**Warning:** This is a very long read, but if you have anxiety and have trouble being addicted to the news and doomscrolling like me, it is a very worthwhile read.

# When the World Is Your Trigger

A few weeks ago, my anxiety had been terrible. Like over the top terrible. When things are unusually difficult with my anxiety, I sit and write a list of the stressors that are triggering me - just the first things that pop into my mind while feeling extremely anxious. And I see if it is possible for me to eliminate those things. This practice has always helped me manage my anxiety.

The top things on that list? Climate, Covid, politics. It all drives me insane. I’ve laid awake reeling and obsessing over these issues.

When these are the types of issues triggering you, you quickly realize that you cannot eliminate them. **You feel hopeless and like you might just panic to death thinking about it and hearing about it every day.**

# How The Journalism Industry Thrives

We humans have a survival instinct embedded in our DNA called, **“Negativity Bias” - we like to consume and remember the most negative things we hear.** It gives us a bit of adrenaline and puts us in that fight or flight mode so that we can protect ourselves from potential threats like any animal does.

Benefactors of the journalism industry understand this too, which is why they only run the most negative stories about the world framed using the most cryptic and alarming language possible; because it gets *you* interested, it gets *you* scared, **it hits you right in the Negativity Bias that you can't turn off! Positive stories are almost never run, not because they don't exist, but because they don't sell well.** 

These people profit from anxiety, anger, depression, and general turmoil of the human psyche - that should honestly piss you off a little, too. Now, don't get me wrong - it is right and responsible that humans remain aware of the crises we face as a species and how we can help to mitigate them, but there's a balance that must be struck in order to have a life that feels worth living.

# So Turn Off The News

Yes, being informed is great. Being informed is responsible. But at some point, one must determine when they have been adequately informed of the threat and the ways they can mitigate the threat, and then tend to their own life. 

We are each one person - we do not have the mental capacity to intake so much rapidly developing information into our minds at the speed it is laid in front of us these days. On top of that, we're not seeing any of the positive developments in the world, because that isn't what sells. In our society of social media and rapid information sharing, it is easy for one's perception of the world to become tailored to what corporate journalism has decided is going to sell best and influence our behaviors as consumers of the information they provide.

**This is when it comes time to curate the information you are exposed to.**

Consider the information you feed to your brain an equivalent of a diet that you feed your body. What's in your information diet and how is it affecting your mental health? 

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to unsubscribe and unfollow every subreddit, Twitter account, or Facebook page that shared the news. I was in a very dangerous place mentally, so this drastic cut needed to be made.

The only news I remained subscribed to was r/UpliftingNews, because we really need to see the good that's going on out there. This world is certainly cruel, but it can also really be better than the version of the world that's being sold to us. I replaced my doomscrolling through politics and world news with browsing the uplifting news and news about my most anticipated video game titles coming out. 

Guess what - I have my vaccine, I wear my mask in public, I keep my distance, I recycle, I look for ways to get involved in environmental preservation, I vote in every election. **What good will a surplus of constant depressing news do for me if I'm already doing what I can?** The answer is nothing. Nothing at all.

I cut ties with the doomscrolling, and within 2 weeks of doing so (and remaining committed to it) I feel like a human being again. I feel like going on and living my life. I feel like cherishing the time I have to be with those I love while they're here. I could not do these things while I was allowing myself to be consumed by an onslaught of doom and gloom.

# Conclusion

Go outside and enjoy a walk in nature (if possible), watch a nice feel-good Netflix series like Schitt's Creek, crack open a book, call your mother/father/brother or whoever it is that you love, play a fun video game, do whatever.  


But whatever you do, remember that your life is far too precious and short to be spent miserable because of monetized fear from behind a glass screen in your hand.