Tuesday 18 September 2018

Why I No Longer Watch The News


I no longer watch the news. I know, what a crazy thing to say. Most people reading this, their response will be "Great, Nicole- who cares?" Which is good, because you are not judging people for the decisions they make in their life. You're a good person. Keep being you. 

However, some people, who hear you don't watch or read the news, will stir their noses up at that statement. They will think, I'm uneducated or would rather spend my time watching reality TV and don't care about the world around me. Those people couldn't be further from the truth. 

I made a conscious decision to stop watching or reading the news. It's a lifestyle choice that I made to benefit me and my mental health, not because I want to spend more time watching Love Island, or any other reality TV show. There is a very real reason, behind my choice. 



I am a resident of the UK. In March 2019, the UK is going to leave the EU. This decision was made in June 2016. Every single day since there is a news story about Brexit. You can't escape it. It is literally everywhere. Everyone is talking about it. 

I was too young to vote in the election, by a few months, so really the whole thing has been out of my hands. I have had no say in anything that has happened or will happen. I'm not saying people shouldn't talk about politics, God, someone has got to pick up the pieces, but that person isn't going to be me. 

Every time, I turned on the news, something bad is happening. Every single day... 

Yeah, there are negative things in the world that are happening, like the damage plastic is doing to our oceans and wildlife and I am 'switched on' to this issue. I do acknowledge this problem and actively try and do something about it.

But for the vast majority of things, I can't do anything about. I can't stop Donald Trump saying dumb stuff. I can't stop, white, upper-class men in politics make stupid decisions. I can't stop earthquakes killing thousands. 

I JUST CAN'T STOP IT!


And I know no one expects me to save the world, I'm no superwoman but surrounding myself with negative news all the time, had a real toll on my mental health. 

24-hour news has two purposes. one; to make us aware of how shit everything is in the world right now and two; to make us anxious. No one needs to know what is happening, at all four corners of the world, at 3am in the morning. It's not good for your mind, to drown yourself in constant negativity. 

I can hear the realists screaming at me right now, telling me that I should just face the facts. Bad things happen and that is life- get over it! Trust me, I'm aware bad things happen but I don't need to be reminded every single minute of my day.

Which is why I no longer watch the news or have a news app on my phone. There is no point dwelling in the negativity of things I can't control.

Instead, I switch off the news and focus on the things that I can control in order to make the world a better place. I can't stop global warming but I can volunteer at my local homeless shelter or food bank. 

My mental health is my number one priority to me. And in order to look after it, that means taking a step back from the negativity of the world, then that is exactly what I will do.

Do you watch the news? Or have you found it is damaging to your mental health and 'switched off' to 'switch on' and 'tune in' to your life? Let me know in the comments down below.

Thank you for reading, as always X 
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