You’re constantly watching CNN for their coverage of the January 6th trials or the war in Ukraine.  You spend days fixated on Fox News for their take on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe V Wade decision.  You go down a reddit rabbit holes on Q, Hunter Biden and the latest shooting.  You are plugged in.

    If you can’t go a single day, nay hour, without knowing what’s going on and feel out of the loop if there is a news event that you are not familiar with, then you suffer from News Junkie Stress Disorder (I made the disorder up, trademark is pending!).  

   The desire to be informed is certainly a positive quality.  After all, it’s in our genes.  We had to know if there was a lion in a field far away or if danger lurked around the bush.  Knowledge isn’t just power, it keeps us alive!  

Also, in a democracy, there’s value in having an informed citizenry.  Knowing about current events can help you to protect your property, improve your health and protect the lives of yourself and your family.  People who ignore current events altogether do so at their peril.

     However, being addicted to news is a huge cause of stress.  Our ancestors had to know about the lions in a certain cave, but they didn’t have to know everything happening around their country or the globe at every second!   That’s in addition to dealing with your own problems.  If you combine Donald Trump, Joe Biden, a school shooting and your missed grocery store stop, you’re going to have a lot going on everyday!   

If you have to be aware of the major issue of the day, everyday and combine that with the stress of life, it’s anxiety inducing.  You might find yourself depressed, anxious, worried, fearful and apprehensive at all moments.  It can be particularly troubling hearing about a news event and feeling as if you’re powerless to respond, because you are.  That, paired on top of the rest of life, is way too much.

    Let’s take a little quiz to see if you may be putting yourself into this category or news junkie stress disorder..  Do you watch more than two hours a day of cable news?  Do you read more than one major paper?  Do you listen to any news podcasts or news talk radio for more than an hour a day?  Are you on the Internet for more than 2 hours a day, reading twitter headlines or Apple News or Google News?

    If you answered “yes” to the preceding questions, you are in jeopardy of harming your emotional, spiritual and physical health through excessive stress.  Watching television or listening to talk radio is not a passive experience, it takes a toll on your nerves.  You become edgy. You feel high-strung.  You might find it increasingly difficult to concentrate because you’re distracted by the latest bombing, or scandal.  You become increasing irritability and can’t to stay calm in stressful situations.

    Information overload is a stress inducing experience. There’s a reason military’s incorporate noises and lights in their interrogation processes.  If you’re diagnosed with News Junkie Stress Disorder, you need to unplug.  You have crossed the line from informed, and are now overwhelmed.  It’s time to take steps to protect yourself against this stress.

   I’m a fan of quitting cold turkey.  This is how I quit smoking cigarettes many years ago, I just stopped.  However, for those who need to taper, begin with limiting the amount of time you spend on cable news.  Watch the headlines at the beginning of the day and the end.  On occasion, you might want to catch a deep dive, in order to hear in-depth reporting of a particular issue.  On those occasions, limit your time to an hour.

  Also, cut the amount of time you spend on your phone hunting down headlines.  In many cases, just knowing the headlines is enough.  You don’t need the death toll minute-by-minute in order to form a viewpoint about the latest tragedy.  In addition, reading just one major newspapers each day should provide you with enough information to have a good understanding of the major issues of the day.  You don’t need multiple subscriptions.  Most of the stories will be the same.

    Being informed can give you a sense of power and awareness.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be on top of the issues.  But taking it too far can lead to extreme stress.  If the news is becoming overwhelming, turn off the TV, turn off your phone, sit back and relax. You may want to go on a run, walk the dog, go to the park or shoot some hoops.  You’ll most likely find that being outside and getting Vitamin D makes you happier than watching the news!  I promise, if you step back your news consumption, your happiness will increase by the multiple of the time you stop consuming.