These days it’s nearly impossible to avoid the overwhelming presence of the media and the impact it has on our day to day lives. Whether it’s constantly seeing worrying news, or not getting as many likes as you hoped on Instagram, the media can have a detrimental effect on many people's mental health. As someone who knows first hand how overwhelming the media can feel, I have had to learn how to manage my activity online in order to protect my wellbeing and avoid going down an anxious spiral. If you are someone who finds themselves becoming anxious when scrolling through social media or checking your news app, it may be worth considering a few ways to better manage your time online and, as a result, limit the stress you feel.
There are multiple things you can do to protect your mental health when it comes to the media:
Turn off your notifications - Constantly seeing notifications pop up on your phone can begin to feel overwhelming, especially if you are receiving bad news or need your focus to be elsewhere. Try silencing your notifications even for just a few hours and focus on a different activity.
Manage who you’re following - Does your timeline ever feel crowded with people you barely know or things you no longer care about? Give yourself some time to look through your followers and remove anyone that you feel isn’t positively influencing you or adding value to your life.
Only go on social media when necessary - Don’t just sit mindlessly scrolling when you have nothing to do, this can leave you feeling empty and lonely, especially if others are posting fun activities with friends. Only go on social media for a purpose or if you are in the right mindset to do so.
Limit consumption of news - To anyone who has a news app on their phone or breaking news alerts, my advice is to remove them. Although keeping up with world events is good, it is very important to take breaks and distance yourself from it, as constant exposure to negative news can leave you feeling extremely anxious and overwhelmed. If you enjoy catching up on the news, why not try replacing negative media for more positive sources, such as the happy newspaper
Educate yourself on stress management techniques - If the media is making you feel stressed or anxious, discover ways that you can manage this stress that work for you, for example, trying meditation or keeping a worry journal.
You are definitely not alone if you are finding the media is beginning to affect your mental health, and there are lots of resources available to you if you need support - you can find a few here. If you have any other suggestions for how you manage your media consumption to support your mental health, please share in the comments below.