This Is What Happened When I Stopped Reading the News For A Few Days
My job requires me to keep up with the news, but I decided to take a break for a few days and see what happens.
This is 2021, and the pandemic is still making headlines around the world. I’m sure the reporters on the frontline are suffering from pandemic fatigue.
We read the news because we want to stay informed, but given the rate at which news are constantly published online, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of ‘news addiction’.
Not All News Platforms Are Created Equal
We rarely pause to consider the media we consume: Is this good for me? Is this significant? Is this going to hold up over time? Is the writer an expert on the subject? By posing those questions, it becomes clear that not all news platforms are equal and that some can be harmful to society and individuals. This is where we need to exercise our own judgment and, most importantly, critical thinking.
Why I Decided to Stop Reading the News (for a while)
With no signs of leisure travel resumption in Singapore, it’s even easier to fall into the trap of short-term thinking that our lives and conversation revolve around Covid-19. But that is not to say that I’m going to ignore all the public health safety measures and pretend the virus doesn’t exist. I know the virus is going to be around in this lifetime.
The pandemic has certainly ushered in a new era, sensitive topics such as gender equality, racism, mental health stigmas that are always not brought up in public are now surfacing more than ever in the news. It’s all too easy to become sucked into the negativity.
Put a stop to news-related anxiety
My job requires me to keep up with the news, but I decided to take a break every now and then to stay level-headed.
Just like social media, news producers also perpetuate a culture of “tune in, don’t miss out,” “follow this, or you’ll be misinformed!”.
I don’t care about #FOMO. The time you spend consuming news can be used to create timeless content instead.
It’s high time we become more selective about the news we consumed.
After not following up on the news for a few days, I feel more at ease, and if I must read the news, I’ll go for the facts and data, not the opinions.
During a family dinner, one of my relatives brought up the latest disaster in U.S. Miami, which I had no idea about what’s going on, and this actually help me to keep the conversation going.
Calm amidst the chaos
I miss going on long holidays. Watching sunsets in another part of the world, being appreciative of the present moment. Just like when I stop reading the news every now and then, I gain peace of mind, and I get to sleep better at night.
Protecting my time and energy
With a limited consumption of news, I felt less distracted and worried throughout the day. Whatever thoughts that passed through my mind either mattered to me or aided me in completing tasks that impacted my life.
The world is a far better place than the news would have us believe.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of doom and gloom, especially when you look at only horrendous events and generalize the whole world as the same.
There’s nothing wrong with needing a break from the daily news feed, and it doesn’t make you any less ignorant.
Glancing through headlines and becoming more agitated or dissatisfied is not being kind to your mental health. In the age of the coronavirus, it is even more critical that we establish a healthy boundary between staying informed and succumbing to news addiction.
I’ll end this piece with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s timeless wisdom:
It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
I’m not suggesting that you cut news radically out of your life. It’s possible to stay informed and engaged in world affairs but in moderation.