Why You Need to Go on a News Diet
Yes, bad news can affect your mental health.
KEY POINTS
During Covid, many of us turned to the news as a source of support, not only for information.
Consuming the news can activate the sympathetic nervous system, releasing stress hormones like cortisol.
Identify that watching the news may be a contributor to your anxiety and explore healthy ways to relax.
By Patricia O’Gorman, Ph.D.
Cottonbro Studio/Pexels
In my practice, I’m witnessing how stressed my patients are due to the news. My purpose in writing this post is to have you consider if this applies to you.
Covid hangover
In our post-covid world, you may be more anxious than before March 2020. Studies show that our kids are increasingly more anxious, and so are we.
This may be part of a Covid hangover. During Covid, we felt we had to follow all the trends, determine our risk level and be able to warn those we love. In New York State, our governor’s daily addresses were a source of emotional support for those in New York and listeners around the country. Many likened his daily talks to those of FDR during WWII.
The Covid epidemic may be over, but the intensity many have about following news stories is not.
A focus on bad news
Actually, bad news is the only type of news we hear, except for a sometimes feel-good story about the rescue of a puppy or the generosity of one person to another.
In the past week alone, we’ve been on the edge of our seats with the gut-wrenching and high-anxiety stories of the one-year anniversary of the mass slaughter of children in the United States, the potential tanking of our economy, not to mention the predictions regarding the hurricane season, and the beginning of the presidential race.
Without even noticing, you may still be consuming a high level of news just as you did during Covid.
Damir Mijailovic/Pexels
If it bleeds, it leads.
This is one reason why the news can be so stressful. Leading with attention-grabbing stories has been a media directive for decades. While this had one effect on you when our news outlets were only daily newspapers and what was then called the evening news, a one-half news program on three networks.
In our 24-hour news cycle, this has a profoundly different impact on all of us. It’s one thing to be informed, quite another to be constantly alarmed.
Getting you hooked
Your consumption habits compound the impact of the constant bombardment of bad news. You’re now watching TV on large screens with commentators speaking directly to you, emphatically.
These talking heads are sometimes as big as your head. They aim to engage you through the commercial break, keeping you anxious and almost desperate to know more. And they’re pretty good at this.
As a result, your media habits have changed.
News alerts are now a feature you probably have on your phone. And they rarely provide good news–which is why they’re alerts. Consider how many times a day you receive one, with this number increasing depending on how many news apps you have. This messaging is also intensified by the quick videos frequently accompanying these alerts depicting the latest horror.
News apps facilitate checking several times daily to see what dire event occurs. Scanning your Twitter feed may feel like a break. But it isn’t. Interestingly, you’re so conditioned to bad news that if a name is trending, your first thought probably is: has this person died? This results in posts saying, “I’m so glad so, and so is not dead.”
And TVs are no better. You may be tuning your TV to the news as soon as you come home, which could be an opportunity to relax, switch gears, and hopefully recharge.
The news might make you gain weight.
How do you respond to bad news? Often your stomach tightens just a little. You may hold your breath as you accept the message, read the alert, scan the headline, or your Twitter feed. Consuming the news can activate the sympathetic nervous system. The result is your body releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
Gaining weight due to your stress hormones and snacking to help try to calm down.
The news triggers intrusive thoughts of your personal trauma history.
Anger, resentment, or anxiety is generated by reading news articles, or hearing news accounts on the radio and TV, resulting possibly in yelling at the TV or even throwing something near it.
Increased substance use in an attempt to self-soothe your mounting media-related stress.
Crowding out of fun and restorative activities.
If you’ve had enough, then make a couple of key changes:
Explore positive news. Be a trendsetter and check out sites like Nice News and Inspiring Quotes.
Limit your news consumption.
Decide on one news show, switch channels to a non-news show, or turn off your TV.
Use your weekly phone summary to let you know how many hours a day you’re on your phone. Decide if you want to limit this and how.
Become conscious of how you handle your anxiety.
Do you sit back with a glass of wine or a beer and become more anxious as you find out what horrible things are happening?
Do you sit with snacks that are quick to soothe but maybe not healthy as a way of trying to regain energy?
Or can you try to relax by stretching, taking a deep breath, making a nice dinner, or walking your dog?
Identifying that watching news as a contributor to your anxiety can nudge you into exploring other options that can actually help you relax.
Now don’t you feel more empowered?
References
Huff, C. (2022). Media overload is hurting our mental health. Here are ways to manage headline stress. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/strain-media-overload#:~:text=Overw…
Nabi, R. L., Wolfers, L. N., Walter, N., & Qi, L. (2022). Coping with COVID-19 stress: The role of media consumption in emotion- and problem-focused coping. Psychology of Popular Media, 11(3), 292–298. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000374
Read article on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychological-trauma-coping-and-resilience/202305/why-you-need-to-go-on-a-news-diet
