As if the 782 days in the month of January aren’t enough of a drag as it is, I think it’s safe to say that 2020 is off on a bad foot. Devastating wildfires, growing tensions in the middle east, a new virus turned public health emergency and, of course, the helicopter crash that claimed the life of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
It sure seems like a sad state of affairs, but it raises the question, are more bad things happening, or are we simply more tuned in to the bad things that are happening? In the old days people kept up with current events by reading the paper or maybe watching the evening news, but with the rise of digital and social media, people today have access to more news than ever before. Experts agree that this constant exposure to tragedy can really take a toll on one’s mental health.
According to Norman Farb, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, the best place to start is by figuring out which stories are worth paying attention to.
Dr. Katy Kamkar, a clinical psychologist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, agrees, saying that self-awareness is key. When browsing headlines, she recommends taking a moment to check in to see how a headline makes you feel, and how it fits into your responsibilities and values, to avoid triggering unpleasant emotions.
Stay connected to people, not the news.
With modern advances in travel, communication and media, the world can feel like a smaller place than ever, and it’s easy to feel helpless when you’re swimming in a sea of bleak circumstances. Instead, Farb encourages people to use news events as a wake-up call to take stock of what’s important to them. Maybe reading about the wildfires inspires you to volunteer for tree planting in your neighbourhood, or maybe grieving the loss of a basketball icon means that you hold your loved ones a little bit closer.
Don’t be a keyboard warrior.
If you find yourself in a heated debate in the comments section, research suggests that you’re likely wasting your energy. Farb warns that social media squabbles only serve to entrench the respective views of the participants. Despite feeling as though we are doing the noble thing and educating others, the opposite has actually occurred. If you want to change someone’s mind, you’re going to have to put yourself in a situation where your own mind could be changed, Farb said, and that’s probably not going to happen in the comments section.
Set limits, but be flexible.
Be selective about your sources and be conscious about your screen time to avoid getting swept up in the sensationalized broken telephone that spreads through social media. Perhaps you simply start your mornings with the newest issue of Travel Industry Today and unfollow any social media accounts that aren’t uplifting. At the very least, asking someone to fill you in about latest events can make for more interesting conversation than the weather.