The news makes me anxious

MommyOf1

Well-Known Member
#1
This probably sounds ridiculous but watching or hearing the news adds to my anxiety and I don't know how to avoid it. Every time, I turn on the television I see something about an armed gunman shooting up a mall or a public place and envision myself being at that place getting shot. I don't watch the news like I used to but I feel like it's unavoidable and I feel like an idiot when someone asks me if I saw something on the news and I have to say no, I can't watch the news. Does anyone else experience this problem and if so, how do you cope?
 

Brian777

Safety and Support
SF Artist
SF Supporter
#2
Hey there :) yeh I quit watching news a few years back. It seems to be always focused on the negative, I guess that's what sells. There are so many positive things that happen but are never usually reported. When I worked my travel time was 1hr each way, so I started listening to audio books, Wayne Dyer and similar stuff.......it did make a difference.
 

Luoma

Need someone to talk to? I'm here!
SF Supporter
#3
I avoid it well, just by not watching it, I guess. I get panic attacks when I watch the news and read about people losing rights or cruel things happening so I've stopped watching it. I chose the people asking me, "oh, you don't know what happened?" vs. the crushing pain I feel in my chest when I hear something awful.

I really think you should just find another channel to put on TV in your spare time or a different radio station; perhaps some smooth listening instead? or perhaps a local podcast radio station. I really think you shouldn't mind what people say. I know it's easier said than done, but I promise, people don't really care too much about that kind of stuff in the long run. After all, news always changes, so in a week that topic will be irrelevant.

If it makes you feel better, instead of saying "I can't watch it bc of anxiety" perhaps say instead "I just don't like watching the news."
 

nobodyknows71

For a Phoenix to rise, it must first burn.
Staff Alumni
SF Supporter
#4
Yep! I get this. I haven't watched the news or read a newspaper in years! It's too much doom and gloom for me. I have enough of my own. I sometimes feel like I'm burying my head in the sand, but there's only so much negativity I can deal with.
I listen to music all the time instead.
 

Witty_Sarcasm

πŸ¦„πŸ¦œπŸ§πŸŒˆπŸŒπŸ’–
SF Supporter
#5
It isn't ridiculous at all. I feel the same way. I dislike watching the news because it makes me lose faith in humanity. Then I get paranoid if I watch forensics shows or hear about killings. I think the same will happen to me or those I know. So I try to avoid it when I can.
 

JDot

remember to drink plenty of water
Forum Pro
SF Supporter
#7
This doesn't sound ridiculous at all. I've dealt with depression and anxiety as long as I can remember. I don't think I've ever watched the local news from beginning to end even once. If I watch any kind of news for five minutes, I either become sad and want to cry or I become angry and want to throw something at the television. I like my television, and I don't want to break someone else's television. I hate being in someone else's home and they're watching news. It makes me want to scream. I stay away from the news. I don't want anything with it. Most of the news that matters I learn through word of mouth anyways. Staying away from the news is normal for people who suffer from anxiety. You can either be aware of everything that's going on or you can be happy. I would choose the second option. Some people act like knowing everything that's going on is a badge of honor, which I think is kind of weird. The truth is the news is just a television show. It's no different than American Idol or The Walking Dead or Real Housewives of Whatever. Their job is to get ratings. So they focus on depressing news to "shock" the audience. Don't let the people behind the news take advantage of you. Fuck 'em. If people don't understand why you don't watch the news, that's their problem. I'm sure people do things that you don't understand all the time.
 

Walker

Admin
SF Social Media
SF Author
SF Supporter
#8
I watch the news *all the time*, every day for a couple hours usually. I read it online and such too. But I'll tell ya, it's a real agitator sometimes. My wife gets SUPER riled up over news but she still watches it (more than I do, in fact). And I hear people comment that they don't watch the news because "it's all bad". I just avoid certain things when I'm feeling overly tense about things (like avoiding politics when it's high season and I'm having scraps with people over it). You are not alone!
 

draws

Well-Known Member
#10
Media is very specifically designed to pique emotions. I'm not pushing a conspiracy, it is simply true. It started by competing for viewership, and has taken off. The best example is The Weather Channel. Remember when they used to just report the weather?? It was my go-to station for a little something to watch when relaxing. Then they felt the had to spice things up. "Tornado week!" "Most deadly storms!" We've seen it everywhere. The nature channel became all sharks and most deadly insects. Every bit of media everywhere has CRANKED UP the emotional volume!

I do NOT think we are over sensitive. It's worse than that: the rest of the people are conditioning themselves to turn OFF their cognitive reasoning and are practicing being numb.
 

Kiwi2016

🦩 Now a flamingo, not a kiwi 🦩
SF Pro
#11
My husband is an ex-DC native aka a news/political junkie so news is on all the time....when it gets too much I just retreat to laptop or read as agree it can all be so overwhelming as hearing of the violence, watching the injustices...but realizing that there is little if nothing I can do to change it on top of the overall tradeginess of it all sometimes does get to me...
 

MommyOf1

Well-Known Member
#12
Media is very specifically designed to pique emotions. I'm not pushing a conspiracy, it is simply true. It started by competing for viewership, and has taken off. The best example is The Weather Channel. Remember when they used to just report the weather?? It was my go-to station for a little something to watch when relaxing. Then they felt the had to spice things up. "Tornado week!" "Most deadly storms!" We've seen it everywhere. The nature channel became all sharks and most deadly insects. Every bit of media everywhere has CRANKED UP the emotional volume!

I do NOT think we are over sensitive. It's worse than that: the rest of the people are conditioning themselves to turn OFF their cognitive reasoning and are practicing being numb.
You make some valid points, I too remember when the weather channel was about weather and now it's just as scary as the news. I find the news to trigger my anxiety disorder and wreak havoc on me mentally. I'd rather avoid it all.
 

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