Too Much News is Bad News

So, you're addicted to watching the news huh?! Well, so was I up until recently. I have gone through two bouts of news watching mania. Only difference is this time I began to feel a darkness, cloud-like. I blame the constant White House press conferences honestly and the fact that our dear POTUS is always involved in something, Tweeting about something or someone, or who knows what else. It is really just too much to keep up with. You can only listen to negativity so much without it having some effect on you. Now, Trump is not the only bad news in the world, but be real...he seems to have an abundance of it circulating around him EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

           Internationally, there is a lot going on as well and it directly effects the United States in various ways. This whole North Korea and Russia thing is a major part of what had me feeling anxious and fearful. It's scary if you really think about what could be. Let me not leave out the local news. The local news is probably the worst to be 100% honest. At least in my town and in my opinion. Monday morning news is the ABSOLUTE WORST! Who wants to wake up on a Monday (the most dreaded day of the week) to news of 7 shootings over the weekend? Who? Tell me.  
           Anywho, I found myself shaking my head as if I were trying to shake myself awake. By the time I found myself doing this around the third or fourth time I began to make the connection to what I was watching an over-abundance of and how I was feeling.
          Now, I am working on finding a balance of how much news I can deal with without feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or scared of life. Don’t get me wrong I was in no way about to become a recluse in my home, but dang it sometimes this world can make that thought a recurring one. Also, I am speaking as someone who has a very serious and self-admitted tendency to over-analyze almost everything. So, what am I doing to help myself overcome this constant barrage of news? Detoxing.
          I have taken three “steps” to detox. First, I deleted both of my news apps on my phone. This was a big source of the constant news. The apps were sending me “breaking news” every time Trump approached his phone to send out a Tweet. Too much dang it! Second, I have stopped watching the news as soon as I wake up. I’m still working on this because it has been part of my morning routine for at least the last 5 years. Third, I limit myself to about an hour and a half of news watching. Most days I don’t even reach that allowance AND it feels great!
         On the flipside of the coin I have three must-haves: First, I need to watch the first 10-15 minutes of CBS Morning News before leaving for work. Next, I need to watch Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News. Last, weather news is a must (umbrella or no umbrella?).
         These are just some of the things I have done up to this point to help my mental and emotional well-being. Hopefully, this spilling of my guts has helped you in some way.

J