Simple Ways to Free Yourself From Watching, Reading, and Listening to the News 24/7.

I did it and you can too.

It’s hard not to be constantly connected to the outside world. With the rise of social media, it has become easier than ever before to stay up-to-date with what is happening in the world.

But, if you’re like me, news can start to feel overwhelming, and you find yourself feeling more anxious.

If this sounds familiar, take a break from the news. Here are some tips on how to do so.

I remember growing up with a father who loves to consume news 24/7. My mother gets anxious whenever he watches it, and so did I. I remember once as a kid (I don’t know exactly how old I was), after watching the news with my parents, with all its negativity about violence, drugs, rapes, etc. Then I went outside and felt a sense of peace and quiet in my neighborhood. That is when I realized that the world isn’t as chaotic as it is in the news.

Of course, I always had discussions with my father as to why he watches too much news. His excuse was because he wants to be informed. And his response was that I watch too much music. For those of you living in the U.S., Canadians did not have MTV until the late 90s. We did have our own version of that channel called MuchMusic (Since the 2000s, that channel has been playing reruns of The Simpsons).

I did try to avoid watching too much news by going into my room, listening to the radio, and played with my toys. As a teen, it was still going into my room and listening to music, but not watching the news all the time.

I have to admit that I would rather be happy, excited, and entertained than scared, angry and/or anxious. Then again, some of the music that I was listening to can be political.

When I worked as a Creative Writer at my last job in a radio station, they did have the news once every hour, plus a one-hour news show at eight in the morning and at noon every day. And that didn’t seem to bother me. I guess it is because it is more auditory than visual. And I also learned a thing or two about journalism by talking to the reporters. But when I went home, I watched anything but the news, and I was on my laptop surfing the web. I even avoided reading the news online and just read all of my emails. I also worked on my podcast too.

My father passed away in 2013. My mother, on the other hand, does watch the news. Not 24/7 as my father did. She watches a lot of reality shows, though. When I moved back home because of this pandemic, I noticed that she does watch some CNN, which I question because we don’t live in the States. I also asked her the same question, that I always asked my dad. Her response was the same, that she wanted to be informed. She isn’t that anxious as she was in the past, but she does complain a lot that this pandemic will never end, or the world today is a horrible.

Lately, the only time that I am more interested in the news is when there is a press conference about the latest Covid-19 update. I guess that it is the broadcaster in me that got interested in not only the updates, but the media scrum. Scrum in broadcasting terms is where you see several news reporters gathering in one place, and asking the questions to whomever is holding the press conference. Maybe it is the way that they are holding that, with the majority of the press calling on the phone (Due to social distancing rules) and asking questions.

But all in all, I still avoid paying more attention to the news, and you all should do the same too. Here is the reason why.

Why is it important to take a break from the news?

A lot of what is being shown on the news is all negative. There is a reason for that, which I will explain later.

Here is the main reason why it is best to take a break from the news. It’s very stressful to our own nervous system and our brains if we are constantly bombarded with the negativity all the time.

It can make you anxious and nervous about the world around you. Furthermore, it can make you worried that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. And it puts you in a constant stream of depression.

But I want to know what is going on in the world today.

It’s okay to consume news occasionally. But you want to avoid keeping up to date with what’s going on in the world 24/7.

The reason why media only shows you the negative news, is because our brains are hardwired to hear or see anything negative. I mean that our ancestors living in caves had to be on the lookout for something that can eat or kill us.

So, the main reason why news media only talks about violence, war, or anything else that is negative is because of high ratings. Those who own media know this through constant psychological research and surveys.

What’s worst, nowadays, is the constant negative news and misinformation on the Internet. I know that some of you would believe anything that is posted on the web and social media due to algorithms and not doing any fact-checking to see if the information is true or not. I did write an article about how important for everyone to learn to be media literate.

If you are thinking to yourself, why the news only has a few happy stories to report. Well, those don’t have high enough ratings like violence, wars, or anything they report as negative.

There are some websites that do report only good news, like Global Goodness.

How do you take a break from the news?

That’s an easy question to answer. One of the ways, I already mentioned that I did as a kid. That is, go outside and take a walk. Being cooped up all day with nothing but bad news, will not only ruin your mind, but your body, too. You need to got out in nature. There is something about going out in nature that will invigorate your body and mind.

Another thing that you can do, if you are stuck at home by yourself during this pandemic, is Zoom or FaceTime with your friends and family.

Instead of watching depressing news, you need to watch a comedy. It can be either a show or a movie, but it has to be something that will make you laugh.

Take up learning something new on sites like Udemy.

Read a book, take up a new hobby, meditate, or do something that doesn’t involve you constantly checking the latest news all the time.

Better yet, you can still read, watch, or listen to the news in small bits.

In Conclusion.

Doing all this, you will find out that the world isn’t a scary place as the media makes it out to be. Your body and mind will benefit greatly without all these negative influences on your psyche.

References

Lindberg, S., & Morin, A. (2020, May 18). Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health? Verywell Mind. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/is-watching-the-news-bad-for-mental-health-4802320