Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Anxiety and keeping up with the news

I have a love/hate relationship with the news. I like knowing what’s going on in the world. I like to feel knowledgeable about what my government and governments around the world are doing. I like to be able to converse about current events.
But keeping up with it all drives my anxiety right up the charts.
War and other violence. Crime. Tragedy. Stories of the bad that has happened or might happen.
I get angry. I talk back to the talking heads on TV. I worry. I mull over the sad stories I hear. I feel helpless.
My reactions to the news go beyond the compassion that I try to have in response to others’ suffering. I make it too personal, and I feel the resulting anxiety and worry.
But lately, I’ve made a change in the way I take in the news.

I used to feel driven to keep up with the news. Part of it was OCD. I was obsessed with gathering knowledge. I would get fixated on a particular topic and think I had to know everything about it.
So I compulsively gathered information, searching the Internet and reading news websites; watching news broadcasts on television, trying to understand what was on the tickertape running at the bottom of the screen while taking in what was being said; reading the newspaper exhaustively, going back and rereading what I thought I hadn’t adequately understood; forgoing listening to music in the car so I could keep up with NPR broadcasts.
I had a sense that something terrible would happen if I didn’t know.
As a newspaper reporter, I of course need to keep up with what’s going on locally. But my search for information went beyond anything I needed to know for my job.

Finally, I got tired and fed up. I realized that keeping up with the news—or at least the way I was doing it—was affecting my mood and my outlook.
And the main thing I realized was that I didn’t have to know everything about everything. I could never know everything anyway. And nothing bad happened if I didn’t know everything possible.



I started experimenting with not being plugged in and tuned in to the news all the time. I worked out a system:

*I check news apps on my phone a few times a day. Two are for local news and two are for national and international news.
*I scan the headlines to get a general idea of what’s going on.
*I read some of the articles that I’m most interested in. I allow myself to skim.
*I rarely visit news websites on the computer. I stick with the apps because it’s quicker and easier to avoid getting distracted by the photos and flashing lights of the Internet.
*I scan the headlines in the local daily newspaper and read the articles that appeal to me. Again, skimming is allowed.
*I seldom sit down to watch a TV news broadcast. If I do, I listen to the first few minutes to catch the top stories, and then do something else.
*I still love NPR, but if a news story doesn’t appeal to me or upsets me, I don’t hesitate to switch to music.

I believe that I have a responsibility to learn about what’s happening in the world. To be a good citizen of the world, I need to understand it and take action when needed.
But my mental and emotional health doesn’t have to suffer because of that.

What about you? How do you keep up with the news?


41 comments:

  1. After 9/11, I was obsessed with having to know everything that was going on in our world. It was not good! Now? I am so SICK of what is going on in the world that I don't read newspapers, watch news on TV (unless something major is going down), or listen to news on the car radio. What I DO have is the AP mobile app on my Iphone. I set it with push notifiations. So when something THEY deem important happens, I get a message. That's it! And I'm fine with it :)

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    1. Kathy, I was the same way after 9/11. That's when my obsession with the news started. I felt compelled to know everything. But it's too much for me now. Thanks for your comment. I will check out the AP app.

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  2. 'I didn’t have to know everything about everything. I could never know everything anyway' - I really like this, very true on a lot of things.

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    1. Thank you, Gemma. It's such a familiar way of thinking with OCD. :-(

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  3. I feel like you I have a responsibility to know even if it is superficial in places- and I no longer invest in what I hear, this takes effort if I can't I leave the News and the World alone for a while. There is a force of nature in OCD isn't there-and I appreciate the more I learn and you disclose that there could/can be a struggle anywhere!

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    1. Thank you, Lynn. That's a good way to describe OCD--"a force of nature." It seems that way sometimes! I have found that I have to leave the news and the world behind sometimes, too. And you're right--it takes effort to do that.

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  4. I don't keep up with the news since we shut off our tv, but if something big happens, I inevitably learn about it online anyhow ;-)

    Sounds like you have worked out a way to keep up without overstressing it.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. I'm a work in progress with it. :-) Sometimes I think we'd be better off if we didn't have TV, but I would miss certain shows.

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  5. Oh I only scan the newspaper now and watch the news once a day to keep up because I think we need to know what is going on but you are right compulsive news gathering in our brains is not a happy thing to do for ourselves. Take care Tina HUG> B

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    1. Thanks, Buttons. Sounds like you have a good system to stay informed but not be compulsive about it. There's so much in our own lives that we shouldn't miss.

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  6. I must admit I am a bit obsessed with keeping up with the news - especially political news. I love it. I have a CNN app and an MSNBC app on my phone and also a RealClearPolitics app LOL. I think I may go a bit overboard :)

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    1. Thanks, Keith. I think it's only a problem if you don't enjoy it and you get stressed out over it. If you enjoy being a news junkie, embrace it! :-)

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  7. it's so shameful, but true, i don't!! the hubs fills me in on the big things, otherwise i don't know.

    i didn't even know about the boston bombing until the next day ;(

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    1. Debbie, it's not shameful. It's what you're comfortable with, and that's what is important. I think we're so used to having instant news nowadays, we forget that it used to be that people learned about even big events days after they happened. Thanks for your comment.

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  8. i try to have the evening news playing in the background so i can catch the stories i want to actually listen to. i read headlines and a few articles on msn.com. i subscribe to the local newspaper. that's all.

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    1. Thanks, Theresa. Sounds like you have a good system. Sometimes that's how I listen to the news on TV, too--in the background. Then when it gets beyond the top stories, I stop listening.

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  9. It's good that you have conquered one of the things that causes you stress and anxiety. I'm a news junkie. I read the paper and listen to a few newscasts . I also listen to a few radio commentary shows. I've also found Twitter to be a good lead to stories I'm interested in.

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    1. Thanks, Red. Being so obsessed with the news was causing a lot of anxiety, so I am glad that I was able to move beyond it. I have found Twitter to be helpful, too--sometimes it's where I find out about breaking news. Then I can search a bit and find out more and then--stop when I've had enough. :-)

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  10. I watch the local news at 6 p.m. I agree with Red, it is good that you have conquered one of the things that causes you stress and anxiety.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. It took me a while to get past thinking I needed to know more and more. But gradually the anxiety of NOT knowing ebbed away.

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  11. I have a tendency to become obsessed with the news also. I've cut way back and am doing some of the same things you've mentioned here. I find that skimming is okay, and that i don't always need the exhaustive in depth version. I get way to upset and internalize it far too much! You have some great ways to deal with it here Tina! And i'm going to put them into action right away! Thank you for sharing. :). And i'm so glad these methods are working for you and you feel better!

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    1. Thank you, Mary. I am the same way--I get so upset about things that I really have no control over. I think there's a time to be upset at what we hear--but not all the time.

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  12. Completely understand the "love/hate relationship", and anxiety levels about the news. Sounds like you have found ways to stay informed, but not overwhelmed. Yay for you!!

    I don't watch television anymore and have about three go-to internet news sites (one local), where I usually only read the headlines. Or like you, skim through an article of interest. It is too distressing for me to do more than that. I just do what I am able to, and work hard at letting go of things beyond my current capacities.

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    1. Thanks, Becky. I like that "informed, but not overwhelmed." And I like your attitude of keeping up in a way that's not distressing to you, doing what you can. That's what I'm aiming for!

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  13. This is going to sound horrible, but I figure if there's anything worth knowing, I'll find out via Facebook or Twitter. So far, it's worked. But Facebook is a whole other ball of cheese....

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    1. Thanks, Kim. I don't think that sounds horrible. It's what works for you, and that's fine in my book.

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  14. This is the second blog post that I've read in a row that is talking about the state of our world and how we deal with the bombardment of news that's available.

    The problem I have is my suspicion about the accuracy of ANY news that we get. It feels as though we are being manipulated on so many levels, that it's hard to know what's really happening.

    I watch the news occasionally. Hubby reads The New York Times and passes along items of interest. I read things on the Huffington Post, but try (sometimes successfully) to avoid reading the comments. I really have to limit my reading and viewing to manage my anxiety levels.

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    1. Thanks, Nadine. You bring up a good point--the accuracy of the news and, what concerns me, too, the way the news is presented. I try to use a variety of sources for (hopefully) an accurate and broad view.

      I like Huffington Post, but like you, have to stay away from the comments. Reading those only upsets me.

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  15. Not just for the news, but I do believe in NOT learning about everything for the sake of mental health! I've always been a reader, who read everything, but after a while, I started making myself not read everything and skim/skip over things if I thought they would bother me or not learning about everything. I don't have to know everything and I've found that it's better if I don't know everything.
    I don't have a TV or get the newspaper so I don't have issues with that but I do have the internet and a FB feed... One thing that was bothering me for a while was on my health pages on FB people would put up all kinds of exposes about foods and stuff and I found I just didn't want to know it all. It's too much!

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    1. Thanks, Kristina. You make a great point. I want to be informed, but I don't need to be completely informed about everything. Sometimes it's just too much information.

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  16. Hi Tina, I can't do the news, it creates a lot of anxiety for me. Especially tragic news, it makes my intrusive thoughts get out of control. I really like your system with the apps, what I have done is create Google alerts on the news that interest me.

    Madison:-)

    .

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    1. Thanks, Madison. Tragic news works on my negative and intrusive thoughts, too. It's difficult for me to let things go and not dwell on what I don't need to dwell on. That's a good idea, to use Google alerts.

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  17. Great post, Tina! I'm afraid I've gone too far in the direction of NOT listening/reading/or seeking out the news, as I often find it so upsetting. If it weren't for my husband filling me in on what I need to know, I would really be in the dark!

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    1. Thanks, Janet. It sounds like you have a system already in place--your husband keeps you informed. Larry shares interesting news with me, too. It helps a lot.

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  18. You've definitely got a good plan there - and am glad you've found a way that makes you feel comfortable and not overwhelmed.

    I made a decision about six years ago to never watch the news. The down side to all of that, is of course not knowing a lot of what goes on. I've watched the extremely urgent pieces - Boston, Newtown, etc. and turn it off after about a minute or two.

    I don't like to watch it for many reasons - most importantly being that I feel they over dramatize stories. I don't feel it's appropriate for people to be splattered all over the news, especially if their is no need for them to be (not a danger to the community, etc).

    Ahh, I've spoken enough!

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    1. Thanks, Amanda. I hear you on the over-dramatization of the news. There are certain news outlets that I have a problem with because of the way they present the news. It's usually easier for me if I just read stories of interest than watch them on TV--that way I have more control over what I take in.

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  19. I tend to be a news hound around election time -- politics intrigues me. Otherwise, I listen to news radio during the day but do not watch any news on TV. I've learned not to get too invested in any story unless it impacts us personally.

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. I'm interested in politics, but they upset me, too. I would rather read about the candidates and their positions than watch them on the news, or in their commercials. I am working on not taking the news too personally. I've gotten to the place where if something on the radio or on TV is upsetting, then I just turn if off until the story is over.

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  20. I was a news junkie for a long time. I'm still tuned in somewhat - through my twitter feed: Techie stuff, spiritual stuff...BBC, NPR, PRI, NY Times. Local news rattles me.

    I like to know a bit about what's going on in each continent, BBC trained me to think that way I guess, ha.

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    1. Thanks, Bobby. That's a good way to go about it--knowing at least a bit about each continent's news. That gives a broad view, I would think.

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  21. I'm sure I've blogged about my struggles with news. I've had to just plain quit watching it for the most part and just skim headlines.

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