Nowadays, everyone is constantly consuming media from everything that we look at. Whether it’s from our phone, tv, laptop or our peers, we are gaining information. At times, it is devastating. It’s very easy to feel consumed by the mass spread of negative news. The following are easy ways to calm down and remind yourself that the world is not all bad.
- Take breaks
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This is by far the simplest way to calm yourself. Just taking a break from constantly absorbing news and media will make a huge difference in your mindset. You don’t have to take a break from all your electronics. You can simply turn off notifications for a news app you use or switch the channel to something different. If that’s too big of a change, just limit the amount of time you are watching the news. These are simple and easy first steps to limit your consumption.
- Surround yourself with positivity
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Surrounding yourself with positive experiences and positive people can make a difference in your mindset. We do not always have control over how an experience occurs, but we can choose to look at some experiences differently. We can also look for positive news and experiences our peers have. If you care about the environment, then look at a social media account that shares good news about the environment. If you care about civil rights, then look at a social media account that shares good news about civil rights. Surround yourself with good news, not just bad news. It is also important that the people around you are not always talking about how they hate this or that. Everyone has bad days and it is perfectly okay to discuss a bad day with a friend. What is not okay is when a friend doesn’t allow you to be positive because they want you to be negative with them.
- make a difference
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This is the most complicated way to ease your mindset, but it’s still not as complicated as you might assume. Whether it’s complimenting someone’s outfit or volunteering at a local shelter, you can make a difference, even if it is small. Carrying out random acts of kindness can make you feel as if you are doing something to help others. Volunteering takes that a step forward because you can see the effects of what you’re doing. It’s easier to get started in a volunteering organization than one might assume — many clubs on college campuses offer opportunities, local legislators will sometimes advertise opportunities and there is usually always an animal shelter of some sort that accepts volunteers. Just volunteering once a week can significantly calm your anxieties. You’re keeping yourself busy while doing something that will benefit others.
While staying up to date on current news is important, it is not so important that you should be sacrificing your mental health. Just doing these three things will make such a huge difference in how you see the world. It’s important not to give up hope on the world, which is a side effect of constantly consuming the news.
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