5 Ways to Cope with News Overload

If the news has got you down, made you  keeping you believing that you “need to know” means headlines must be written to grab your attention. Pretty much nothing is an attention-grabber like fear. Fear keeps you in its grip, keeps you coming back for more, keeps you seeking relief. Fear also produces stress and stress can lead people with or without mental illness/substance abuse issues to manifest symptoms of anxiety. (For a symptoms list see NIMH).

How can you prevent anxiety associated with headling news?  Here are a few tips:

1. Numbers Check: If God forbid a plane crashes, a murderer goes on a rampage, politicians act like…politicians, before you give in to fear and anxiety,  check out the facts. Google the subject and look up the statistics and figure out the probability of those bad news events happening to you or those you love. They are actually probably pretty slim chances, right?

2. Context Check: Place troubling events in larger historical context. Is violence increasing? Probably not– compared to the world’s violent history, things actually look like they’re improving. Corruption rampant? Ancient and modern history are rife with examples of corruption and in context, today’s violence looks about average or even milder in some cases, despite appearances to the contrary.

3. News Fast: This is an idea that was popular several years ago. Just turn it off, tune out, and focus on your family, your work, your life.

4. Pray: Yes. It’s true. Prayer does make people feel better.

5. Connect:  If prayer isn’t a comfortable way for you to connect with the Creator, and even if it is,  do what you can to inspire and enlighten and bring out your best self–to me, giving is an ideal way to begin. Do volunteer work, help a friend or neighbor, and reach outwards in order to go inwards.

Are these over-simple solutions? Perhaps. And what can you do if anxiety has already got you in its grip? Ask your physician, therapist, spiritual advisor for guidance. There are breathing and other techniques, therapy methods, and medication that can help you deal with anxiety depending on the severity and duration of your symptoms, as well as other factors.

P.S. Today I received an email requesting advice, but beginning with:  “I know therapists aren’t allowed to give advice…”

This is not always true though sometimes it seems this way!  Sometimes everyone needs  helpful advice in order to help them reach their goals which is why I have no compunctions about sharing ideas  that people can explore and use in order to possibly alleviate their suffering. Any advice shouldn’t be blindly followed however, but if you believe  it merits consideration you might want to explore it further.