Navigating the Digital Overload: Protecting Your Mental Health from Social Media News Flooding

photo of someone with a laptop opened and facebook noted on the screen, while also holding a cellphone to the side with another social media program open

Protecting Your Mental Health from Social Media News Flooding

In our digital age, and in the current world events media, the constant stream of news on social media has become an inescapable aspect of daily life. While staying informed can be crucial, the relentless accessibility and visual impact of news can take a toll on our mental well-being. Especially when the images and videos pop up on our feed without warning or invitation. For individuals seeking to protect their mental health, especially those feeling overwhelmed, overexposed, and struggling with what they are seeing, understanding the potential trauma induced by social media news exposure and adopting mindful practices is paramount.

The Digital Overload: Unveiling the Impact of Social Media News

In the pursuit of staying informed, social media apps expose us to a barrage of news, often accompanied by distressing visuals. For those of us living in British Columbia, where the natural beauty is a stark contrast to the sometimes harsh realities portrayed in the news, this constant influx can trigger feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and even create vicarious trauma (which is when we have a negative response to being exposed to others’ trauma). The visual nature of social media news intensifies our emotional responses, leaving us grappling with the aftermath of what we’ve seen.

Understanding Trauma in the Digital Age:

  1. Visual Overload:
    • The visual nature of news on social media amplifies its emotional impact. Graphic images and videos can evoke immediate and intense emotional reactions, potentially leading to vicarious trauma.
  2. Constant Accessibility:
    • The 24/7 accessibility of news on social media means there’s no respite from distressing information. The constant exposure can lead to a state of hyperarousal, where individuals are always on edge, anticipating the next distressing piece of news.
  3. News Fatigue:
    • The sheer volume of news can result in news fatigue, where individuals feel emotionally drained and desensitized to the suffering portrayed. This fatigue can contribute to a sense of helplessness and disconnection from one’s own emotions.

How to Safeguard your Mental Health: Strategies for Support

  1. Mindful Consumption:
    • Be intentional about the news you consume. Choose reliable sources and set limits on your daily news intake. This can look like setting a timer on or outside of your devices, or adding apps to your devices that can interrupt your scrolling and help you pause and decide if you want to keep scrolling. These practices can create a sense of control over the information they expose themselves to.
  2. Scheduled News Breaks:
    • Designate specific times for news consumption rather than allowing it to infiltrate your day constantly. Creating boundaries around when and how you engage with news on social media helps in preventing emotional overwhelm. This might look like delaying when you open the apps on your devices until later in the day, or closing your devices for good an hour or more before bedtime.
  3. Balance with Positive Content:
    • Counterbalance distressing news with uplifting and positive content. Follow accounts that share inspiring stories, nature visuals, or content related to your personal interests. This balance can help restore a sense of equilibrium.
  4. Digital Detox:
    • Periodically disconnect from social media altogether. A digital detox allows time for mental recalibration, reducing the risk of news-induced trauma. This could involve spending time in the serene outdoors or engaging in activities or hobbies that bring joy and peace, like reading books, colouring, going for walks, listening to music, or learning something new.
  5. Mindful Awareness of Triggers:
    • Pay attention to your emotional responses when exposed to news on social media. Identify specific triggers that evoke distress and consider muting or unfollowing accounts that consistently produce content that adversely affects your mental health.
  6. Seek Support:
    • Share your feelings with trusted friends, family, or professionals. Engaging in open conversations about the impact of news exposure fosters a sense of connection and understanding.
  7. Do Something to Create Change
    1. If what you are consuming has you feeling hopeless, helpless, overwhelmed, angry, scared, frustrated, or fearful, it can be a sign that what is happening does not align with you and your values. Something that you can do to help yourself feel like you have some control over what is happening, is to do something about it that contributes to change. Sign a petition, go to a rally, or donate to registered, reputable organizations that are sending support to those in need. While you might not feel like your one contribution will make a difference, if many people make one small difference, a lot can change.

Cultivating Digital Well-being: A Personal Journey

  1. Reflect on Your Values:
    • Take time to reflect on your personal values and how they align with your digital habits. Consider what kind of information resonates with your beliefs and contributes positively to your well-being.
  2. Set Clear Intentions:
    • Establish clear intentions for your social media use. Define the purpose it serves in your life and be intentional about the content you engage with. This could involve using social media as a tool for connection and community engagement.
  3. Connect with Nature:
    • Embrace the natural beauty of British Columbia (or where ever you live) as a counterbalance to digital exposure. Spend time outdoors, engage in activities that connect you with nature, and allow the serene landscapes to serve as a source of solace and rejuvenation.
  4. Practice Gratitude:
    • Cultivate a practice of gratitude to shift your focus towards positive aspects of life. Whether it’s acknowledging the beauty around you or expressing gratitude for small moments, this practice enhances your overall well-being.
  5. Digital Mindfulness Techniques:
    • Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your digital routine. Practice deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness exercises to center yourself and build resilience against the potential vicarious trauma exposure by distressing news.

Conclusion: Navigating the Digital Landscape Mindfully

In the age of digital connectivity, protecting our mental health from the potential vicarious trauma induced by social media news exposure requires intentional and mindful practices. For BC residents, the contrast between the digital deluge and the natural beauty of their surroundings emphasizes the importance of finding balance. By cultivating digital well-being, setting clear intentions, and embracing mindful practices, individuals can navigate the digital landscape with resilience and safeguard their mental health amidst the constant stream of news on social media.

Anxiety Series Interruption

Anxiety Series Interruption

 

My deepest apologies for the series interruption in the scheduled 6-part series on anxiety.

However, I felt it important to provide support and guidance on how to navigate the heaviness in the world right now… Which might indeed be bringing on more anxiety for many of us.

While anxiety is a very natural and helpful response (used to keep us safe), it easily becomes overwhelming when the fears we are aware of don’t pause, stop or go away quickly.

And we have been living in a world with constant updates of the imminent fears for a full two years now.

As of today, not only have we been dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the convoy protests of the pandemic restrictions. We are now inundated with news about what is happening with the war in Ukraine.

IT’S A LOT.

With the blessings of the internet and social media, allowing everyone to share their real-life experiences, unfiltered by media or time, it is also a curse. There is not off button, no option to pause and come back, or to wait for the news segment the next day for the update.

We don’t have the opportunity to step away from what is going on in the world anymore as we once did.

Yes of course, we can purposely step away by not using our social media accounts (one of the helpful tips coming up!). But how addicted to you feel to your phone and those programs? How much of using them is necessary for your work, or in staying connected with your friends and family?

While turning off your electronic devices can be very helpful, there is a bit more purpose and energy that needs to be put forward in order to really feel the break and pause from the inundation and overwhelm.

So, what can you do to get this break? To take a pause? And to lower your stress and anxiety levels?

Here are a few quick and easy things to consider:

  1. Like I mentioned before, take a break from social media and the internet. Turn off notifications from the apps, and put your device out of arm’s reach.

  2. Monitor what you are using your devices for. Is it for work, or to connect with people you care about? Focus on doing just that. Search the people’s content you want to view and avoid scrolling.

  3. If you notice that you have begun scrolling, stop, lift your eyes from the screen and take a deep breath. Decide which direction you want to go next.

  4. Limit your time on social media or the internet. Put a timer on, and when it goes off, time to put the device away and move your attention to something else (watch your favourite show, call a friend, go outside, complete a chore, have a shower, etc).

  5. Fact check your sources. Check in to where the information you are reading is coming from? Is it from that random person you met once at that place, and became Facebook friend with? Or is it from a reputable source? Having factual information can be helpful in your search for information.

  6. Increase the activities you engage in that help you feel better and balanced. This might be spending some time focusing on your breathing or practicing mindfulness a few times a day, it might be engaging with your new or favourite hobby or interest a little more, it might be spending a few more moments in the warm shower or bath. Whatever it is, allow yourself to have more time engaging in those activities (aka use the time you would have spent on the internet towards these present moment activities).

  7. Donate to the cause. Feeling helpless in times of distress is very common and can increase our levels of anxiety and fear. If you feel like you need to help to settle yourself, find reputable organizations that are looking for supplies, money*, or services to aid those who are struggling.

*Please note, when giving money, please ensure that you have checked the source you are wanting to donate to (such as a charity or organization) to ensure your money indeed goes to where you are wanting it to go, and you are not a victim of fraud.

 

As the days and weeks continue, I hope this information is helpful in your pursuit of mental wellness and balance.

If you would like support during these times, please visit the Contact Me page on my website to schedule an appointment. *New Saturday morning appointments have opened to welcome new clients!

If you have any tactics that you use to keep yourself balanced in tough times, I would love to hear it! Hit reply and let me know what you do, or share your tips with me on social media! You can reach me on instagram @devanceciliacounselling and on Facebook @devanceciliacounselling

Know someone who might benefit from reading this information? Feel free to share this with them, and encourage them to sign up for my blog emailed directly to them!

Until next week…

Take good care,

Devan