{"id":16249,"date":"2022-08-24T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=16249"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:27:19","slug":"how-to-deal-with-news-anxiety-and-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-to-deal-with-news-anxiety-and-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to deal with news anxiety and stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in a world where the news is available at our fingertips.<\/p>\n

These days, we consume bad news in surround sound. Being immersed in the daily reports of violence, crime, war and mudslinging can have an effect on our mental health \u2013 and it\u2019s not a good one.<\/p>\n

Cheryl Crowe, vice president of Behavioral Health at OSF HealthCare<\/a>, shared some tips about dealing with news-induced anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n

What does news anxiety look like?<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s natural to experience anxiety when we see volatile or dangerous events happen,\u201d Cheryl said.<\/p>\n

You may not feel anxious while watching the news or have a fear of scrolling through your social media feed<\/a>, but you may realize later you feel anxious because of the news you\u2019ve taken in.<\/p>\n

News anxiety<\/a> tends to become obvious when we go to participate in the daily events of life \u2013 like going to the grocery store, enjoying a concert or heading off to work. We become inundated with thoughts about what could go wrong.<\/p>\n

\"Handeling<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in those negative head spaces is not healthy. It\u2019s unusual that events like these happen, and we can\u2019t be stuck on the what-ifs,\u201d Cheryl said. \u201cIf we get anxious after consuming news \u2013 thinking about all of the things that could go wrong, then we\u2019ve probably consumed too much news.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to deal with negative news<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s important to be well-informed, but it shouldn\u2019t be at the expense of our well-being. Here are Cheryl\u2019s suggestions for finding balance while staying informed.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be prepared, but don\u2019t dwell<\/h3>\n

\u201cOften, these are isolated events of violence,\u201d Cheryl said. \u201cBut they do happen, so we want to feel prepared with a plan in the rare case that they occur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheryl suggests having a family meeting to prepare an emergency response plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be as simple as saying, \u2018If we get separated, this is our plan.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve established a family plan for responding in an emergency, don\u2019t dwell on the bad things that could happen. Continue with your regular activities with a healthy caution.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Make rational decisions and be comfortable with your decisions<\/h3>\n

If your gut is saying it\u2019s unsafe to go to a large gathering, don\u2019t go.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly you know what your comfort level is, and you need to make decisions that are best for you and your loved ones,\u201d Cheryl said.<\/p>\n

Once you make a decision, be comfortable that you\u2019ve gone with what you think is best, and then move on.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Unplug from social media when it gets to be too much<\/h3>\n

Social media can be good for many things, but it\u2019s not good when it hurts our mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media can overwhelm us and give us an unhealthy fear of going outside and to certain events. That serves no value to us,\u201d Cheryl said.<\/p>\n

If the news is too much and you notice that you are having a hard time putting away the anxious thoughts, it\u2019s good to unplug from social media. You can totally unplug<\/a>, or resolve to only check social media once a day for a short period of time.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Find joy in positive experiences<\/h3>\n

While the events we see on the news can be distressing, we don\u2019t want to be paralyzed by fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to find joy in life, and we want children to have positive experiences,\u201d Cheryl said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of joy and wonderful things in our environments, and we want to make sure we experience those.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to know when it\u2019s too much<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re having difficulty shaking off the news, it may be time to talk to a counselor<\/a>,\u201d Cheryl said. \u201cA counselor can help you sort through those feelings, feel secure and become empowered to make rational decisions without overthinking what could go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Can’t shake the negative thoughts and feelings?<\/p>\n

Talk to a counselor today.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re having a hard time putting those thoughts and feelings of fear aside even after you\u2019ve taken a break from the news, you should prioritize your mental health<\/a> for the good of you and your loved ones.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to be aware of what\u2019s going on in the world, but with a 24-hour news cycle, it\u2019s easy to become consumed by the bad news. Taking the time to take stock of how much news is too much news is a good way to cut out the noise that causes unnecessary stress and anxiety from watching the news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These days, we consume bad news in surround sound. Being immersed in the daily reports of violence, crime, war and mudslinging can have an effect on our mental health \u2013 and it\u2019s not a good one. Cheryl Crowe, vice president of Behavioral Health at OSF HealthCare, shared some tips about dealing with news-induced anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":16273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[734],"tags":[1108,511,831],"coauthors":[1051],"class_list":["post-16249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-mental-health","tag-social-media","tag-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to deal with news anxiety and stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While it's important to be well-informed, there should be a balance to prevent anxiety and stress from overtaking our lives.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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