BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) 鈥� As people awoke to headlines over the weekend about deadly U.S.-Israeli and potential of widening conflict, alerts, social media and conversations at the dining room table were
While medical experts say it is normal for people to experience stress and anxiety 鈥� or feeling that the world descended into chaos overnight 鈥� it is important to find coping mechanisms and ways to responsibly take in the news in order to protect one’s mental health.
鈥淔ear, sadness, confusion… these are very normal reactions to very extreme circumstances,鈥� Michael S. Ziffra, a Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine professor and psychiatrist, told The Associated Press. 鈥淧eople shouldn鈥檛 feel guilty, or they shouldn鈥檛 feel like it鈥檚 wrong to feel anxiety. It鈥檚 a very normal human response. The key is to know how to manage it.鈥�
Normal feelings
Since 2020 鈥� a year marked by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, social and political unrest and weather-related disasters 鈥� Ziffra said he has 鈥渁bsolutely, without question鈥� seen an uptick in patients bringing up increased anxiety provoked by current news.
Some patients vent, some talk about obsessively scrolling on social media and others discuss feeling helpless and frustrated.
But, psychiatrists say those feelings are absolutely normal and to be expected. In fact, sometimes they can result in something positive 鈥� from getting involved in advocacy, joining a social or political organization or just contacting lawmakers.
Other’s may seek to learn more about what is going on. But like with most things in life, moderation is important.
“The problem is, for a lot of people, they just kind of wallow in it. They ruminate and obsess and just sort of stew in it,” Ziffra said.
Consuming distressing news
In today’s world, people are just a click away from learning about practically anything they want 鈥� sometimes even less, with a predetermined algorithm on social media pushing posts or alerts on their phone interrupting their day. People have access to 24/7 news cycles and phone cameras can capture, and disseminate, videos and images of disasters within seconds.
For years, Dana Rose Garfin, a psychologist and professor at University of California, Los Angeles, has been studying 鈥渃ascading collective traumas鈥� and how the media’s continuous coverage of COVID increased anxiety. Garfin said the reality is that people don’t consume the news how they used to. Instead of reading a newspaper or flipping on the evening news once a day, people are 鈥渕uch more exposed鈥� to current events.
And as people learn about disasters or breaking news, they become distressed.
鈥淚n terms of any kind of crisis, people turn to the media for information. And that鈥檚 a very logical, rational and helpful reaction,鈥� Garfin said.
鈥淏ut, what we’ve seen in our research is there鈥檚 this sort of reciprocal effect. An event happens, people learn about it, they turn to the media to learn more about it, and they鈥檙e really distressed,鈥� Garfin said, adding that what occurs next is a cycle that people have a hard time removing themselves from. 鈥淚t sort of activates these processes where then they鈥檙e both more distressed and want to know more about this event because they鈥檙e distressed.鈥�
Responsibly consuming media
While experts said they understand people’s need to continue to seek out news, there is a way to do it responsibly without becoming overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted. Their top suggestion was to eliminate or cut down on social media and obsessive
鈥淚 don鈥檛 immerse myself in social media, and that鈥檚 a very conscious decision on my part to protect my own mental, and physical, health,鈥� said Roxane Cohen Silver, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, and who co-authored the study with Garfin. She specifically raised concerns about graphic images and video that quickly circulate on social media that can cause distress and long-term anxiety when seen repeatedly.
鈥淚 think that one can stay informed without immersing oneself in graphic images,” she said.
Garfin suggested finding more 鈥渆njoyable鈥� ways to consume news, such as an informative news article, listening to a podcast or watching a news segment. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 different than this kind of letting the algorithm suck you in for eternity in a mindless fashion.鈥�
Experts also urged people to , when scrolling on their phone. Both iPhones and Android devices have controls to help regulate screen time.
Ziffra suggested choosing neutral news sources. 鈥淭ry to avoid things where it鈥檚 very partisan and where there鈥檚 going to be a lot of inflammatory content, because that鈥檚 going to likely exacerbate your anxiety and make you feel anxious, angry, scared.鈥�
Identifying coping mechanisms
Even if a worrisome news event is happening thousands of miles away, and even if it doesn’t directly impact a person reading about it, it can still cause intense stress and anxiety. For that reason, medical experts urge people to identify other ways to cope.
“People have a lot of inherent knowledge of what helps them… and things that they find comfort in, which is different for everybody,鈥� Garfin said.
From breathing exercises, going for a walk, , getting together with friends, talking to a therapist, creative pursuits and self care, psychiatrists say it is important to redirect your attention in other ways.
鈥淭hings that are going to get your mind off of all of the obsessing and worrying and really putting your thoughts on something more positive,鈥� Ziffra said.
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