Bad news. Sometimes it feels like it’s everywhere, especially when you turn on the TV or jump online. So, how do you deal with it when you see it EVERYWHERE?
Bad news is hard to avoid when it starts ‘trending’ on social and when media outlets and internet trolls get hold of it.
One newsworthy story leads to a raft of articles which generate thousands of comments, filling your newsfeed with all types of negativity. This can also leave you with a bad impression of humanity and feeling stressed out to the max.
So here are my top 5 top tips to help make your life feel a little bit easier because bad news is a wee bit hard to avoid at the moment, and it’s perfectly normal if you’re feeling anxious!
1. Avoid the news!
Yep, the best thing to do is to avoid the news at all costs. And by news, I mean news in its many formats, including TV, newspaper, magazines, news feeds on Facebook, Twitter trending hashtags, I mean everything.
I see it as self-preservation and choosing to see the brighter side of life.
It’s also about being in control of what information you are taking in at any given moment, only when you are ready.
Only when the propaganda machine has died down, that is when you can choose to dip your toes into the media pond and decide what you will and won’t digest. You can also make a smarter decision about where you get this information from (i.e. reliable sources).
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.
Helen Keller
2. Don’t entertain trolls
When I’ve read a good article or social media, I tend to make the error of scrolling down to read the comments.
Big mistake in every case.
As my anger and frustration peak, I find myself composing witty or damning retorts to shut them down or just sitting there perplexed over the number of idiots and mean people who haunt the internet.
So what do you do?
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!
That’s it! Don’t read comments, do not reply to comments, and delete general horribleness.
Also, before you follow or respond to everyone, check they are on par with your values – that they are someone you actually want to connect with. And if you make a mistake, no biggy. Just unfollow, unlike, jump ship – and don’t feel bad about it!
3. Talk about everything and anything else
Add the news to the list of things you don’t talk about, along with religion and politics (unless you are with your kind of people). The thing is, some people love to carry on with a topical news item.
So what do you do?
As a general rule of thumb, I don’t do small talk, BUT I do love stupid talk and a good heartfelt story. Movies, books, TV shows, travel, geeky fan-girl stuff, music, life, love, lessons learned and all that stuff. And if it makes me laugh, even better!
Tune out and tune in to those directly in front of you. I guarantee there’s plenty you don’t know about them and that once you both open up, you will find much more interesting stuff to talk about than what’s happening in the news.
Note: the exception to this rule is if you and the other party are opposites… in this case, silence is the best option!.
Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.
Allen Klein
4. Do the opposite – flood the internet with positive stuff
There’s a reason why there are so many quotes, memes, and other inspirational shit on the internet. Because it makes most of us FEEL good, it detracts from all the negative stuff going on in the world or our personal lives.
Sure, they annoy some people, but generally, people love a good positive story, quote, picture, meme, or video…
So what do you do?
We can all do our bit and create a positivity tsunami, so go forth and flood the internet!
5. Unplug
What about when bad news is everywhere you turn, even when you are trying to escape it by avoiding the news?
So what do you do?
The only real solution is to tune out completely – to unplug and spend some glorious time offline.
But going cold turkey, when so many of us are addicted to everything online, can be a challenge. So here are some ideas you can step through (baby steps!) to help you on your way to unplugging:
- Turn off the TV
- Don’t listen to the radio
- Remove Apps from your smartphone (start with Facebook – this also doubles as a timesaver!)
- Curate your feeds wisely – read content that’s positive and enhances your life
- Unsubscribe from news sites and blogs
- Turn off all notifications
- Leave your phone at home
- Unplug completely – start with a few hours, then a day, and work up to a few days or even a week.
Yes, I’ve had some lapses in judgment and still get riled up by the odd news story, but generally, I’m much happier, less anxious and positive, with a good opinion of most people in the world. Yeah, I’ve become a glass-half-full person after years of being a glass-half-empty person, and the best news is – you can become one too!
Positive anything is better than negative nothing.
Elbert Hubbard
Bad news and anxiety
My anxiety started flaring up a few years ago, so I attempted to stop watching the news, ESPECIALLY when traumatic events happened worldwide.
And do you know what?
It worked.
My anxiety eased, I had more time on my hands, and most importantly, I had head space. I could use the headspace to focus on the positive and the good things in life.
In retrospect, my anxiety had been triggered by my reactions to various world events, including the tendency to binge-watch and read news story after news story. This would leave me saddened and stressed out by what was happening in the world and increased fear.
It wasn’t easy, and it still isn’t. It’s so easy to immerse myself in a good Twitter rant, especially when it comes to the state of world politics, the environment … so many things! So it takes work.
