Maintaining Balance in These Times
Our 24/7 access to news can make it hard to not always be on or reading the latest story, but our mental health needs time away. We asked Happier Living’s Natalie Hunter, LPCC, to share her tips on finding a healthy balance.
In a world where daily headlines increase our stress and anxiety, it is important to create boundaries around your access to those headlines through limiting screen and news time. Make sure that the limited exposure you allow yourself is through reputable news sources, and avoid rage-bait journalism that is designed to heighten your emotional response. It can be helpful to skim these types of headlines before getting invested in reading further, and ask yourself, "Why do I want to read this? Do I want to read it to learn important information about changing legislation or to take action that will feel proactive? Or am I being drawn into a story that will simply increase my feelings of anger, fear and hopelessness?”
In addition, grounding techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can help regulate your nervous system and stay present in your life. Keeping yourself in a state of hypervigilance will only lead to burnout, anxiety and or depression symptoms. Many people guilt themselves into staying hypervigilant and anxious in response to daily headlines, but those feelings do nothing to help themselves or others.
Ask yourself what you can and cannot control, take action where you can, and acknowledge and process any difficult feelings that may come up through talking it out or journaling.
Give yourself permission to find joy in your daily life, enjoy time with loved ones, and friends. Devote time to peaceful hobbies that feel healing, such as gardening, cooking, or creative pursuits.
