When I was younger, I remember hearing people say things like “ignorance is bliss.” It used to sound like a weak excuse – something people said to avoid thinking too deeply or engaging too honestly. But over the years, I’ve started to take that sentiment a little more seriously. Not in the sense of tuning out reality altogether, but in learning to be highly intentional about what I let into my world.
These days, I don’t watch the news. I don’t scroll TikTok. And I don’t allow negative people to influence my day. It’s not a head-in-the-sand strategy. It’s a behaviour choice – something I’m constantly working on to protect my energy and focus. I’ve realised that if I don’t design some boundaries for myself, the world will happily fill every corner of my attention with fear, noise, and drama.
It’s not a foolproof plan. I still get pulled in sometimes. But more often than not, I’ve trained myself to step back. To observe without absorbing. To not let someone else’s mood become mine. I’ve learned that I don’t have the capacity to take on every problem in the world, and I’ve stopped trying to. That might sound harsh, but it’s actually an act of self-respect.
I see a lot of people drowning in everything. Every crisis. Every argument. Every piece of secondhand stress. And I get it – it’s easy to fall into that pattern. But I’ve made a conscious decision to stay out of it. I avoid engaging where I don’t need to. I steer clear of people who seem addicted to the drama. And I focus on my own lane. Ever heard the phrase “mind your own business”? That’s the choice I’ve made. Because when I do, I get to protect the parts of myself that actually matter.
I try to leave room for better things. Things like practice, gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, empathy – and most importantly, creativity. That last one is the baseline of who I am and what I do. It’s not just work. It’s how I process the world, how I find clarity, how I keep going. When I’m in a creative flow, I’m at peace. So why would I willingly disrupt that state just to be more informed, more reactive, more plugged into something I can’t control?
Simply put, I got tired of the negativity. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel it. I already carry the weight of a life well visualised and, like most people, sometimes traumatised. I just want to reduce how much more I take on. I want to be more selective about what earns my energy and my attention.
Some might say I’m being ignorant. And maybe they’re right. But this isn’t about denial, it’s about design. I’ve learned to filter out what drains me so I can stay focused on what feeds me. Because if I don’t do that, I’m no use to anyone – not to my work, not to the people I care about, and not to myself.
I’m not completely tuned out. I see and hear enough of what’s happening to stay aware. I ask questions. I stay curious. I just choose not to live in a constant state of reaction. I take things in at my own pace, and I respond when it feels thoughtful, not rushed.
It’s not a perfect system. But it’s one that gives me space to focus, to create, and to stay well – mentally, emotionally, and creatively.
Because in the end, I’ve realised I can’t give the best of myself to the people and work I care about if I’m constantly overwhelmed by everything else. So I filter. I pause. I protect what matters most.
That might look like ignorance from the outside. But really, it’s clarity.
It’s not that I don’t care.
It’s that I care enough to be intentional.
Ignorant, by design.