No News Is Good News?
Keeping up on current events is barely an option in today’s world. Where we once spent a leisurely hour reading the paper over morning coffee, we now are subjected to a round-the-clock flood of breaking headlines. In 2017, clinical psychologist Steven Stosny coined the term “headline stress disorder” to describe the stress response brought on by a constant siege of alerts from news sources, blogs, social media, and alternative facts. The negative power of a headline lies in its ability to make us feel generally disheartened, powerless, or vulnerable. Anyone, regardless of political stance, can feel overwhelmed by the everpresent hurricane of domestic and global events. A new 2018 study by the Pew Research Center revealed that 7 in 10 Americans feel exhausted by the news.
How can you protect yourself from the endless stream of depressing, frightening events going on around you?
Here are 4 ways to help neutralize headline stress:
- SET LIMITS - Allow yourself a window of time to read about current events, but cap it off. Think about not starting or ending the day with the news if you find that it riles you up. Periodically disconnect from social media and other news notifications. Consider deleting news or social media platform apps from your phone so you won’t have constant access to them. Turn off news notifications to minimize breaking headline alerts. If friends/coworkers are discussing the latest, don’t feel obligated to engage or share your opinions
- STAY POSITIVE - Mainstream news tends to skew negative, failing to accurately portray what is happening in society. Try to maintain a balanced perspective by seeking out good news. Sites like www.goodnewsnetwork.org and www.dailygood.org feature articles on a variety of topics including scientific innovation, heroic human acts, and other inspirational stories
- ACT LOCALLY - Reading about huge global problems is enough to leave you feeling paralyzed. Make realistic goals, stay proactive, and focus on what you can contribute to your city, town, school, family, etc. Sites like www.volunteermatch.org and www.idealist.org are great resources for discovering and connecting with volunteer opportunities near you.
- TAKE CARE - Above all, stay healthy, happy, and grounded. Eat well, get enough sleep, surround yourself with people who are supportive to you. As basic as this sounds, you’ll be able to manage stress, anxiety, and your own personal boundaries more effectively if you’re feeling balanced.
The news is happening around us 24/7, but we can do more than merely consume it and become overwhelmed by it. Stay sane, hopeful, and keep channeling your energy toward what you can do — there’s plenty.