Staying informed versus staying flooded
Wanting to know what is happening is reasonable. You may need to know about a storm heading for Oakland County, a school closure or an election. The problem is not the news itself but the dose and the delivery: a stream of alarming headlines, autoplay videos and comment threads, available every waking minute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts it simply in its advice on managing stress: take breaks from news and social media. It is good to be informed, but constant information about negative events can be upsetting.
What the research suggests
One of the clearest studies came after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Researchers surveyed nationally representative samples of U.S. adults in Boston, New York and the rest of the country in the weeks after the attack. They found that people who took in six or more hours a day of bombing-related media in the first week reported higher acute stress than people who were directly exposed to the bombings. The authors suggested that repeatedly engaging with trauma-related media for several hours a day may prolong stress after a collective tragedy.
That study looked at one event and one kind of reaction, so it cannot tell you exactly how much news is too much for you. It does support a common-sense idea: watching a frightening event over and over does not protect you, and it can keep your body in alarm mode long after the facts stop changing.
Doomscrolling and why it is hard to stop
Cleveland Clinic describes doomscrolling as endlessly scrolling through upsetting or negative content online, even when it makes you feel worse. Its psychologist explains that our brains want updates when the world feels uncertain or threatening, and that once you start looking, it is easy to get locked into wanting more. It can become a habit you barely notice.
There is a mood connection too. Cleveland Clinic notes that when people are depressed, they often look for information that confirms how they already feel, and negative content does exactly that.
Signs your feed is affecting you
Cleveland Clinic lists common signs of doomscrolling, and a separate Cleveland Clinic article on social media breaks adds others:
- Checking news or social apps first thing in the morning or late at night.
- A strong urge to stay updated "just in case."
- Refreshing feeds repeatedly and losing track of time.
- Feeling anxious, angry or drained while reading, but continuing anyway.
- Sleep, focus or productivity slipping.
- Comparing yourself to others and feeling your own life is lacking.
- Picking up your phone without remembering why.
Cleveland Clinic's psychologist makes the point that the issue is not a specific number of minutes but the effect social media is having on you. Two hours of following a hobby group may feel fine; twenty minutes of political comment threads may not.
Practical limits that work for many people
Decide when and where
Cleveland Clinic suggests setting boundaries for when, where and how long you read the news. For example, check one or two trusted sources at a set time, such as after breakfast and once in the early evening, rather than all day. Keep the phone out of reach, or in another room, at other times. A timer or your phone's screen-time settings can help.
Turn off what pushes at you
Cleveland Clinic suggests turning off app notifications and using do-not-disturb mode. Many people keep emergency and weather alerts on and turn off everything else, so they hear about what affects them directly without the steady drip of national headlines.
Protect the hour before sleep
Cleveland Clinic notes that doomscrolling can disrupt sleep, especially at night. Charging the phone outside the bedroom and reading a book or listening to something calm instead is a small change some people find helps. Sleep, Insomnia and Mood explains why sleep matters so much for anxiety and depression.
Curate your feeds
Cleveland Clinic suggests unfollowing or muting sources and accounts that reliably leave you anxious, angry or feeling worse about yourself, and capping the number of news sites you visit in a day. Following accounts you "hate follow" is rarely worth it.
Notice your body
A stiff neck, a racing heart or a sudden drop in mood while reading are signals to stop, according to Cleveland Clinic. Before you open an app, it can help to pause and ask yourself why you are picking up the phone.
Fill the gap
Cutting back leaves time, and an empty gap tends to get filled by the old habit. Cleveland Clinic suggests a walk, the gym, plans with a friend or volunteering. The CDC's stress advice includes similar ideas: time outdoors, talking with people you trust, journaling and practicing gratitude.
Taking a break
If limits are not enough, Cleveland Clinic suggests a defined break: deleting one or more apps for a week or a month, or limiting use to a set number of minutes a day. Telling a friend or partner your plan can make it stick. Expect some backsliding, and treat small wins as progress.
When it is more than a habit
Sometimes heavy news consumption is a sign of something underneath: constant worry that needs an outlet, anxiety that keeps you scanning for danger, or low mood that is drawn to bad news. If cutting back makes you more anxious, or you cannot stop despite trying, it may be worth talking to someone. Managing Constant Worry covers ways to handle worry directly.
In anxiety therapy, Dr. Lehmann, a licensed clinical psychologist in Franklin, works in an insight-oriented, integrative way that includes both practical changes to daily habits and a look at what the checking is doing for you.