There is a lot of terrible stuff going on in the world.
I stopped watching the news years ago- and when I do have to see it, I’m amazed at how the main stories are the stories from all of those years ago!
It’s hard to ignore the news. We have been raised on it and for many people, world knowledge is an important sign of intelligence.
I am fine with not knowing what is going on in certain situations. I don’t mind appearing uninformed. Not at all. If I have a question, I ask a friend.
My stability is what matters. As a reader suggested during the Japanese tsunami, we don’t have to read about something, but we can donate to companies who can make a difference.
If the war in the Middle East is too stressful, you can turn off the news. Watching the news will not help the people. You can then give money or volunteer to help the cause. Watching is not always the answer.
If you are stressed by the world right now, it’s ok to take a break.
Julie
AGREED!
I rarely watch TV or read the paper, simply because of the amount of depressing stories you hear, and I am a very emotional person and if something strikes a cord with me I find it difficult to let it go. Even if its something I shouldn’t be worrying about. and I think thats true of a lot of Bipolars I’ve spoken to.
Hi Julie,
I have avoided TV news completely in recent years. However, I’ve done o.k. with listening to occasional radio reports. Seeing images of tragedies makes the impact very much greater for me, but I’ve found that I can listen to radio reports for a brief time without the emotional hit of seeing what’s going on. A photo really is worth 1,000 words, and that’s just too much for me to handle. I stay completely off of the internet because photos there can be even more powerful. I loathe commercial channel news broadcasts and their blatant manipulation of viewers’ emotions. I listen to National Public Radio because I find their news to be less sensationalized. But, even too much radio can be a bad thing!