It seems that only bad news is falling on us around the clock. Just a tablecloth-a self-selection, which for some reason offers exclusively spoiled treats. This is due to the fact that we perceive the negative more sharply. Negative news has a stronger effect on our psychological state than neutral or positive ones.
You pay more attention to bad news because you subconsciously try to protect yourself from such incidents. Bad news is a threat, so it's not strange that you get hung up on them. But the world doesn't collapse, sometimes it just seems that way to you.
News portals and mass media are very well aware of this feature of human perception. And they need readers who are perfectly attracted to tragic news. When we see an accident on the road, we will definitely turn around to look at the details, even if we understand that it is pointless to help. News releases seem to shout: "Hey, there are a lot of accidents in one place, let's take a look!" Naturally, if we don't watch, they will most likely stop publishing it, but that's their business.
Why resist the temptation to watch bad news? After all, negative thinking can't be so bad, since it warns us. However, constant exposure to bad news increases stress levels, which can have serious consequences for mental health in both the short and long term. Here's what Dr. Graham Davey, who specializes in the consequences of stories about violence in the media, told the Huffington Post:
When you see a news report about a tragedy, remind yourself that at the same time a lot of good things are happening in the world, they just don't tell you about them. They are not taken out to the main page. This does not mean that you should not care about the tragedies that are happening, and it does not mean that you should convince yourself that bad news is not so bad. It is important to keep your head held high and admit that you are being shown only half of what is happening.
If you know what affects you the most, you can determine the limits to the impact of the news. Jesse Singal, Editor-in-Chief nymag.com , says that bad news does not please anyone, but certain types of news bother you more than others. If you have already found out which tragedies are putting you under a lot of stress, try to reduce the amount of such news around you or at least do not start studying the details of the incident.
For example, you are oppressed by stories about the abduction of children. If you have heard or read one of them in the news — this is normal, do not ignore it, accept the fact that it exists. But there is no need to continue to study the topic, to dig into the terrible details of the incident. Looking for details of the tragedy that happened, you will not protect yourself, but you will spoil the mood a lot. Help yourself and find out what you should know only superficially so as not to get depressed.
If the recent news has really excited you and you feel mentally tired, meet with your loved ones. Susan Fletcher, PhD, in Scrubs Magazine explains that social life is important, even if you don't notice it. Spending time with friends and family, you will remember what is good in your world, and you will be able to share your sadness about what you heard in the news. The longer you carry the whole load in yourself, the worse you will feel.
Such meetings are similar to psychological support sessions: you talk about what you care about, and this helps to better understand what is happening and your feelings. John Sommerville, author of How the News Makes Us Dumb: the Death of Wisdom in an Information Society, believes that it is better to devote time to discussing and understanding the news than to follow its new details.
After talking with friends, you will not forget about the incident, but the stress will ease. Often, the fear of hearing the news is easy to overcome simply by telling your loved ones about it. Just don't close yourself off from the opinions of your friends: express your vision and listen to the others. The conversation should not turn into your speech and the assent of others, it is after discussing what happened that you will feel better.
It is impossible to completely isolate yourself from the news, but you can control their flow. You don't have to ignore all the world news, but you need to take a breather. Alison Holman, head of nursing at the University of California, Irvine, recommends avoiding an overabundance of news. Turn off the TV if they repeat about one incident on all channels, do not read the news feeds, take a break and ask yourself: What exactly should I know? If you are not in a danger zone or near the scene of an accident, why listen to or read eyewitness accounts for the fourth time? It's even worse to fall into the trap of news that no one really knows anything about yet, but they are already talking.
Shawn Achor, author of the book The Happiness Advantage, and Michelle Gielan, author of Broadcasting Happiness in Harvard Business Review, suggest disabling all notifications and refusing newsletters with news by taking a "news vacation". It's good to be aware of events, but you don't have to keep track of every incident of the day every minute. You don't need a constant bombardment of messages about another robbery or car theft. Unsubscribe from breaking news, disable notifications of news apps. If the news catches up with you in the car on the radio, switch the wave and listen to music or a podcast. Even better, enjoy the silence and the opportunity to reflect.If your social media feeds are teeming with bad news, unsubscribe from the accounts that post or retweet them, block the particularly annoying ones. If it is possible to disconnect at least temporarily from social networks, this is also a good idea.
If for some reason you can't avoid bad news, dilute it with good news. Balance the negative with the positive in order to understand that there are good things in the world. This will help you keep a positive attitude.
Good news or a story in the morning will energize you. But if you prefer to start the morning with the usual news, then at least finish reading with something positive so that the bad news does not bother you all day.
Take bad news not as a source of frustration, but as a call to action. Instead of getting gloomy from every news you hear and worrying about how terrible the world is, think about what you can do to help in this situation or prevent a similar one in the future.
For example, organize the collection and sending of things or money for the victims of the tragedy. You will not have time to worry, because you will be involved in active work. And you will understand that the world is not so bad, because there are people like you in it who make it better.
