Anxiety over News

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Hello. I'm wondering if anyone else here gets really affected by the news, and either avoids reading it or discussing it as much as possible, or engages in destructive/self-harming practices such as arguing on the Internet as a result? But yanow, because it makes you really anxious and you have a hard time grasping how people can be so stupid and horrible.

So far I've resolved to 1. try not to argue on the Internet, 2. never read daily newspapers just because they are there and free (read a book instead), 3. not argue with people who are clearly very emotionally invested in one argument, and 4. never look at the comments on news stories. All that said though, I think about the news fairly often, imagining it as this looming presence that never quite -- but always threatens to -- personally affect me. When I get sucked into it, realizing how few people seem to think about it rationally or care about the same things I do makes me depressed about humanity.

I guess it's because I tend to lump all news stories I see together into big trends I imagine happening, and it almost seems like a battle between reason/human-rights and stupidfaces (no offense to anyone, I'm trying to be vague). Plus I have to scrutinize and pass judgment on like, everything I become aware of. So yus, I don't read the news because it makes me anxious and I don't handle it well.

Anyways, I don't want to refer to any particular news events and go off on any tangents, but what is everyone's personal policy on dealing with the news? And does it affect you more than you think it should?

Certain types of news really upset me. Parents harming their children, for example. Also, health stories make me paranoid about my health and the food I eat. I have banned myself from CNN's Health page.

I get affected by the news *a lot* but still I just have to follow it. quite devastated nowadays keeping up with the news on the situation in Syria :/ just makes me more and more of a misanthrope I guess.

not a robot ;p


I wish i could take photos of the syrian refugees but they would get freaked and break my phone, they're very paranoid about this.

Once i was holding my iphone high for checking something and the Syrian refugee who was sitting there under the bridge (with his 3-years old son) almost humped on me saying 'what are you doing? taking photos of me? fear Allah, i have a 3 years old son and his mom is stuck in Syria! ". He's apparently very aware that we have people who work for the Ba'ath regime, and sadly, they are plenty.

I had to roll my albums and show him ALL my photos on my iphone to make him believe that i didn't take any photo of him .

and the syrian refugees are following me in the street almost every time i do long walking, asking me for money or any aids. They're often with teens and kids.

Armenian refugees, Palestinian refugees, Kurd refugees, Christian Iraqis refugees...and now Syrian refugees.

Yoohoo! Splendid!

Putting it that way, I guess my life in America is pretty sweet - - and sheltered.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

We have those begging for help here too,, but they are often considered to be druggies and drunks and are carted off to jail out of public view all except in big cities where the homeless outnumber police forces.
I had a friend who was homeless, I learned alot about this underworld of our society, most get homeless because of lack of family ties when a cascade of finacial events comes crashing down. It can happen rather quickly...and when it does those who are newly homeless see a whole other side of america which is not so free.
Not saying that Boo's situation is less than ours by any means but that there is a whole other side of America which suffering due to injustice is real and right under your nose. Not everyone in the forclosure crisis had family to turn to, many were added to the roles of the homeless, the american untouchables.

But on topic, I find the more I read the news, the more I feel like crawling in a cave somewhere and coming out when I am an old woman.
regardless, I feel that I must keep informed, but I am with you....I need a few weeks without the news. I would be a happier person. Our government is already too fargone to save...what is the point of tuning into the daily terror unfolding in slow motion. Fearful people are easy to control is the name of that game.

Oh, to be sure, things are far from perfect here. And I know perfectly well that not everyone on the street is a drunk or an addict. Far from it.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

it's getting worse ;D

now THAT news cause me anxiety ;p

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/le ... expression

I have this problem sometimes. I do a better job controlling it now than I used to, but I used to really get worked up over every little bit of bad news (local or global) I would come accross.