It occurred to me the other day that the impact of watching the news on people can be really detrimental to their mental health. I was talking to someone who started listing off the world problems and I could see how he was getting down and despondent about it all.
On the one hand, it is great to see more of what is happening in the world, to at least be aware. But, unfortunately, bad news sells way better than good news!! So all of the news sources fighting for our attention seek out the most catastrophic stories they can.
But at what cost?
The constant flood of demoralizing and negative news can massively affect our mental health.
It can affect our emotions, the way we think about things and consequently our behaviour, so which can really take its toll. It can drain you and leave you lethargic, and even a feeling of hopelessness to see the negativity throughout the world, whether it be about pandemics or wars, none if it is inspirational.
There is actually biological evidence to back this up as well. It is not just “all in our imagination”. Being on the receiving end of negativity causes stress and the result is that the body releases cortisol and adrenaline. When released under these circumstances, they can be really damaging to our body. So the news really can cause anxiety, tiredness, depression and even gut issues.
Experiments have also been done on this, and found that even a small amount of bad news has instant negative effects on our mood and attitude. Increased suicide in the news has a direct impact on increasing the rate of suicides happening. What an awful and worrying situation. Humans copy humans after all, and crime rates also increase when there is more crime on the news.
Don´t get me wrong, it is important to stay up to date with the world around us, but I would strongly recommend managing how much time you spend doing this. Balance is always so important in life, and this is no exception. The same stories are often repeated in the news, and on different platforms, so I personally tend to watch, feel informed, and then switch off to it until at least the following day. Maybe even allocate an amount of time that you will allow yourself to focus on the news, while being aware that you need to protect your mental health as well.
So as always, I want to help you be the happiest and best versión of yourself, so if you feel that this has struck a nerve and you would like to talk about it, then get in touch and I would love to listen and help.
I would like to ask a favour as well. Please can you do a quick survey for me using the link below to help with my research. I would really appreciate it.
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