Tips for Managing News Anxiety
March 9, 2022
By L. Allison Earl, LBHP, DBH Candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute
We have all had those days where it seems like all we see and hear about in the news is negative. We all know that we need to move past only focusing on the bad news that we see. With so many different points of view, it can be challenging to know what are good sources and which are bad ones. For those who fall either far left or far right, they have the particular news outlets they prefer to follow due to their belief system and political affiliation.
Some tips for managing anxiety related to the news are limiting what information you are watching. With the news cycle running all day, there is no need to fill your tank with whatever the news outlets are constantly feeding you at that time. Be mindful of where you are getting your news. Anyone can post items that look like news that will only increase your anxiety.
Another tip is to limit your social media usage. Social media is a platform that anyone can say or post anything they want. Remember when Trump was running for and became president? That is when the “Fake News” started coming out. Fake news has not stopped coming out. We no longer have Tom Brokaw’s delivering the news where we knew we could trust what he said and knew it was not biased. It seems that now, all the information is biased one way or the other.
Another tip is to have expert stress management techniques. What are your coping skills? Do you have any? These are a couple of questions you can ask yourself when you feel that your heart rate is rising and getting stressed out. One way to manage your stress and anxiety is to identify a safe/calm place for yourself and “go on a trip.” When you go on the trip, connect all five of your senses to the place you go. This technique is called pleasant imagery, and it allows you to distract your brain from whatever is causing the anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are proven to have physical effects if not monitored and treated correctly. Untreated anxiety can lead to chronic health conditions, upset stomach, and other physical problems. One thing to remember is that anxiety about the news is normal. We cannot control everything in the news, so consumers must note what they are watching to limit the negative news to not add to their current anxiety.
Lastly, one of the best stress-reduction techniques is to exercise. Rather than sitting at home watching the news, get outside and increase your mindfulness!
References:
How to deal with news anxiety. Headspace. (2022). Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.headspace.com/stress/news-anxiety
Raypole, C. (2021, September 9). Physical symptoms of anxiety: What your body may be telling you. Healthline. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/physical-symptoms-of-anxiety
