11 Mar 6 Reasons Why you Should Avoid the News – and Other Dramas
I was berated recently by someone for not keeping up with the news and therefore being ‘out of the loop’ in their eyes. I don’t agree and my reply was “The news is toxic and depressing, it makes me feel anxious and fearful. Besides the really important stuff will always filter through, anything else is just negative noise which I don’t need in my life and I feel better for it.”
Choose to avoid negativity
Many years ago I chose to no longer follow the daily news and I have to say it has proved to be one of the best decisions I have ever made for both my physical and my mental health – and I have made a number of changes over the years with regard to those all-important topics.
I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) miss it, the important stuff has always found its way through, so I’m never entirely ‘out of the loop.’ I also know I can dip in whenever I feel like it if I need to know more – after all it is always there.
Why the news is toxic?
I believe if you keep up with the news 24/7 you can become pretty cynical about the world, and also quite anxious. Let’s face it, the news is very rarely good, that’s because bad news sells, it also travels fast and is highly addictive like any good drama, but the majority of it is not necessary to your life.
Strangely we can be outraged and addicted to it in equal measure. Look at news about the Royal family, for instance, we can barely help ourselves reading it, but we also feel they should be allowed their privacy. It is best to stay away completely and not get involved, you will feel a lot less anxious, which is a great benefit.
Reasons to limit screen time
We constantly reprimand our kids for too much screen time, but is anyone policing your time? And more to the point, the content? As with kids, where it has been proven that aggressive content can make for aggressive kids, we too can be hugely affected by what we watch. Just because we are adults doesn’t make us exempt.
The news isn’t the only thing to avoid either. I have found tense dramas affect my mood, my sleep, and my ability to concentrate at times, and I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Just see how you feel next time you watch an episode of Happy Valley, Eastenders, or Breaking Bad.
Why it’s like caffeine?
These kinds of programs, including the news, can be highly addictive. Once we start to watch a drama series, or just watch a one-off, it is almost impossible to switch it off. You’ll even find everyone is talking about it, especially if it is something new, which just increases the intensity and drama – it almost starts to feel like real life.
Recently, I went to watch ‘Empire of Light’ at the cinema, the description suggested it was a light film about the ‘healing power of music, cinema, and community’ – or at least that is what I read. However it was far from that, it was full of drama including mental health, racism, and even sexual abuse of sorts, and while I did enjoy the film, I felt super tense throughout, and afterward, which made me feel uncomfortable.
Who loves a bit of real-life drama?
We all know it’s just make-believe, but dramas are made to entertain, stimulate and have us sitting on the edge of our seats, wondering how it will all unfold. Watch a horror film and you’ll be checking behind the doors and under the bed for the bogeyman when it’s over, which is not conducive to a good night’s sleep. There is enough drama to be had in real life without hunting out more.
If you really need an escape from the world, stick to comedies, romantic comedies, or more enlightening films such as The Celestine Prophecy and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. That way you will either have a good laugh – which is a great tonic – or you will learn something new – a real result.
How about your own goals?
Lastly, I have learned that instead of watching other people fulfill their dreams – writers, directors, prop artists, actors etc – I want to fulfill mine. I would have never been able to reach my goal of writing a book by mindlessly watching TV. Instead, I choose to do something constructive unless I really need a break.
It is healthy to take time out sometimes, just not too much. I have things I want to do with my life, it goes by fast enough anyway so I need to make the best use of my limited time. There are so many things to learn, more books to be written and read, dresses to be made and pictures to be drawn that I have very little time for mind-altering dramas no matter how good they are. Plus I value my peace and my sleep above everything else – don’t you?
And don’t even get me started on Reality TV, that stuff is off-the-scale drama!
Keep it Real!
Feed Good Habits
Kathy Mac
xx
Kathy Mac – author Feeding Good Habits – 12 weeks to rewire your mind, reset your habits and renew your relationship with food for improved health and sustained weight loss.