Excuse the poor pun in the title of this blog – I’m trying to keep this light!
In this age, the news is readily available to us every minute of every day, via your phone, laptop, tv, and the traditional newspaper. It’s in between adverts on your favourite TV shows. It’s spread far and wide over social media. The latest stories are sponsored to come up on your search engines and social media feeds. It’s worth noting the source of the articles to judge whether it is legitimate and reliable. The world can be a scary space, and the current affairs are worrying times.
Firstly, I believe it’s essential to be educated in the newsworthy events of the world, to know what’s going on to create opinions, use the information to help others in need, or make informed personal decisions on topics such as politics.
I also believe that too much exposure to the news can be detrimental to your mental health. It’s true that the majority of reported news is negative – according to statistics, approximately only 10% of all news is positive. Latest studies show that overly consuming the news can lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression. In particular, studies found a specific type of news-related anxiety, called catastrophising, where someone thinks or anticipates that an event in their life is a / will be a complete disaster with devastating consequences.
I know I’m the type of person to absorb the news and worry, so I like to try and take a break from the internet and tv channels that present news regularly. It’s not because I don’t care to know what is going on, but because I know I overthink, it’s actually to be kind to myself. Big news is understandable to worry about, but it’s important to not let that worry and anxiety overtake your life. It’s healthy to take a moment, or even a few days, to avoid the negative cultures of media. Take that time away from the media to look at beautiful scenery, laugh with the people you love, and do things you enjoy without worry.
Despite how the media portray it – Not everything in the world is terrible. It’s good for your wellbeing to look out for things that make every day a little brighter, create happy memories and see the good things in life.
To relate back to the title of this blog – No news can definitely be good news.