Katy Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 For those of you who intentionally don't follow news, or who have taken a break, what sort of impact did this have on your life? I realized the other day how many hours a day I waste here and on the news. I feel like I need to evaluate that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I try to do this, but I'd have to stop talking to my husband and avoid the Internet at all. And people....I'd have to avoid people. But not obsessing over it and reading all sorts of things does help a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I don't completely avoid news, but I avoid TV. This has made me a far more peaceful and happy person. The thing about TV news is that the more horrible or controversial something is, the more often they show it and talk about it. And also you can't fact check stuff, so assuming you have some healthy skepticism, you don't know whether to believe it or not - which is kind of stressful as it leaves you hanging. Online I can scroll past stuff I don't need to care about, like which celebrity is having an affair or hating her parents bla bla bla. I can scroll past the stories I've already read, because once is enough. And on important stuff, I can do a bit of fact checking before moving on, or make a note to follow up later on how it got resolved or if it was ever substantiated. I think a complete news break would stress me out more. I would feel unable to interact with people who matter to me. Or I'd end up relying on their interpretation of what they see in the news, which is frankly worse than just hearing it from the networks. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I'm not checking news sites other than weather and traffic and fluffy entertainment stories. I assume if something major is happening, someone on FB will announce it or DH will tell me. I'll go back to international news in a bit, but I need a break. I keep reading headlines on FB and getting nauseated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I don't watch tv news and just scan headlines on a few internet news sites. We get the print WSJ here daily and even if I don't get a chance to look at it, my husband and kids do, so they fill me in. If something big is going on, I'll read about it here or on facebook if I haven't checked the daily headlines.. Some charities I support send out alerts if there is a crisis, for example an earthquake. It's easy to keep up with big stuff without being immersed in news. Keeping up with the news increases my anxiety. On the other hand, my son, who also has anxiety, finds that knowing what's going on makes him feel less anxious. Whatever works, right? I think some people feel a need to know what's going on everywhere at all times. It's good to be informed, but some people I know spend hours reading and analyzing the news, to the point it has a negative effect on their lives (and their families). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 We haven't watched t.v. news since we've had kids (close to 20 years now). We dropped cable because we didn't want them growing up watching t.v., and though we've added basic cable back now, we still don't watch it. Since the election I've dropped checking in to CNN online news. This greatly reduces my anxiety level and I will keep it up for a few months. I'll still read articles in the newspaper or Time magazine--those don't bother me much. Our local paper has mostly local news. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) First of all, please give up news before you give up WTM boards. :) I gave it up a few years ago for health reasons, not b/c it's a time suck. No, nothing a doctor suggested to me (but I did hear about a doc who suggested that very thing), but I was just too anxious. I play a local classical musical radio station in the house during the day. They give NPR news reports 2x/hour. That gets me the biggest stories so I don't feel totally out of the loop. Sometimes I'll log on to BBC America for headlines. When DH gets home from work each day I ask questions about his day to let him vent. He is good about not complaining, so I pull it out of him as he drinks the ice cold water I have ready for him. Lately, he talks about the election. I see him get worked up. I let him know I thought he should take a news break for a while. Edited for clarity. At least, I live in hope. :smilielol5: Edited November 17, 2016 by Angie in VA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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