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Relationships must be nurtured to survive. Social support is essential for your physical and psychological health.If you've been handcuffed to the news for any period of time, your relationships have likely suffered. Reach out to others to build or repair your relationships. Until you are 100% confident with the changes you have made, you will need the support of others. Engage in real and online social situations that expand your interests beyond news stories. For example, take a music lesson, volunteer for a project to help animals, or children in need. It will restore the idea that there is more to life than news. Shared interests bring people together. Investigate and join a group that might interest you. There might be a comedy groups, or city recreation league that will provide the opportunity to meet new people. If you meet someone who you suspect is addicted to the news, refrain from talking about the news. Bring up different subjects to divert the conversation toward a more positive direction. You can always excuse yourself from a conversation if it becomes difficult or annoying. Without being pushy or overbearing, share your experience with the person and offer to help him. You can suggest all the strategies that helped you manage your addiction to the news. Teaching others what you have learned will give you a sense of accomplishment and internal reward far above what watching the news will provide. Learning to overcome and manage an addiction to the news will increase your self-esteem. It is important to keep the information we hear in perspective. A lot of news narrows down the information to a specific, terrible situation. There are usually time constraints so they pack in as much death and destruction as possible. If you inundate yourself with this information, it will skew your perception of reality. Pause and think clearly and you will realize the chances of the same disaster happening again or even at all, are minuscule. Influenza is a very good example of narrow reporting. A certain amount of people die, but in a country with 350 million people, 50 influenza deaths is a small amount. Don't assume there is a pandemic without good evidence. When you're tempted to believe that things are getting worse because of the news, stop and ask yourself something like: Are they really? And why do I think that? Are those facts credible? Taking the time to question the fear-mongering news stories can break the cycle of being obsessed with them. Watch movies or TV shows that don't involve the news or disasters. For example, you can watch shows about home improvement, or biographies of historical figures. Add some humor to your life to balance the negativity of watching the news. It can be healing. Periodically ask yourself if you have laughed very much in the last week or month. If you can't remember the last time you did, then find a way to get a good dose of laughter. Call a friend who makes you laugh, or go to a comedy club to support comedians. Once you feel the benefits of laughter you will make it part of your routine. Life is filled with things that challenge you, and also make you want to celebrate. Much of life happens between those two points. You are able to appreciate the celebratory moments because you know what it feels like to struggle. If you are feeling down you can feel confident that the good will eventually arrive.
Strengthen your support system. Be a good role model for others. Keep life in perspective. Lighten up your viewing choices. Expect ups and downs.