How to avoid news anxiety

By Katya on February 9 2023
Evergreen

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is fear and/or panic about an uncertain outcome. It usually appears when you are experiencing a stressful situation. Physical symptoms include a racing heart, sweating more than usual, rushed breathing, and having trouble sleeping. Psychological symptoms include feeling helpless or overwhelmed.

It is normal to experience anxiety from time to time, but if such feelings are interrupting your life, you might need to take action. 

Sometimes the news can cause such feelings. It's commonly known as news anxiety

How can you ease news anxiety?

  1. Limiting exposure to news can help. Only check the news during specific times you have assigned for checking it. 
  2. Read news only from reputable sites. Don't use social media to get your news.
  3. Don’t ignore your feelings. Talk to the people you trust.
  4. Remember, negative stories attract more attention than positive ones, so they are usually promoted. Reality might not be that bleak.
  5. Take breaks. You don’t have to be aware of everything that is going on. 

At the end of the day, it's important to know what's happening in the world. But you should focus on your world and what effect you can have on it. 

Teacher Rating
5
Average: 5 (1 vote)
Discussion
Do you tend to stay calm in stressful situations or do they cause anxiety?
How does the news and social media impact your life? What about the society you live in?
Do you think that parents should control what children read on the internet and social media?
Do you have any advice on how to stay calm in a stressful situation?