Whether it’s politics, natural disasters, or tragic events, it’s easy to experience anxiety from the news at times. It’s important to be informed, aware, and to respond emotionally to disturbing news. When you tune into world events that elicit emotional reactions — like compassion or outrage — you can be moved to engage with the world to affect change.
But sometimes you can be so consumed by the news that it affects your mental health and well-being. If you find yourself (or someone you love) faced with issues like constant worrying, preoccupation, difficulty sleeping, hyper-vigilance, lack of motivation, or deep despair, there may be cause for concern.
How do you manage the anxiety (or depression) that can arise with each news cycle? Here are three tips to help keep you grounded and feeling more in control:
Limit Your Intake – Take charge and filter your media exposure. Identify news sources that you respect and decide how you would like to receive your news. If you automatically get regular updates via email or social media and you are finding it stressful, change your preferences. Reduce the frequency if possible. Or maybe you’ll do better tuning into a news website or broadcast once a day, when you are in a position to best process it. Late night news may be just too anxiety-provoking before bedtime and a morning news overview would be better for you.
Also, consider limiting your social media. It’s not just news, but people’s posts, shares, and opinions that can trigger difficult feelings. If there are repeat offenders in your news feed, perhaps it’s time to block posts. Or maybe a self-imposed social media break is in order.
Connect with Nature – There is no better way to get out of your head than stepping into nature. Take a walk outside, listen to the birds singing, go to the beach and watch the waves. Experiencing nature is a great reminder of something larger in this world. There are things happening in the here and now that are not influenced by what is happening in the news or tied directly to human events. The sun setting, squirrels racing up a tree, bulbs sprouting from the ground are all happening each day, despite the latest headlines.
Even caring for and playing with a pet is a healthy connection to make outside of human goings-on. Simple, loving interactions with an animal — taking time to consider the world through its eyes — can help reduce anxiety.
Do Good for Others – Focus on doing something good for someone else with your energy and time, allowing you to make a difference and have an impact. It can tie into big-picture gestures such as political efforts, human rights, or disaster-relief, but it truly doesn’t have to in order to provide significant benefit. Aiding an elderly neighbor, volunteering at a school, organizing a fundraiser or helping at the local animal shelter can feel empowering, meaningful and rewarding – reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Instead of falling victim to the news, take a step back and make an intentional choice about how you would like to receive it, process it, and react to it. If you are finding this hard to do and you feel your mental health is at stake, therapy can help.
<Photo credit: Toa Heftiba via Unsplash>