News Making You Anxious? Here’s How to Set Limits.

We’re living in a whirlwind of uncertainty. So it’s natural to want to seek more information. It’s good to be informed!

But if you notice that the more news you take in, the worse you feel, it may be worth reassessing your approach.

“Negative inputs — whether news or an unhappy friend — impact our nervous system the same way,” says AbleTo Coach Advisor Carolyn Oldham. It can start a fight-or-flight response. You may feel tense. Your heart rate might rise. Your skin may flush.

But “the more aware we are of how our bodies respond to stress, the better we can help ourselves avoid a downward spiral,” says Oldham.

5 signs of a “problematic” news intake

The amount of news someone consumes isn’t necessarily problematic, say Texas Tech University researchers. But the nature in which it’s consumed can be.

Their research found that people with higher levels of problematic news intake are more likely to experience stress, anxiety, and poor health (pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, etc.) than those with minimal or non-problematic news intake.

Here are 5 signs your news intake may be problematic.

Transportation

• Becoming immersed in news stories instead of the world around you
• Accepting and internalizing the attitudes and emotions in the news

Preoccupation

• You keep thinking about news stories, even after you stop engaging with them
• Fearing imagined future events

Misregulation

• Taking part in unhealthy behaviors to improve your mood. Think: drug use, binge eating, etc… .
• Consuming more news to regulate the emotional distress caused by prior news intake

Under-regulation

• Inability to control your behavior, even if you know it’s unhealthy

Interference

• The behaviors above hurt your relationships, school/work performance, or other social activities

As the researcher pointed out, when these behaviors become chronic, it can lead to stress and anxiety. You’ll notice the signs of each overlap quite a bit with what’s above.

Symptoms of chronic stress include:

• Feeling more emotional than usual
• Feeling sad or depressed
• Feeling restless
• Feeling unmotivated
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth
• Muscle tension or pain
• Sleeping more or less than usual
• Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea

Symptoms of general anxiety include:

• Constant worrying
• Perceiving situations as threatening, even when they aren’t
• Difficulty handling uncertainty
• Inability to relax; feeling restless
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Poor sleep
• Muscle tension or aches
• Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea
• Irritability

“If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to a health care provider,” says Oldham. They can help you pinpoint the cause and find relief.

5 healthy ways to stay informed

We get it: You want to stay on top of what’s happening in your community. And the wider world for that matter. So here are 5 ways to form a healthier relationship with the news.

Set time limits

We know. This one’s obvious. But hear us out. One small study found that watching 14 minutes of negative news triggered higher‌ levels of sadness and anxiety in people than watching the same amount of neutral or positive news. Just 14 minutes. Many of us spend way more time than that scrolling social media.

Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes to keep your news intake brief. It’ll be hard. But over time, this method can help you figure out which stories aren’t worth your time.

Many smartphones let you control how much time you spend on different apps. This can help you make informed decisions about how you’re using your device.

There may be times when you need to exceed your time limit. For instance, if you’re watching live updates about incoming bad weather. Likewise, if you’re watching presidential debates. That’s essentially a movie’s worth of news. If you find yourself in a news “binge” like this, give yourself a break the next day.

Schedule “news time”

Do you reach for your phone first thing in the morning? Do you find it difficult to stop engaging with the news once you start?

If so, you may want to lessen how often you take in news. Instead of checking the news throughout the day, schedule one block of time each day to do it.

Disabling news alerts on your phone can also help curb your intake. Besides, if you’re interested in a topic, you’ll check the latest stories regardless. And unless you’re a journalist or a politician, do you really need to know every piece of breaking news?

“Being mindful of when, where, and how you consume news can help you create a healthier routine,” says Oldham. “A big part of mindfulness is simply awareness. Having a plan can help you achieve that.”

Avoid bedtime doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is the act of scrolling through negative news. It isn’t great at any time. But it can be especially bad before bed. That’s because both the blue light your phone emits and the difficult feelings doomscrolling can trigger can disrupt your sleep.

And that can create a vicious cycle. Because poor sleep can make it harder for you to manage the stress or anxiety negative news triggers.
“Sleep isn’t a ‘nice to have’,” says Oldham. “It’s a biological need that impacts our ability to regulate our nervous system and manage our mental and physical reactions.”

If your phone has a “Do Not Disturb” setting, turn it on before bed. Some phones. even allow you to block certain sites for a period of time. If yours does, block your favorite news sources from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Be selective

To offset negative news, seek out positive, uplifting publishers, like Upworthy and Good News Network.

Unsure how a news source is affecting you? Ask yourself how you feel after engaging with it. Do you have increased feelings of hope and shared humanity? Or are you left anxious and pessimistic?

Try to focus on ones that make you feel good.

Do something to lighten your mood

After you dive into the news, do something positive. It can help offset any residual fear or anxiety. Activities like journaling, listening to upbeat music, and talking to a mental wellness provider or friend can offer levity. And help you be more present.

“Planning ahead can be helpful,” says Oldham. “So think about what you’ll do after watching the news.” For example, plan to take your dog for a walk after watching the evening news.

Or, consider volunteering to put some good vibes back out into the world. “One thing I hear a lot, is that people feel helpless,” says Oldham. “It’s important to remember that you can’t do everything. But you can do something. And no action is too small or too insignificant. Plus, it can help that helpless feeling feel not so large.”

Sometimes no news is the best news

The news cycle never ends. So it makes sense that we seek out information all the time. But we have to protect our mental wellness, too.

Striking the right balance isn’t easy. But it is worth it. Be gentle with yourself as you try to disconnect more often.