって！すごくないですか？はい、イギリスに行きましょう〜w (that news was from goodnews.eu thank you!)

Alright, I’ll leave you with that.