Earlier this week I watched the lunchtime TV news while I had my sandwich.
It was unbearably bleak – the news, not my sandwich.
From world news to the regional news to the weather forecast it was a litany of war, crime, violence, death, climate emergency indicators and other dire stories.
I could feel my heart racing, my breath growing shallow, my mind whirling and feelings of fear, rage, hopelessness and helplessness growing in me.
I am old enough to remember ‘we interrupt this TV show to bring you a newsflash’ broadcasting or a ticker tape running along the bottom of the screen and a whole evening of TV programme scheduling being altered to reflect the news events of the day.
I can recall where I was and what I was doing when I heard of certain iconic events and happenings, often hours and hours after they happened because that was how we used to have our news delivered to us.
Our access now to 24-hour-a-day information is both a blessing and a curse, and it is good to remind ourselves that we may not have control of what is going on in the world but we do have control of our exposure levels to it.
‘News anxiety’ was first recognised by psychologists as early as the 1990s when access to 24-hour news channels was first available via satellite TV channels.
‘Doom scrolling’, checking your phone constantly, having pop-up alerts pinging are all distracting, taking our concentration away from what is in front of us and bad for our wellbeing.
In chatting to friends about how they cope with the bombardment of all that is bad in the world I got some great tips.
Some of them have filters on their phones, some have ‘black out’ times or limited numbers of hours when they can access news and social media.
Another friend shared some links to specific good news websites or social media accounts which have happy reports, positive tales and stories to make them smile.
Whilst we cannot help but be affected by world events, it is important to only give our attention to that which we are able to control.
If you feel passionately about something then writing to your MP, signing a petition, donating to charity or volunteering in a positive way to make a change are all great ways of feeling more proactive and less powerless.
Talking about your feelings rather than keeping them to yourself is helpful and may well help others too, particularly young people or those who may also be feeling isolated or helpless.
You know yourself better than anyone – what has worked in the past to help you feel more in control when faced with something which feels challenging?
Can you apply that action to news-based worries?
Can you rationalise or put things in perspective in terms of the actual danger or seriousness?
Can you take action to improve one thing right now?
Practising mindfulness or meditation can be helpful as can physical exercise or just getting outside and away from the news.
Reading a happy book, watching your favourite comedy show, playing a game, doing something creative or crafty are all ways to distract from anxious feelings and focus your mind on something positive and productive instead.
Set yourself a challenge of finding one positive story – either your own or identifying someone else’s every time you feel overwhelmed.
Link to Good News site: https://goodnewspost.co.uk/.