Timely Mental Health Advice

How many times has this happened to you in the past week? You get a news alert on your phone or see an article posted on social media. You click on the link and start to read. All of a sudden, your heart rate increases. Your mood plummets. You start to feel a sense of anxiety and yet you continue to scroll until you are completely exhausted.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, 1 in 10 adults check the news every hour and 20% of Americans report a constant monitoring of their social media feeds. Additionally, more than half of Americans say that the news causes them stress, anxiety, fatigue, and creates difficulty sleeping. I can say firsthand that nearly all of my adult clients cite the news as a major stressor in their lives and even some of my teenage clients.

So how did we get here and how can we begin to foster a healthier relationship with the news?
Prior to the advent of the internet, news intake was contained to small pockets of the day. Whether it was tuning into the evening news hour or reading the paper in the morning, it didn’t place much demand on our time or attention. Fast forward to today, we carry the internet around in our pockets and every news channel is operating under a 24-hour a day, “breaking news” model. These technological shifts feed us a constant onslaught of information, most of which do not require our immediate focus or action.

Another phenomenon called “the negativity bias,” could play a role. This is a predisposition that human beings have to pay greater attention to information that is frightening, unsettling, or negative. This tendency is rooted in our biological wiring designed to assess and avoid harm. In other words, we are hardwired to consume more negative content in order to continue assessing these threats. It is this paradox that keeps us coming back for more and doom-scrolling for hours even if we notice ourselves feeling terrible.

I often hear clients mention that the world feels particularly tumultuous right now. On the one hand, I can’t argue. From COVID-19, to the war in Ukraine, mass shootings, natural disasters, an impending recession, and heavily divided politics, there is no denying that there is a lot causing us justifiable concern. However, this generation’s lot is not that different from those of the past. The difference is in the way we connect to the news. The negativity bias along with the constant news cycle keeps us looped in a pattern of consumption. Long term, this repetitive exposure can lead to anxiety, depression and problematic physical symptoms like hypertension, inflammation and fatigue.

Yet, there is hope. Here are a few small behavioral adjustments that can help create balance with the news.

Turn off news alerts on your devices
This might feel like a big change if you’re a regular consumer of news, but it is a highly effective way to regain control over your news intake. By turning off alerts, you are regaining agency over your news consumption rather than being at the mercy of app alerts.

Pick one or two reputable outlets that you support and trust
Social media can make news consumption tricky terrain to navigate since users have the freedom to post content from anywhere. Choose 1-2 outlets that you trust and check in with them on your own time. This way, you’ll know that you’re getting the information that you’re looking for and can engage with it independent of strangers’ views and opinions. Comments sections on social media can be inflammatory and triggering. The anonymity of hiding behind a screen can limit the poster’s accountability and increase hostility.

Have a news cut-off time each day and limit intake before bed
Reserving news for earlier parts of the day can help your body and mind settle before going to sleep. Having a set time each day when you turn off the news will give you a chance to release any built-up stress hormones that have accumulated throughout the day. If you’re digesting disturbing news content prior to bedtime, your body can go into a stress response rather than winding, creating difficulty falling and staying asleep.

Instead of pressuring yourself to perfectly uphold any changes you decide to make, it is important to accept the little victories as they come. If you used to spend three hours of the day reading news and now you’re down to one, accept this as a victory! If you check Twitter briefly in the morning and then log out for the rest of the day, that is a good day and tomorrow it may be harder. Curbing habits takes time and slip-ups are an inevitable part of the journey. Find what works for you and know that the simple act of trying to make positive change is a step in the right direction. As with any other habit in our lives, news intake is adjustable but requires mindfulness, consistency, and gentleness towards ourselves in order to achieve a healthy balance.

Author

Maddie Mays is an advanced clinical intern at the Counseling Center of the North Shore in Winnetka. Information at www.ccns.org.