topic Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile. in Community Chat

I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 09:19:48 GMT

While I certainly want to be informed about what is happening in the world, I need a break from the national news.

The news has been awful for months now but the last few days I can feel my blood pressure go up even with BP meds.

Between the # of deaths each day, nearly 5,000,000 cases, Drs. and nurses talking about treating Covid patients and showing Covid wards, people spitting, hitting or pulling guns on people for being asked to wear a mask etc.

I want to know if the children and grandchildren of those pushing schools to open are sending their kids back to the classroom, although I'm sure their private schools will be safer.

I'm tired of having to wear boots to watch the news because of all the BS being spewed.

As much as we all want to wake up one morning and have this thing gone, it is not going to go poof and disappear.

It's all too much, and even though I consider myself a tough old broad, I need a break.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

on the bay — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 09:39:30 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2 -

I thought the same thing to myself late last night after watching the news again.

I Just end up going to bed thinking about it and worrying about things,

trying to make decisions re when to safely see family, hoping no one gets sick, listening to the dire predictions,

getting mad.

I can actually go thru a lot of the day not thinking about it, especially when not watching too much of the news and that is a really nice feeling.

We'll carry on!

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

CalminHeart — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:14:40 GMT

I'm very active in politics and watched a lot of different news channels, many hours a day, until a month or two ago. It's all getting to me and I've had to take a step back. I now avoid conspiracy tv. I rely on a few reliable news sources and non-partisan data/sites.

Re: I Have To Bac.k Off The News For Awhile.

hick — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:18:10 GMT

I too am absolutely exhausted by everything that is going on in our world.

It seems that some people have just been given permission to go nuts.

We are all human beings.When will we learn to treat each other with kindness.

I"m opting out of the news for now. My mental and physical health is more important than watching the latest catastrophe.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

Miss Pepsi — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:25:40 GMT

I pretty much stopped watching the news a year and a half ago, I get the headlines in my emali, and even at that I delete most of that before reading. I do get the COVID numbers updates but thats about it. It will make you crazy and depressed and who needs it,

I prefer to pick and choose my news. I am working hard to stay safe and that includes emotional.

I tell my sister often who watches the news all day and gets herself frazzled up, TURN THE TV OFF. Sometimes you need a break.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

qualitygal — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:48:22 GMT

I've felt that way for awhile now.

If it's not good for us, it's time for a break.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

PamfromCT — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 11:10:08 GMT

I am trying to cut back, but I have always followed current events very closely for my long life. At this point, I am very concerned for my two grandchildren. The schools and parents from each of the two schools they attend are having many discussions. No decision has been made as yet, but we are all concerned for their health and well being. They were schooled at home since March, and some schooling was continued over the summer. My GS will be entering grade 7, and GD will be entering grade 2.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

jellyBEAN — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 11:27:14 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2 You're not alone. I quit watching the National Evening News a couple of months ago, maybe more. I don't even watch our local news anymore. I turn in to the cable news channel to get the weather on the 1's. Life is so much more "normal" not listening to all this gloom and doom. I wear a mask and always carry a wipe w/me when I go to the store, but other than that, I don't even think about the virus.

As far as everything else goes, when I do see clips of people going bezerk because someone got too close to them, someone wasn't wearing their mask, people purposely coughing on other people, I wonder, wth? Have people gone completely mad to act out this way and think it is even remotely OK? No thank you.

I think back to my parents day, The Greatest Generation, when people actually dressed up when they travelled or left the house. When people cooked their own food. Men and women both volunteered to join the Armed Services to support their country and if they didn't do that, they supported the war efforts at home here in the U.S. I just don't know what's gotten into people and their thought processes.

Anyway, sorry to stray from the topic but I've stopped not only watching the evening news, I no longer watch 'The View' or 'Dr. Phil' or any of those cable news stations for even a minute. And I feel better for it. At 6pm I actually watch 'The Family Feud' w/Steve Harvey as host. He always make me laugh, and you can play along and see if you'd win the fast money at the end. Beats gloom and doom imo.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

NicksmomESQ — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:19:03 GMT

I totally agree. The news these days is pretty miserable. I definitely watch a lot less. But I feel that it's my responsibility to stay informed or suffer the consequences of looking the other way.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

Gorgf — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:20:31 GMT

I love the boards and have learned alot but this forum has gotten so arguementive about Covid issues I do not open them any more. There is so much information, misinformation and politics. The mods try and cut them off and I found myself even trying to help them with an alert when posters name call and are mean.

I am also avoiding posts here of death and dying, illinesses, depression and generally down posts. That includes pets as well as don't need to hear it. I know people are hurting and desire support but it just affects me too much.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

kaydee50 — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:25:16 GMT

We used to watch the news with Lester Holt and then the local news every evening. Since February, however, we never turn it on. I get the NY Times online and every week they have a quiz about the top news stories of the past week. I have been failing it miserably--LOL!!! My mental and emotional health are more important to me than keeping current about what's going on in the world.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

Blingqueen023 — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:29:01 GMT

@Gorgf wrote:
I love the boards and have learned alot but this forum has gotten so arguementive about Covid issues I do not open them any more. There is so much information, misinformation and politics. The mods try and cut them off and I found myself even trying to help them with an alert when posters name call and are mean.

I am also avoiding posts here of death and dying, illinesses, depression and generally down posts. That includes pets as well as don't need to hear it. I know people are hurting and desire support but it just affects me too much.

@Gorgf @I wanted to say this for weeks. Thanks for posting your true thoughts. I totally agree with you. I also have backed off the boards for a while for the same reason. I find them worse than if I sat down and watched the national news. The news is less depressing.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

SharkE — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:40:52 GMT

stimulus bill is not happening here at the deadline. I feel bad for the folks whose livelihood

was looking forward to some Gov. relief. Feel bad for parents don't know what to do with sending kids back to school. Looks like they're going to be out for a whole yr.

So many situations just horrible yr. !

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

JYWilliams — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:46:14 GMT

Count me in. I like to try to keep up on things but Geez the news make me depressed. So I just try to watch the weather.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

Greeneyedlady21 — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:49:20 GMT

It's healthy to limit intake and find alternative healthier things to do.

For me that includes these forums. The rude and insulting comments are extremely unappealing.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

KonaKat — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:04:17 GMT

I watch the local news, and the NBC News with Lester Holt and that is it. There is no need to watch those 24 hour news channels that rehash everything and run rampant with speculation.

I remember Desert Storm which I think was the first major engagement to get 24 hour coverage. We had a student and a parent who could not tear themselves away from the coverage because a family member was serving there. Both of them ending up needing psychological help. They saw bomb blasts and air strikes in whatever little sleep they got as when one grabbed a few winks the other stood guard over the TV cdoverage.

I don't spend much time worrying about things over which I do not have control. I'll watch enough news to keep updated but I can't control what is going on outside of my little world. I do have concerns when my health care might be limited by the virus intrustion. Luckily, I live in an area in which the cumulative positive test results is less than 3%.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

AngelPuppy1 — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:15:52 GMT

I am right there, too! I believe in being informed. However, it's really overkill at this point. A person's mental health starts to suffer with this over-saturation of constant bad news, negativity, and violence. I have to walk away and distance myself.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

HB glamma — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:39:36 GMT

There is a lot of inaccurate reporting on the news so why even watch. Too sensationalized.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

nevergivesup — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:42:08 GMT

This is a topic that I have really been struggling with. I have always been a news junkie, avid reader and have been horrified by the dumbing down of our culture over the last twenty five years. Having said that, I am exhausted by the current situation and have tried more recently to limit my news intake to the local news and David Muir on ABC evening news and avoid checking in to 24 cable news.

DH and I have been taking long walks out in nature, enjoying our bird feeder with morning coffee, tackling house projects that have been postponed and visiting with old friends by phone. It has helped and I agree with everyone that maintaing our own mental health should be our top priority.

However, we are in NY and while our recovery has been remarkable we know all too well how fragile the situation is and how quickly it can go sideways. 33,000 of our fellow citizens in NY gone in a few short months and I can’t just forget that.

Re: I Have To Back Off The News For Awhile.

fancy pantsy — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 14:28:51 GMT

i used to be a news junkie too.

i had cable news on all the time when i was at home. two months ago, i pulled the plug on the news... for reasons that have already been stated here. there is just way too much lying and bs going on (on both sides) and the newscasters (if you can call them that because some of them are strictly entertainers) seem to be doing way too much yelling and screaming.

these days i find that i turn it on once a day for maybe ten minutes, just to make sure a plane hasn't crashed, etc. ... and i find that i am happier without it.