The World's On Fire But You Can Save Your Own House
Political hate, wars, civil unrest, and other negative events are what makes up the majority of news. I'm sure you've heard, "If it bleeds, it leads". With cell phones in our pockets, news isn't confined to our morning or evening TV sessions or the radio during our commutes. Information comes every time we open our social media apps and alerts are constantly dinging on our phones. Like slot machines in our pockets, we won't turn it off or stop looking because the next alert might be "the big one".
It's hard enough to function in your day-to-day work and home life with the constant din of negativity, but it can feel next to impossible when something important is going on. You've likely experienced the complete inability to get anything done after a big news event. You may feel incapable of staying off your social media feeds for more than a few minutes at a time.
When the world's on fire, spray water on your own house first. Turn off the phone news alerts from the settings app. Cancel your newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Listen to music in the car instead of talk radio. Stop the automatic news podcast downloads. Delete the social media apps from your phone or at least mute any accounts that post news updates. Have music play in the background as you get ready, instead of having the news on.
Of course, these things are easier said than done, and there will be a period of anxiety and FOMO (fear of missing out). With the right mindset, you can turn that FOMO into JOMO (joy of missing out). Here are some things to keep in mind and help you get through.
Recognize that your frustration and upset won't change the outcome of the events and only serves to cause YOU problems. As a client recently pointed out, it's like yelling at your favorite sports team on the TV. They can't hear you and your yelling won't change anything. Instead of focusing on things you can't change, find something for which you can affect the outcome. Schedule a fun activity with a family member. Volunteer. Weed the garden. Take a bike ride or hike with a friend and vow to only discuss happy things.
Consider how you feel when you are constantly checking for updates. Does it feel like a rock in your stomach? Do you get a headache? Are you tempted to stress eat until the pain of indigestion drowns out everything else? Do an activity that lifts you up instead of bringing you down. Leave the phone at home and go for a walk. Eat an apple instead of a whole cake or bag of chips. Take a nap.
Accept that you can't possibly know everything that's going on all the time and that important information will make it's way to you, even if you aren't seeking it out. Think back to any time a major event has happened. Were people you know talking about it right away? If a life-altering or big event happens, someone will tell you or you'll hear about it in passing, at which point you can choose to ask questions or get more information. Give yourself permission to let others absorb the stress of constant news and practice acceptance that you don't have to be the one with the never-ending news feed.
Leave the phone at home and go for a walk
