Oh hello, darling, and welcome to Adaptation Month. Yes this May I will be bringing you a series of posts that will offer solace & help in the changes we’re all going through at the moment.
One thing that I have noticed having a negative impact on my outlook of life, as well as my mental health, is the NEWS. I am sure that there has been far more news than ever before during this pandemic. I am aware that we all need to know the facts of the situation, but there comes a point when the educational impact is lost in the fear that this coverage has brought so many of us.
The theme tune to the 10 o’clock news now fills me with such dread, and the sick-making bubbles of fear are now brought on by Fiona, Huw, and Sophie. It got to a point in April where I had to avoid all news coverage because of the way it made me feel.
For the first time in months, I was saying things like ‘it makes you miss the election’ and ‘we thought Brexit was bad’. Yet also I was getting a bit addicted to the news, and it was becoming a constant in my life. So I knew I had to take some action. Which has meant that I have implemented some tactics to help protect my wellbeing, which I want to share with you in case you are also suffering similarly.
We are surrounded by news, with TV, Twitter, and the News app all pumping constant info into our lives. To begin with, I banned all news, and moved the apps away from sight and stoped the update notifications on my iPhone, and laptop. I also started leaving the room when the news was on, sounds a bit dramatic - but it worked.
So once I had gone news cold turkey, I was worried about the empty scrolling time my mind would crave, so I did something about that too! I downloaded TikTok, and even though I have only posted one video, the content makes me laugh. TikTok has boosted my mood in ways I could have NEVER imagined and has been a tonic in these dark times.
I was worried that I wouldn’t know what is going the world, but trust me the news has a funny way of sneaking into our lives, so don’t be alarmed when you come across it in other ways. Family members are a big source of news, and in the Pechey household, we all work separately and see the news separately.
Mealtimes began to feel like the headlines all over again, so I asked that we spent no more than 5 minutes on current affairs, to make sure we didn’t bog ourselves down in the darker side of our lives. Just as I have the right to ask for the news to be minimised, my family members have the right to discuss the news - so it’s all about compromise. However, I urge you to have these discussions if you need them.
It is so easy for the media to get to the better of us. Without our intervention, it can wash over us and drown us in too much information. If you have felt any of the emotions that I have discussed then please try the tips I have advised, and avoid news fatigue.
Thank you as always for joining me my darlings, Adaptation Month will continue next week.
Shot By Rachel Pechey
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