Lately, it seems as if our newsfeeds and timelines are full of bad news. Mass shootings left and right. War raging in Europe. Food and gas prices are rising without wage increases. There continues to be supply chain shortages. Mothers unsure of how they will feed their infants due to baby formula shortages. Parents circulating photos of their missing children. It’s all too much, and it is constant!
Our brains are inundated with negative imagery. Our spirits are heavy as we mourn the senseless loss of life that occurs daily in our communities. The news of calamity is nothing new, but the ease of accessibility is at an all-time high. For all the positive things social media affords us, there is a downside. News, good and bad, is available instantly. Videos and images are available widely and in abundance. Our eyes are witnessing images that were previously not accessible, and even if they were, you certainly did not have them in the palm of your hand.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the state of the world, and it can happen without warning. You can be scrolling your timeline for photos and acknowledgments of graduations or weddings and find yourself reading breaking news alerts of some tragic event. Once social media gets its teeth into a topic, it doesn’t easily let go. The same is true for news outlets. They tend to repeat the same stories over and over. We are constantly receiving messages that can be disturbing to the psyche. This is particularly true if the incident triggers a past trauma or lived experience leading to feelings of anger, profound sadness, and anxiety.
Each day we must choose to protect our peace. This practice is unique and will look different for each person. For some, it means turning away from news outlets and social media. Others will require therapy to process all that is happening around us. We all have our coping mechanisms. We should be conscious consumers of information. It is important to note how the content we ingest impacts us. Protecting our mental health requires keen self-awareness and firm boundaries when we have reached our threshold.
Here’s to your health!
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