Honestly Therapeutic

Regardless of your political leanings, I think we can all agree that the news can have significant impact on our mental health. As a mid-90s baby, I remember growing up seeing my parents watch the news every morning in the living room. They would watch for thirty minutes or so, and then turn it off and move on with the day. Later, they’d read the newspaper, discuss anything that felt especially important, then toss it in the recycling bin. That was that.

Later, as a teen, my first phone was a ‘sidekick’… remember those? I could text my friends and of course make calls, but that was just about it. It seemed like a universal experience that, if you accidentally clicked on a browser, you would try to close it as fast as humanly possible to avoid your parents getting a hefty phone bill.

In short, if you wanted to learn about current events, you typically needed to seek out that information. You were far less likely to stumble upon it unintentionally.

Granted, the experiences that I just shared are specific to me, and to my generation. With that said, I think that we can all agree that it has become harder than ever to strike a healthy balance of being informed and staying sane.

Never before have we all had near-constant access to the latest headlines in our pockets. And, I’d argue that it’s also a (relatively) recent change to have social media and entertainment-based websites so filled with politics and headlines.

Have you noticed how quickly you can go from watching silly cat videos to seeing a tragic headline? Or, from trying to see what a friend is up to on Instagram, to reading an uncharacteristically cruel post from a family member about politics? Granted, it is important to stay informed, but we all deserve moments of peace, and this is becoming increasingly challenging to come by online.

My point here is that even when we’re trying to take a break from the news, the simple act of being online seems to expose us.

This is an issue that tends to come up in session with my adult clients, teens, and concerned parents. I’d even argue that the media has a sneaky way of impacting younger kids… after all, it’s hard to be an especially present parent when we’re feeling panicked and angry due to the latest headline.

We all have something to gain from improving our approach to news consumption and social media. That said, before I jump into any suggestions, I want to make one thing clear.

There is NO such thing as perfect. Nearly all of us are struggling with this, and striving for perfection in this area will likely drain you and make it more challenging to sustain the energy to make positive changes.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are a few suggestions:

• Seek out news sources that present the news to you in a factual, balanced manner. (Hint: If you find yourself getting red in the face and feeling suddenly sweaty and fidgety, you may want to find a new news source).
  • A personal favorite of mine is ‘News Not Noise’, but there are many good options!
• Be honest with yourself about which apps/websites leave you feeling anxious and upset. Try to reduce the time spent on them, or consider deleting these apps altogether.
  • I recommend reviewing your ‘screen time report’ on your phone, and try using the ‘time limit’ setting if you’d like to reduce the time you spend on any particular app/website.
• Be intentional with when and where you choose to seek out the news. (Hint: It’s best to avoid consuming the news first thing when you wake up, or as you’re about to go to sleep. Try to avoid sites/apps that tend to unexpectedly expose you to frightening headlines at random… I’m looking at you, TikTok!

Lastly, I want to address any parents who are reading this. We all want to protect our kids from seeing and hearing about things that may frighten them. That said, I believe that there is a way that we can be protective of their mental health, while also having honest, age appropriate conversations with them about current events. Because, let’s face it… kindergartners are experiencing active shooter drills at school. My point is that, especially as they grow older, kids tend to know what’s going on in the world regardless of our attempts to shield them. I strongly recommend being transparent and honest with your children about what’s going on. What does that look like, you ask? Here are my two biggest recommendations:

• Try to remember that, whenever your child comes to you with a question, they are ready for an honest answer. Yes, even when they are young. You can, and often should, keep the answer simple, but always prioritize honesty.
• If your child has a phone, or has a friend with a phone, they probably know alot more than you think they do. Many kids are nervous to bring up heavy topics with their parents, because they don’t want to upset you. (Kids are perceptive!) Don’t hesitate to initiate these tricky conversations. Use this as an opportunity to normalize any feelings they may have, and remember that it’s ok to not always have all the answers.

I listed quite a few suggestions, and I hope you’ll find that at least one of them resonated with you! We are all striving to find a balance between staying informed, and maintaining our mental health- progress over perfection is key!