Navigating Stress: 10 Tips to Manage Bad World News
The news is stressful, especially these days. What can we do? Here are some tips to stay emotionally afloat.
October 24, 2023 Written by Dr Rudy Wietfeldt 1 Comments
The upcoming holiday season is called “festive” for a reason: it is supposed to be a time for joy, celebration, and creating special memories with loved ones. In recent weeks, the constant influx about wars and atrocities in the Middle East and Ukraine in addition to the looming U.S. presidential election process leaves many of us with plenty of negative thoughts and emotions. The weight of all these national and global events can be particularly challenging for isolated or lonely individuals who already have a lot to deal with on their proverbial emotional plates, especially on the heels of the Covid pandemic. In this post, we’ll explore 10 effective strategies to help manage stress and maintain a sense of peace and positivity during the holiday season.
1. Be Aware of the Type of News You Consume
Passive forms of news include television, including any video source, and radio, including podcasts and any audio sources. Beware of too much of passive consumption because there are but two choices: you literally need to watch and listen or shut it off. There’s no other choice. Active forms of news, on the other hand, include newspapers, journals, and magazines, whether in paper or digital form. Active forms of news allow much greater control of how much you choose to dive into the story presented: at any time you can flip or scroll the page, maintaining greater control of what your eyes see and therefore what your mind processes. Also, please remember that the news is a business. The editors and producers are wanting you to stay a while and come back frequently. Like restaurants, then, these business-savvy creatives are going to add a fair amount of “butter” and “salt” to make the news consciously and sub-consciously as “delicious” as possible.
2. Limit the Overall Amount of News You Consume
Consider limiting the amount of time you spend every week consuming news stories. Like your diet, try to be aware of how much high intensity news is getting ingested. Ask yourself, how much detail do I need to know about the war? Too frequent or too much exposure to negativity can be toxic to your mind. How can you judge this? Read on!
3. Be Mindful of Your Emotions
Your emotions provide constant feedback to you about how well your environment is being interpreted in your internal environment -- as evidenced by your feelings and your thoughts. So if you are lonely, that is your brain encouraging you to seek connection. We know this because increased connection leads to decreased feelings of loneliness. This is part of the cybernetic principle known as the negative feedback loop. It is also part of my Emotion Made SimpleTM set of e-learning programs. As it pertains to the news, stay mindful of increasing overwhelm or sadness. Should these or other negative emotions happen, listen, and react appropriately. There’s no harm in backing away from the intensity of the news.
4. Seek Reassurance and Connection with Loved Ones
Speaking with family and friends about the news and about your feelings can be helpful, but only in the context of you acknowledging how you are feeling. As mentioned above, stay aware of how you are feeling and prepare to talk about other things beside war, politics, and the high cost of living. Talking with others and being aware that it is normal to have feelings of stress and overwhelm in these times can itself be a relief. Try to avoid toxic communication of all kinds and be comfortable with the idea that you may not want to talk about certain topics. This is true in person, on the phone, and online. Stick with boundaries that are healthy for you.
5. Engage in Mindfulness, Prayer, and Relaxation
Mindfulness exercises area so helpful for life, regardless of the news cycle. There are many great apps – and many are free -- on the app store of your device. If you are not already introduced to mindfulness, use one of these to experience guided mindfulness meditation. Prayer is a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with God and to put all your worries and concerns in His hands. Going to a church or synagogue and being part of a religious community is shown to be helpful in literature that has studied health impacts. As for relaxation techniques, there are a number of good ones, including box breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and visualization. I’ve written about these in other blogs if you’d like more information.
6. Maintain Healthy Routines
Sticking to daily routines that are healthy help us stay in the state of flow. Being in flow means we get immersed in activities and lose track of other things, like time. Reading, watching a good movie, journaling, and playing cards, golf or other sports are all types of activities associated with deep immersion. Morning routines, nighttime routines, meal routines… they all help us relax and avoid spinning brain syndrome, when our minds get caught in loops of endless thinking or worry.
7. Focus on Personal, Familial, and Local Joy
Focusing on joy around you is another way of encouraging the wonderfully powerful practice of gratitude. The attitude of gratitude keeps our minds on things that we appreciate and are grateful for. What are you glad for in your life? Consider journaling before bed and each morning about the positive things in your immediate world that bring smiles.
8. Exercise
Daily walks, going to the gym, or whatever keeps you moving should be near the top of your priority list in self-care. Getting your heart pumping is good for your body and your spirits and it releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. So keep doing and moving…and if you can stay active with a class, a relative or a friend, so much the better because you’ll get the social connection at the same time!
Getting in the zone with activities is great for our mood and stress relief. Hobbies and creative outlets of all kinds can be great stress-busters. Whether you enjoy painting, writing, reading, or playing a musical instrument, engaging in creative activities can help you unwind and regain a sense of peace. We can only control the things under our control; time is one of those things. How are we going to use the time we have?
If you would like personal, professional help above and beyond what you’ve read here, help is readily available. Please do not suffer in silence. Speak with a mental health professional or your family physician. Feel free to click the gold Schedule button, and I'll get back with you shortly.
In these challenging times, managing stress, especially during the holidays, is of great importance. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to protect your emotional well-being and cherish the moments with loved ones. Staying informed with world events doesn’t mean being overwhelmed by the situation at large. By using stress management techniques, including prayer, meditation, and exercise, and by focusing on things under your control, you can better navigate the negativity of the current news cycle. Remember, your well-being is a priority, and bringing as many of these tips to fruition as possible will help you maintain a sense of balance and peace in the coming Festive Season.
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Martha
2023-10-24
Very helpful advice, Dr. Wietfeldt! Thank you for sharing.