No News is Good News

I sometimes make a suggestion to clients that they don't usually like. It is to reduce their intake of news.

I don't suggest this for everyone. But if people are getting agitated by the news, it makes sense to reduce it.

This advice isn't just for the news. Cutting down or taking breaks from social media, Youtube, etc. can also help lower the anxiety.

But it's hard, I know -- for everyone, including me. I realize intellectually that I need to stop looking at my Smart Phone so much.

I don't need to check for new messages or emails every half hour. I should take a break from watching videos. And yet it is so it is so tempting to continue doing so, especially if the gadget is just sitting there.

Check in with yourself. Is your amount of phone checking and social media working for you? We can try to fool ourselves that it's relaxing. But is it true? If not, consider what you can do to cut it down. You can turn off your notifications, at least for some apps. You can turn the phone off, making it more of a hassIe to reboot it.

What I would suggest is a social experiment. After you've reduced your intake of the news, social media, YouTube, whatever is most addictive to you, see how you are feeling.

Are you more relaxed? Less angry about world affairs? Are you sleeping better?

Keep in mind that there is often a detox period. You could feel worse before you feel better because you aren't getting your drug of choice.

But after a few days, you may notice some very positive changes. And you may feel less compelled to do as much phone or computer viewing as you did before.