Why You Can’t Process Your Emotions Anymore

It’s no secret we live in a culture that is increasingly divisive and fragmented.
We are coming out of the throws of a very contentious election season where many stories were told. Some false and some true.

Social media played a huge role in this situation and has exacerbated this fragmentation. But not perhaps in all the ways you would think.

Social media is a never-ending stream of information. When you consume social media, whether it's in a tweet, reel, TikTok, or status update, you’re receiving information. The information may be “true” or “false.” However, there is a new form of clip that is extremely addictive: the reel (or short or TikTok).

A reel is a short 10-second or so video clip. Some are longer. The problem is that many of these videos have no resolution. They just exist. Mainly are pointless. Perhaps it’s a video of a cat drinking milk. Maybe it’s a meme of a dancing cartoon head sticking out of a toilet (yes, that’s a real thing). The only thing worse than constantly consuming information is consuming pointless information.

Additionally, the rise in social media use has lessened the consumption of other forms of entertainment: namely cinema, television, reading, etc.: what we call narrative storytelling. And this is why you can no longer process your emotions.

Author Byung-Chul Han explores this subject in his book, The Crisis of Narration. Han states that narratives produce the ties that bind people together. Narratives create community and anchor people together.

Think about how families used to experience “family movie night” where members would sit around the TV and experience something together. Before this existed, people would sit around a fire and tell stories. I have many fond memories of watching 80s and 90s action moves with my father.

Narrative storytelling, whether expressed through cinema, television, novel, or even an oral story, not only binds people together, it offers the receiver a chance to process one’s emotions.

This is how God created things, of course. There has been narrative since creation.
Much of the Bible is written in narrative because it’s telling the story of what happened.

Furthermore, Jesus taught in parables. These were stories that explained the Kingdom of God. He did this so the listener could relate to the situation and then, as a consequence, process their lives. In fact, if you think about a sermon you heard that really affected your life, you probably remember a story that was told more so than a witty remark or sticky statement.

All forms of narrative can be healthy. They are not just forms of escapism. Yes, too much TV can rot your brain. But watching an episode of General Hospital is healthier than an episode of The View or Maury Povich. Why? Because soap operas tell stories. They don’t incite or demean people. Stories allow us to view ourselves and process our lives. And that is super healthy.

As a Christian, consider the media you are consuming. Are you watching, reading, listening to enough narrative? Consider increasing that consumption and lessening brain-rotting social media streams.

As you do, pick out appropriate works of art, those that won’t make you stumble or sin.
Google a list of the greatest movies of all time or the greatest novels of all time. Start there. Make sure you can handle the content (because what you bring into your mind does affect your heart - which is why I never recommend most horror or gore).

Read the narratives in the Bible. Watch film or television based on biblical events. Whatever you choose, give yourself permission to disengage from the problems of the world. Don’t just mindlessly scroll your phone. That literally rots your brain.

Invest in creative artistic narrative. It’ll allow you to process your own life. You’ll see yourself in the characters. You’ll cry. You’ll laugh. You’ll give yourself an outlet to express the emotions God has given you. And when you’re healthier in that way you can better follow Jesus and better love your neighbor.
Invest in your emotions by getting involved in a story.