When I am aware of bad news (floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. I might try limiting myself to a strict half hour per day and see if I miss any big opportunities. It’s truly affecting my mind. That’s a whole list of things I don’t have to see and places I don’t have to go where I know I will be annoyed by something I don’t need to be annoyed by. And if you’re that person bringing it up, piss off. There is so much happening in the world and so much written about it, that the most you can hope to learn is “a lot about a little.”, During World War I, Ford sued a Chicago newspaper for libel after they referred to him as “an ignorant pacifist.”. It’s way better than reading the news. When we experience a threat, Miller says our brain activates the fight or flight response, and the systems in our body react accordingly. Anything I care about is already in my RSS reader or I’m sure I will see it in my Twitter feed. Email interview. You know, this article speaks volumes. Neidich, Haley. Br J Psychol. Store and/or access information on a device. It’s embarrassing to admit (and you can tell I’m not gainfully employed) that this has saved me 3 – 4 hours a day. Create a personalised content profile. Instead of getting all depressed watching talking heads discuss the latest economic crisis on the evening news, you could be doing proactive things like: Those kinds of activities would surely serve you much better. 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. I’m experimenting with that! Very nice. Firstly, I think it’s engineered that way, the “news.” Negativity breeds more negativity. Effectively managing your media consumption can help you stay up to date while also reducing your stress. Cook, Kellie Casey. With that in mind, the goal is to find the balance between feeling informed and educated on the situation at hand while not becoming totally overwhelmed by it. Knowing this, I’m not sure why anyone would subject themselves to all the negativity in the traditional news media. I agree with you. Being at least AWARE of what is happening does not require submersing yourself in horrific news on a daily basis. Ever since I made a Although I live in a large metropolitan area (Denver) do we really need as many news channels updating the news as many times as it does throughout the day? Why Watching the News Can Impact Mental Health According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID-19 outbreak is proving to be stressful for most people. We saw this dramatically during the big fires we had in the Southern California mountains. If watching the news is triggering regular symptoms of anxiety or depression, Neidich is recommending no exposure at all. I now have six + months of no TV news, and about 5 months of no newspapers or internet “news”, and my anxiety level has plummeted. What a great damn article. Taking steps to minimize stress during this difficult time is essential for both your physical and mental health. How can you influence someone that doesn’t read the papers, listen to Radio or watch TV? Wow, thank you, Jan. That’s one of the best comments I’ve gotten on here. … Then, have them check in with you a few times per week about the most important updates. Your email address will not be published. Measure ad performance. During an infectious disease outbreak, the CDC says stress can include … We consume daily has an impact on our site, which I bookmarked prior to my! 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