Nowadays it's next to impossible to go on social media without seeing some sort of bad news. The seemingly constant stream of bad news can be very draining, so here's how you can deal with it.
According to Psychology Today, "our brains are naturally built to weigh and respond to negative information much more so than positive information".
A recent study also confirms that the media covers more bad news than good news as they suggest the media is responding to an increased public demand for it.
With this in mind, here's how to deal with seeing bad news on social media:
1. Adjust your social media feeds to suit your own personal needs
If seeing bad news on social media has a negative effect on you then you should adjust who you are following.
Unless it's necessary for your job to keep very up to date with current affairs then you don't need to be following a lot of news outlets or current affairs journalists online.
Unfollow any accounts that regularly post negative stories and block or mute words associated with any particular type of news story you find most distressing.
You can still keep up to date with news stories through online news websites and tv when you'd like to.
2. Learn how to switch off
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Although it's good to be aware of what's going on in the world, you don't need to be constantly aware of what everyone is doing.
This is why it's important to learn how to switch off and detach ourselves from social media for a while.
Try avoiding social media or the news first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Develop practical morning and evening routines that will help you start and end your day in the right frame of mind and leave the social media browsing until later on in the day.
3. Figure out what you can do to help the situation or if you can help the situation
A good way to deal with seeing bad news online is to see if there's anything you can do to help the situation.
If there isn't then learn to accept that the situation is out of your control and worrying about it is just wasted time and energy.
If there is something you can do, then do it. It will make you feel better knowing that you've tried to positively impact a negative situation.
An example of this would be if you donated to a relief fund during the recent bush fires in Australia.
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