9 Healthy Tips Towards Consuming The News 📺 📰
As always, I send peace and light to you all my beloved Cupsters ✨️ Thank you for your interest in yet another Mental/ Emotional Well-being topic with me 🫖🍰 Today we will explore:
"Is watching the news bad for mental health?" This was something I became curious of after feeling so drained and a bit sad after a quick break from household chores to check out the news. Luckily, Sara Lindberg, M.Ed of verywellmind.com was able to provide insight on this exact question HERE where she includes various insights of medical professionals on this topic, as well as 9 healthy tips towards consuming the news.
The media we consume daily has an impact on our thinking, behavior, and emotions. While staying up to date on local and national news, especially as it relates to mandates and health updates, is critical during this time, experts say over-consumption of the news can take a toll on your physical, emotional, and mental health. The goal is to find the balance between feeling informed and educated on the situation at hand while not becoming totally overwhelmed by it.
As stated by Logan Jones, PSYD, "Consuming too much of this kind of news, whether actively or passively, can be very toxic, and what you hear has an impact on your mood".
“It can be damaging to constantly be reading the news because constant exposure to negative information can impact our brain,” says Annie Miller, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW. Consuming the news can activate the sympathetic nervous system, which causes your body to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Then, when a crisis is happening, and we are experiencing this stress response more frequently, Miller says physical symptoms may arise. Some of the most common symptoms are fatigue, anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.
9 Healthy Tips Towards Consuming The News 📺🗞
1) Limit Your Time Each Day: Less than 30 minutes per day total of social media scrolling and news exposure combined is recommended.
2) Schedule a "Worry Time": Scheduling a “worry time” each day is a common strategy for managing the symptoms related to anxiety disorders. Miller says this technique is also helpful for watching and digesting the news cycle. Then, choose a time that is far enough away from your bedtime so that your brain has time to settle before you go to bed. The idea, says Miller, is to minimize worry and news intake by scheduling it into your day. After your worry time is over, Miller says to put the news aside and remind yourself that it’s not time to worry right now and move onto other things.
"Your brain will eventually get used to this new routine and it will start to be able to let worries go more easily." — Annie Miller, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW.
3) Gauge How You Feel Before Watching: Once you commit to limiting the amount of news you watch, Ashleigh Edelstein, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says the next step is to gauge how you feel before and after watching to understand how it's affecting you. Ask yourself the following question:
Do I feel informed and calm, or panicked, angry, and/or pessimistic?
If it's the latter, Edelstein says to consider how much news you're consuming and the sources you’re getting it from, and make an intention to reduce your consumption.
4) Watch Reliable News Outlets: “A healthy way to approach the news cycle is to rely on outlets you know are credible, have experienced reporters who do their research, and provide balanced perspectives,” says Logan Jones, PSYD. He also says to be mindful of how much you consume. "You probably have set times every day when you eat, and you can do the same with news. Check in with what’s going on in the world by consuming the sources that nourish you, and then move on to something else".
5) Get A News Summary From Close Friends Or Family: If watching the news is triggering regular symptoms of anxiety or depression, ask a close friend or loved one to filter the news for you. Then, have them check in with you a few times per week about the most important updates.
6) Subscribe To A Newsletter Or Podcast: Rather than flipping channels and gathering part of news stories from different outlets, a lot of people find it helpful to subscribe to a daily newsletter or news podcast, as this automatically limits the time and content for you. Plus, you can listen to a podcast while you exercise, which can help keep your anxiety and worry levels low.
7) Recite A Helpful Mantra: Here, I'd like to share this article on ways to use/recite helpful mantras to reduce stress, especially after consuming a large amount of news/media.
8) Limit Your Exposure To Other Stressors: Give yourself permission to limit your exposure to certain people right now. If you have a family member who is constantly posting links to questionable articles from unknown sources, go ahead and unfollow them for now. If a friend or coworker insists on having current events-related conversations that don’t feel productive and only serve to increase your anxiety, consider putting some boundaries in place with them.
9) Do Something Healthy After Watching The News: To help combat feelings of fear, anxiety, and worry that often accompany negative news, choose to do something positive or healthy immediately after, like taking a walk, calling a friend, or working on a hobby.
Thank you very much for the time you took out to reach the bottom of this thread, have some fruit cakes as a token of my appreciation ☺️ Along with 18 Additional Tips To Reduce Stress and a wonderful link to an Australian magazine site called "Breathe Magazine" that was shared in a recent Anxiety Support Session by one of the Members. 😊
Optional Reflection Questions:
(1) What do you believe is the connection between your amount media/news consumption and your Mental and Emotional Well-being?
(2) Do you feel that keeping up with current events is harmful or helpful for our overall well-being?
(3) Imagine this: What do you think society would look like if everyone lived their lives without consuming news/media?
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@SirenOfSerenity
What do you believe is the connection between your amount media/news consumption and your Mental and Emotional Well-being?
Media consumption can certainly take a toll on our well-being. I have definitely experienced feeling a bit down after turning on the news and seeing a lot of negative reporting.
Do you feel that keeping up with current events is harmful or helpful for our overall well-being?
I think it is a bit of both. I think it is important to keep up with current news. However, if it is not done in moderation, it can be harmful. As stated, a healthy balance is a must!
Imagine this: What do you think society would look like if everyone lived their lives without consuming news/media?
I think society would benefit. People would have a more positive outlook.
Thanks for the insightful read! 💛✨
Thank you @innateJoy9602 😊!