Create a News Boundary
Dear Friends,
In these challenging times, I’ve been feeling called to review my news consumption, and maybe you’re feeling that way too?
Author and podcaster Liz Moody shares in her book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships, & Success:
“One practice that almost every doctor and expert I’ve interviewed has in common? A solid boundary around the news. While these folks are all active and engaged citizens, they also recognize that much of the news we consume is designed as entertainment, not need-to-know information – which means it’s specifically created to elicit the types of emotional reactions that get more clicks or watch-time.”
Some recommendations:
Get clear on your goals regarding news. For instance, my goal is to stay informed enough but not be constantly overwhelmed to the point of my nervous system getting dysregulated.
Assess your news consumption – when, where, and how are you consuming news?
Evaluate whether your consumption habits are helping or hurting you to achieve your goals.
Consider changes to your habits. Some recommendations from experts:
Don’t let news constantly interrupt you throughout the day (and especially in the evening before bed)
Choose what your news sources will be
Choose when you’ll get news from those sources and how long you’ll spend each day
More from Liz Moody:
“The only wrong way to consume news is without intention, and, unfortunately, that’s what many of us end up doing. Is it “good to be informed” when that information regularly leaves you in a state of fight or freeze so you can’t actually take the actions in your life that would make the information beneficial? Your attention is one of your most precious resources, and many of us have let ours be hijacked, thinking we’re doing something good for ourselves or the world, when really the result is counterproductive both inwardly and outwardly.”
Having boundaries with the news is one of the ways we can take care of ourselves so that we have the energy and strength to take the actions we feel called to take to help ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.
Much love,
Liz
