Day #31 of not following the news = better mental health, exercise, time, save$

[wlthrtwll]

It's been really really hard to cut myself off from the news, and if I was in AA, I would have received two medallions by now for making it a whole month.  It started when I had a nightmare about the election and was getting depressed.  Now my whole life has changed.  I realize my stress was all about the news, even beyond the election.  Now I exercise more, save money (by dropping NYT and Wapo subscriptions).  I have so much more time.

Things I did:
I have a website blocker on major news sites,
Unsubscribed from news podcasts
I have a watch-history off on youtube so it doesn't force news videos on me.
I've told my friends not to tell me the news unless it's something really good. It's only happened about 2x.
The only news I really needed to know was an emergency alert (that got to me) about a brush fire.

It really feels like letting go of addiction.  It takes a lot of mental struggle. 

Best mental health treatment in the world.

[Tyson]

I am with you!  I stopped watching news when I cut cable several years ago.  Later, I stopped reading all news, too.  Man what a load off.  My mental health improved dramatically. 

[wlthrtwll]

That's Great.  I find it really hard and believe it can be an addiction like a drug - and harmful like a drug.

[spartana]

I'm not a big new watcher or listener or reader - but that's of nearly any media including entertainment. No subscriptions or even home internet so just local antenna TV. Watch an hour or less a day to see the basic news stuff then off the TV goes and I use all that free time doing things I enjoy (mostly) uninterrupted by media. Pretty awesome. Also no computer, laptop or tablet either and don't enjoy watching or reading on a tiny phone so it's all off most of the time.

ETA: I find ALL that kind of thing pretty addictive and so limit all of it not just news. So big kudos to you for breaking the cycle. Hard to do but gets not only easier but better over time imho.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

You are correct. Anything that is really important will find its way to you by word of mouth. You don't need to be glued to the TV or constantly doomscrolling on your phone to get your information.

I got off of social media in 2018 and stopped reading the news in 2020. I drove myself nuts keeping up with all the latest political outrages and other bad things I couldn't actually do anything about. Out of sight, out of mind and life is much better. It's crazy to how suggestable we are. If someone is telling you things are bad all the time, you start to believe it, and repeat the narrative whether it is true or not.

I also only go to local news channel websites for weather emergency stuff. I avoid looking at anything unrelated, close the browser window, and wash the news juice off once I'm done.

I also find Ad blockers help during election years to avoid a constant stream of political ads when you browse the web.

[wlthrtwll]

You are correct. Anything that is really important will find its way to you by word of mouth. You don't need to be glued to the TV or constantly doomscrolling on your phone to get your information.

I got off of social media in 2018 and stopped reading the news in 2020. I drove myself nuts keeping up with all the latest political outrages and other bad things I couldn't actually do anything about. Out of sight, out of mind and life is much better. It's crazy to how suggestable we are. If someone is telling you things are bad all the time, you start to believe it, and repeat the narrative whether it is true or not.

I also only go to local news channel websites for weather emergency stuff. I avoid looking at anything unrelated, close the browser window, and wash the news juice off once I'm done.

I also find Ad blockers help during election years to avoid a constant stream of political ads when you browse the web.

I'm impressed you have done this since 2020!  I feel like just a month is hard.  I hope I can do what you do!

[Monocle Money Mouth]

You are correct. Anything that is really important will find its way to you by word of mouth. You don't need to be glued to the TV or constantly doomscrolling on your phone to get your information.

I got off of social media in 2018 and stopped reading the news in 2020. I drove myself nuts keeping up with all the latest political outrages and other bad things I couldn't actually do anything about. Out of sight, out of mind and life is much better. It's crazy to how suggestable we are. If someone is telling you things are bad all the time, you start to believe it, and repeat the narrative whether it is true or not.

I also only go to local news channel websites for weather emergency stuff. I avoid looking at anything unrelated, close the browser window, and wash the news juice off once I'm done.

I also find Ad blockers help during election years to avoid a constant stream of political ads when you browse the web.

I'm impressed you have done this since 2020!  I feel like just a month is hard.  I hope I can do what you do!

Thank you!

Do what you need to do to stay sane and keep your streak going. If politics are making you anxious, do the one thing you can actually control and vote.

Not being aware of every headline does not make you uninformed or a bad citizen. The shelf life of most news is pretty short and often doesn't matter in the long run.