Advice Post #2: Feeling Overwhelmed By The News

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to my blog. A few weeks ago, I published an advice post on how to deal with stress and that went down really well, so thank you all for that! I've decided to do another one on a topic quite similar to the stress one and something that may be especially relevant to lots of people this year. I'm going to be talking about what to do when you feel overwhelmed by the news and how to manage your feelings. I am not a professional in any way but I hope that some of the things I say might be of use to you. 

I feel like, this year, there are 2 main types of stress-provoking news topics. One of which is COVID-19 and anything to do with a new pandemic or a second wave and the other is to do with the atrocities that are happening to people all over the world. Both of these topics are very different issues and they usually evoke different emotions so I'm going to be splitting this post up into three different parts: one for each type and some general tips at the end. Enjoy!

COVID-19 news

The main thing that this type of news causes is fear. You're probably terrified of the virus or of someone you know catching it and you might also be scared of mutations, second waves and even another pandemic. Even hearing those words makes me shudder! The best thing to do in this case is to limit the amount of news related to this that you're watching. Realistically, the only things you need to know are your country's current regulations and you might also want to know how your country (and the rest of the world) is coping with it. It is usually not important for you to know about every single scientific breakthrough: all you need to know is how to keep yourself and the people around you safe. 

Going from that, making sure you follow the guidelines can relieve your stress to a certain degree. Obviously, we should be listening to professional advice anyway but, knowing that you are doing all that you can to make this better can be beneficial if you look at it a certain way. Try remembering that by wearing a mask, washing your hands regularly and listening to the rules you're actually helping people out and that's all that you can do. But don't let this consume you: don't think too much about the virus itself because you might end up working yourself up.

Another thing that you might be feeling is frustration: you might feel like this is never-ending and you just want things to go back to normal. That's a completely normal emotion to feel as well. Try finding some sort of soothing hobby to take your mind off things and to keep yourself busy. Some examples are: doing a jigsaw, reading a book, watching a TV series, educating yourself about something, drawing or writing. Have some sort of schedule that you stick to.

Unfortunately, some people are affected more by this pandemic than others. Some people have lost their jobs, some are ill and some are struggling with their current housing situation and there are so many other circumstances. It is quite a scary time so I just wanted to let you all know that I'm always here to talk- you can comment any time on any post about anything that's worrying you and I will try my best to make you feel better. 

People-related news

This one is quite a bit harder to deal with as unlike the virus, you can't just ignore what's going on around the world to innocent people without being ignorant. There are so many horrible things going on and it's extremely difficult to keep up with them all without feeling ridiculously overwhelmed. As a very empathetic person myself, I have cried and stressed over many of the atrocities. This part of the post isn't necessarily specific to 2020 but, because most of us have a lot more time on our hands, a lot of us are more aware of these issues this year. We all definitely should be! 

For the virus-related part, I suggested getting rid of unnecessary news outlets but please don't do that in this case! Instead, do what you can to help without getting too emotional. By following educational social media accounts, reposting their posts, signing petitions and donating to charities (if you can) then you are making a difference. However, allowing it to take a toll on your mental health doesn't help anyone! There is a difference between feeling for the victims and mentally draining yourself. 

Personally, I often feel very guilty about being in a more privileged position and I feel as if it is my responsibility to help as many people as I can but, at the same time, I also feel like I'm not making a difference. This mindset is incredibly toxic and draining. As I said before, make sure you are engaging with the problem on social media and that you're educating yourself on the topic. If you can somehow do more, then do more but if you can't then remind yourself that you're doing all that you can. 

While unfollowing social media and news outlets may not be the way to go, there is no shame in taking a day off of social media to reflect and relax. Doing so doesn't make you less of an ally or a worse person- it just means that you're taking time to focus on your mental health so that you can be even stronger and fight harder. Never feel guilty about looking after your health. Again, there is a difference between looking after yourself and attention-seeking. 

General tips

Here are some more general tips:

• Find a balance: make sure that you are not ignorant but also make sure that you're not in over your head.

• As I said before, I did a whole post on dealing with stress in general so if you need more help on that then click here.

• Talk it out with a friend, family member or professional. 

• Check your news sources! Make sure you're never reading fake news designed to evoke panic.

• Remember that you control your social media feed, so if there is anything news-related that you don't want to see then unfollow or mute the account.

• Limit the time you spend reading or watching the news. Set an alarm and have something enjoyable planned afterwards (like watching an episode of a TV show) so it's not too hard to stop.

• Figure out how much the news is affecting you. For example, if it's easy for you to go about your day normally then that's a good sign. But if you feel thrown off and cannot stop thinking about it even when you need to be engaged elsewhere, then you may need to take some time to relax.

• Yes, educating yourself on certain topics and causes is necessary if we want to see change but it is also important to give yourself a break once in a while. Even if you're not feeling too overwhelmed, doing something small to make yourself feel good and/or relaxed will go a long way.

• Know your personal mental limits. Some people can be more level-headed in these situations but others (like myself) don't have that skill. 

• Take care of your physical health as well as your mental health: get enough sleep, eat healthily and exercise. This actually does wonders for your mental wellbeing (I promise it's not just a myth haha). 

So, those were my tips. I hope that whatever I've said didn't offend anyone or wasn't insensitive (if anything was, let me know in the comments and I'll fix it!). As I said before, I'm not a professional so please don't take my advice over a professional's and remember that there is absolutely no shame in seeing one if need be. I feel like there is such a stigma around going to get help for your mental health when there really shouldn't be. If you need someone to talk to, you can comment on it under any of my posts (my blog is a safe space for everyone) and I will get back to you. Also, if you have any additional advice, comment it for other people to see!

Thank you so much for reading this post and I hope that it was helpful to some of you in some way. This is not my first and won't be my last advice post so, if you have any ideas for topics you want me to give advice on, let me know in the comments. Please subscribe by pressing the button at the top of the page and I'll see you next Saturday!

Stay safe,

Alisha xx