Too Much News: Where to Draw the Line

You’re constantly besieged with notifications on your phone about the pandemic. Every time you turn on the TV, you unwittingly turn to new channels that unleash newsflashes and images that you wish you could unsee. A well-intentioned friend or relative is frequently sending you information they think you will find useful, but it just causes you anxiety. Does this sound familiar to you?

Being barraged with news, whether we wish to see it or not, has become like a daily reality in the pandemic era. Although many people have normalized hearing about rising cases to a large extent owing to the prolonged period of the pandemic, many others continue to feel increasingly anxious in the midst of the second wave. A factor that might be playing a part is the inadvertent overconsumption of news.

In our efforts to stay well informed, we may simply be overwhelming ourselves needlessly. Sensationalistic journalism may have the ratings skyrocketing, but it isn’t as good for our emotional wellbeing. Similar to our body’s stress response mechanism, when it is short-term, it can mobilise and energise us to take necessary action, but when we are forced to function in this state on a long-term basis, it causes fatigue and causes more damage than help.

So here are a few points to consider to help ease you into a more comfortable and less anxious mental space:

1.      Assign a fixed slot of time for news. If you absolutely must watch the news, try to set aside time solely for it such as 20 minutes a day every evening instead of overwhelming yourself with news throughout the day.

2.      Say no if you must. If you feel truly overwhelmed by what you are seeing on the news or on social media, consider taking a hiatus from the platform until you can feel a bit more balanced.

3.      Don’t feel guilty. Many people tend to feel guilty if they are not following the news or sharing news. Help yourself first. Your emotional wellbeing is important, and the important news will most likely reach you in any case.

4.      Find small pleasurable activities to relax. Small daily rituals that calm you can be your go-to activity whenever you feel anxious thoughts cropping up. This may be colouring, journaling or anything else you enjoy.

5.      Adopt a mindfulness practice. It could be as simple as 5 minutes of closing your eyes and actively listening to the sounds around you. Grounding techniques such as this help relieve anxiety.

So where do you draw the line? When you start feeling more overwhelmed than anything else, it’s time to take a step back and recentre yourself. It is important to remember that our main aim during the pandemic is not only to keep ourselves and our families safe and survive, but to be able to cross over to the other side with our mental health intact. This pandemic is teaching us many things, but let one of the most important takeaways be to make our emotional and mental wellbeing a priority.

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Author: Debanjali Saha

Debanjali Saha is a counselling psychologist who works primarily with young adults using a compassion-focused approach in therapy. She is very passionate about Self-Compassion, a topic she has been researching since 2014. She has started a wellness community called Couch of Compassion, where she tries to help people relate to themselves with kindness through her writing and workshops.