While the media is a great way to stay caught up with events around the globe, it can also be detrimental to mental health when consumed in large quantities. News channels tend to present more bad news than good, because it attracts more attention. This can result in seeing far too many negative events, with not enough positivity to balance them out.
During these difficult times, how is it possible to stay up-to-date while also protecting your mental health? We’ve listed some tips below.
Give Yourself a Time Limit
It’s easy to get caught in a doom scroll of sad, frightening, or anxiety-inducing information. One article leads to another, which leads to more research about that event, and the problem snowballs. Limit yourself to half an hour a day to get caught up, and leave it at that.
Turn Off Those Notifications
Notifications are meant to grab your attention. The constant distraction can weigh you down after a while, and makes it difficult to adhere to a time limit. Try turning off those notifications.
Choose Reputable Sources
Some news sources will skew information and/or use overly emotional writing to hook readers. While not always easy to find, it’s best to find sources that focus on facts and take every stat with a grain of salt. Remember, statistics can be easily skewed and cherry-picked.
Look for Solutions
If you’ve read about a tragedy or current world issue, try to find what people have done to help (this may take some digging) and see if there’s anything you can do! News can feel overwhelming, partially because we feel powerless to do anything about it. Even a small donation, or helping to raise awareness, can contribute.
Balance With Good News
There are many social media platforms and news pages that publish positive news daily. It’s easy to feel as though the only events are negative ones, but there are plenty of good things happening. Here are some sites to check out:
Don’t Feel Bad About Feeling Bad
If you’re feeling overwhelmed in these times, you are not alone. Seeing constant disasters, politics, and tragedies would make anyone upset! If you feel you need some help coping, reach out to one of our counsellors here.
