Of course those of you who are fifty or older will remember quite a number of occasions when we had to cope with unexpected events which sent the world into shock and panic.

Of course, fear reigns high when events happen upon which we seemingly have no influence. And here is the rub. When the markets crash, wars are waged by our governments against other countries, we get a sense of total powerlessness. We believe that there is nothing we can do, fear and panic take hold and we lose sense of reason, we lose our intuition and essentially are out of touch with ourselves. All this is made worse by a media, which is less than independent and feeds us countless lies systematically inducing yet more fear and stoking the fires of mass panic. For the average person it becomes nigh on impossible to distinguish between truth and fiction. None of this instils confidence in our abilities to help ourselves overcome fear and worry.

Sadly, I cannot tell you that the good times are round the corner, because they clearly are not, Many fear for their financial freedom in amongst heavy losses in the markets, tumbling house prices and loss of jobs. These are very real concerns and will not be resolved over night.

I will tell you though that there are things you can do to keep your mental marbles together and remain sane. What I am about to tell you is to do with plain common sense and if you follow this advice it will stand you in good stead for the future.

We live in a world of information overload. Many of us have the TV or radio on the moment we enter the house, out of fear of missing something. Yes, our fear of missing out is huge. This fear of missing out has become part of the collective consciousness. If you meet with friends the talk is always of the latest news; and if you confess that you have not heard the latest news out there, you are looked upon as someone from out of space, well almost.

I should know, because I have decided three years ago that the constant media barrage is not going to help me lead a happier and better life. Quite on the contrary, since I, like everyone else in this world cannot totally divorce myself from the constant brainwashing of the media I reasoned that it is best not to expose myself to it in the first place.

I value my peace of mind and my mental creativity above everything else and will protect it with all my might. I read commodity market charts every morning, because this helps me trade the markets, which is one of the things I like to do. There is no CNBC, or any other news service in my house. I read a newspaper when I go shopping, and that means I get to see the headlines, which is enough, thank you. I know what is going on, if something very important happens someone will tell me. The many friends I have who dote on Fox news, and other independent services will send me information which I often just bin and occasionally watch or read.

I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly liberating this practice is. It is also a great help in remaining detached when everyone else is busy re-iterating the latest doom and gloom scenario they have heard about on their favourite television station.

You see, our minds like to play games with us. Your mind likes to project into the past as well as into the future. Neither are helpful, because the past has already happened and you, as sure as God made apples, cannot change it; and the future, well, that has not even happened yet. So, do I want to waste my precious time and life on worrying about things that have not even happed yet? I think not. Buddhist teachings talk about being the witness of yourself.

I can only urge you to practice becoming the witness of your actions. Cutting out any information that is non-essential in your daily life will help you greatly in becoming the witness of your actions and thinking. Learning to become the witness is the most powerful and self liberating personal development tool I know about. It gives you control over you. When you see how you do the thinking and actions that so often lead to results you do not want you will sooner or later change how you think and how you do things.

So, try not to watch television for a week, you will be amazed how little you will miss it. The oeace adn quiet will be tonic for your overwhelmed mind. I promise you, your life will carry on perfectly well, and you will feel so much calmer and more relaxed. I hardly need to tell you how that state will enhance your problem solving skills, increase creativity, assist you in coming up with solutions to create financial freedom and it will help you have more harmonious relationships too.