How do you cope with the news?

[cumbriaisbest]

I feel utter despair. Really.

There should be more good news in the news.

The news can be grim. I avoid walling myself off completely and constant doomscrolling as I've found neither make me less anxious. Although I've got notifications, I've found that only a proportion of them are about something critical. Gaza, climate change and Ukraine are out there, but so are the notifications about sport for example. Also, nuggets of optimism aren't unknown; there was an item on last night's R4 news about a 4 year old boy who phoned 999 and got an ambulance for his Mum who was having an asthma attack. His sister who is only 3 knows how to ring 999 too. What a pair of little stars - and well done to their Mum for teaching them to do it.

I don’t bother watching the news or reading much.

Have a morning look at the headlines to see if any riots have kicked off and then go about my day.

It's so depressing and I think as we have constant access to so much different media now, we see and hear far more than people used to which makes everything look bleak.
I only skim now,unfortunately things like Gaza, a normal person has no control over- sending money or supplies doesn't mean it goes to those who genuinely need it due to blocks and corruption.
We have to remember there has always been issues in all parts of the world but we didn't constantly have access to everything that was going on, we now do and I'm sure it has a negative impact- even the breaking news alerts, it's never positive news, it really is all doom and gloom in the media, plus anyone can now film themselves with a microphone and give their opinions as facts which spreads rumours and causes trouble to.

I don't watch it. If I want to see theatre, I go to the West End.

I give the Daily Mail online a miss ,the headlines of outrage usually immigrants,hotels,Tommy Robinson says,Farage is Britain's saviour, the rabid comments section no matter the subject matter there's always racist , sexist comments.
Then there's the busty display,show casing her pins, barely there inset item of clothing.
It paints a very distorted view of the world in general.
Depressing guff.

It’s all just so depressing. I try not to read too
much of the news. Just in the morning and perhaps once in the evening. Don’t watch it on TV or throughout the day. The genocide is Gaza is particularly harrowing and the feeling of helplessness, whilst we and the US enable it.

If you want to stay informed, try reading instead of watching. Images are more emotionally impactful but don't actually increase your understanding.

I never watch the news, and I completely abandoned radio 4 in 2020, after I heard “corrrrrrrronavirus” once too often. The BBC is as bad as the others for doom mongering and pushing an agenda: it just uses a posher voice than the others. I avoid glancing at papers in supermarkets, in case the words “misery” or “immigration” or “tax” catch my eye.

I take the view that if something massive happens in the world, I’ll hear about it one way or another. I watch a certain political commentator on YouTube, which gives me some idea of news, and that is all I need. I avoid TV in general now: it feels it’s always pushing an agenda by stealth, even when it’s entertainment.

Gave up watching it nearly a year ago. I listen to the R4 news at 6 p.m while I'm getting supper and that's enough.

I keep updated once a day but then have to do or watch something comforting to stop myself worrying.

I haven't watched the news since the start of the Israeli invasion

I hear the radio news in work unless I time a comfort break just right, but that's it

I check out our local news online and that's enough

I limit my intake. I hve found a podcast in the local language that's perfect, and another weekly one that deals with politics.

Fully agree with others who have said that immersing yourself in misery which you can do nothing about just adds to the pain of the world.
I do believe we each need to do what we can, where we are, with what we have. And if you’re in the UK, and it’s world news that’s particularly upsetting (and my goodness why wouldn’t it be 😞), that might be limited to giving what you can to charities, and praying hard if you’re the praying kind.

But you can do those things without watching distressing footage or reading about the details. If you don’t have power to act in the situation, I don’t believe there is intrinsic worth in knowing the upsetting details, or that we have any moral obligation to know them, especially if it is really negatively affecting you personally. Nobody benefits, and the perpetrators of evil deeds increase their evil reach, because now they’re harming you too.

I read recently that a better word for doom-scrolling is HOPE-QUESTING, and I love that. You need some hope, OP.
Remember that whatever you click on, the internet sends you more of. Algorithms, innit.

My infernally reasonable DH pointed this out when our three DC were very small. Things would cross my feed about terrible fatal child accidents and I would compulsively click on the link to see what had happened, to make sure I took action to avoid those scenarios.

I hadn’t twigged, but this meant the algorithms went - ‘Oh this is a subject she’s interested in, SEND HER ALL THE THINGS ABOUT IT. 🤦🏼‍♀️ More stories appeared on my Google feed, and I unwittingly landed in a state of constant low-level terror about choking, drowning etc.

And then DH made his comment and I stopped clicking on the stories. After a few days, much fewer of them came up, and everything felt less terrifying and more manageable.

Also I fed the algorithms better information - I googled ‘reasons to be cheerful’ and ‘wholesome news’ and made sure to click on every interesting story of joy and hope that came up. It turned out there was even a Reasons To Be Cheerful e-newsletter!

Being aware of (and in some cases being able to donate a bit of money) to the wonderful stuff that popped up as a result of this made me feel less helpless and so much more positive. I can’t think of examples off-hand, but there was extraordinary stuff that made me think ‘Why on earth hasn’t this made the news, it’s fantastic!’

This isn’t a perfect example but hopefully makes sense. The horror stories in the news are true and real… AND ALSO there are so many stories of wonder and beauty and co-operation and love and community that are just as true and real. It’s not letting the side down to be mindful and pragmatic about what you click on.

Sending fortitude and light to you today, OP. You can only do what you can, where you are, with what you have. ❤️

I don’t watch it. Too depressing.

Posting this as an example 🥰
reasonstobecheerful.world/indian-women-land-rights-legal-help/

Stopped watching it and stopped listening to the radio news too. Much better for it. I think the media has a lot to do with stoking the fires in this country and then enjoying watching them blaze.

Surely it doesn’t matter where you get it from lol it’s a shit show either way

The scenes from Gaza are unbearable. I watch through my hands sometimes but I do watch. Whilst there’s nothing I can do to help it’s important to me to feel like I didn’t turn a blind eye to the horror.

I listen to the radio news.

Local paper, even then it portrays the city as a wonderful place when in reality the city centre is akin to a zoo anytime of the day.

Simon and Garfunkel recorded 7 O'clock News/ Silent Night almost 60 years ago. Look up sphere of influence vs sphere of concern, that made a lot of sense to me. PPs thoughts about algorithms very good point too.

I don't watch it!

I don’t listen to it or watch it anymore. My husband unfortunately is addicted and constantly going on and on about it all. I can’t do anything and it really impacts my mental health. There is enough going on in my own life that takes all my energy to manage. If I took on the world too I would drown.

I never watch the news (and never did). I read the news on the BBC website and/or an online newspaper. Obviously I find the sad things sad and the shit things shit, but tbh it doesn't impact on my state of mind beyond the moment when I'm reading it.