5 Ways to Protect Your Mental Health When the News is Overwhelming
Artwork by Jan Buchczik
Staying informed is important but being constantly inundated with images and stories about troubling events can be tough on our mental health – particularly when our sense of safety has already been shaken by the pandemic.
If the news is triggering fresh waves of fear and anxiety right now, here are 5 ways to cope:
1. Limit your exposure
It’s important to manage our news intake during worrying times. It’s natural to want to know what’s going on in the world, but too much news can be overwhelming. Find a couple of trusted sources that you can rely on and set a time limit for how much you consume.
Of course, it’s a privilege to be able to switch off from the reality of certain troubling world events, but it is also OK to take media breaks for the sake of your mental health. Both things can be true.
2. Don’t block your feelings
It can be tempting to push difficult feelings aside, but this tends to make them come back stronger.
Let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling. You might feel angry, anxious, sad, confused or even numb – all of these emotions are valid. Remind yourself that you’re having a normal response to an abnormal situation.
3. Practice self-compassion
Watch out for your inner critic – it tends to get louder when we feel overwhelmed or powerless.
You might feel ashamed that you don’t know enough about politics, or you might feel guilty for worrying about how things might affect you personally. These are understandable responses so try not to be too hard on yourself. Self-criticism can fuel anxiety and fear so try to respond to your thoughts and feelings with kindness and compassion.
4. Regulate your nervous system
When uncertainty strikes, the nervous system’s ‘fight or flight’ survival response can be activated, and we can feel anxious, on-edge, irritable or angry. This is our natural defence against a stressful or dangerous situation and it’s perfectly healthy, as long as it’s followed by rest and rejuvenation.
It can be impossible to think ourselves into a relaxed state. We need to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) - the part of the nervous system that calms us down. This can be done through things like exercise, time in nature, time with loved ones, breathing exercises, walking or creating – anything that makes you feel safe and connected.
5. Don’t wake up to bad news
We tend to feel more stressed and anxious in the morning, due to a spike in cortisol (the stress hormone) within the first hour of waking. It can be tempting to check the headlines as soon as you wake, but it might be better for your anxiety levels to consume news once your cortisol levels have decreased.
