Intentional Inputs: Avoiding News Overwhelm

We live in a time when our phones buzz with something new every few minutes.  It is possible to find out what is happening in the world just by typing a few words into a search bar.   The news comes to us with push notifications. How do we remain focused and keep our inputs intentional throughout the day?

Overwhelmed and Anxious?

 It is quite easy for me to fall into the realm of becoming overwhelmed and anxious in the face of current events.  Too much information can really send my brain into an anxious spiral that leaves me frozen.  Have you ever had that experience?  Did you find yourself unable to get up without checking your phone again for the latest news?

Perhaps for you it is not the news.  Maybe it is the need to check the latest social media feed.  Do you feel compelled to check in on things multiple times per day?  Do you find yourself losing ten or fifteen minutes every hours just to see what is new?

My friend, I can relate!  I cannot believe how easy it is to let my time get sucked away by scrolling through social media feeds or current events. If I am not intentional about my inputs, my emotions can take over!

Eruption and Overwhelm

A few years ago, Kilauea, one of the volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii, began a new eruption in the neighborhood where my mom lived!  She had to evacuate her home just to stay safe.  

For months, she and her husband lived with a friend to remain safe.  The eruption would open new fissures all the time, and she was watching to see if the latest fissure would take her house.

I was on the mainland, crippled with worry.  I could do nothing.  They were physically safe, but I was worried about their home.  What was going to happen?  I would spend hours every day reading updates from the US Geological Survey, looking at maps of the latest fissures, then checking maps to see how far away the eruption was from her house.  I was obsessed.

As you might imagine, all this did absolutely nothing positive for my well being.  I was worried, irritable, and frustrated most of the time.  It began to affect my relationships at home, and my sleep.

I was a mess!

Thankfully, my husband noticed what was going on and was willing to talk to me about it.  He helped me to see that I was letting the volcano steal my joy away.  He was able to see just what this increased news intake was doing to me.  I was not being intentional about my news inputs!

After a few long conversations, I realized that I needed to make a conscious decision to change how I took in the news.

Since then, I have used this idea to help me find that balance between being informed and being obsessed.  As we are walking through challenging times now, I wanted to share these ideas with you so that you might be able to take control of your well being, even in the face of frightening and disturbing news.

Intentional with your Inputs

The idea I’d like you to consider is that of intentional inputs.  We need to make sure that we are aware of the information we are taking in, and that it is the right type and frequency that works for us.

How do we make our inputs intentional?  I have a few ideas I’d like to share with you.  These are things that have worked for me as I have tried to balance my desire for information with my longing for mental peace.

1.  Pick Your “Information Time”

One of the most effective ways to manage the flood of information is to be very specific about what times of day you will seek out the news or the social media.  I have two times of the day that I reserve for reading the news.

I like to check in during breakfast to see what has happened overnight.  I do not open the news app before breakfast, because that time is reserved for me to read the bible, read a nonfiction book, and planning my day.  Once I have taken care of those things, then I am ready to see what is happening in the world.

The next time that I read the news is at lunch time, before my mid day break.  Since we usually eat our breakfasts and lunches asynchronously in our home, these two times work well for me to read and stay informed.

I may check the news one more time before dinner, especially if there is something that is going on in the world or my community that I need to be aware of.  But, after dinner, I try not to read the news at all. I can get stressed out with bad news, and I don’t want it to impact my sleep.

What specific times would work for you as you seek to be intentional about your news or social media intake?  Think about where you usually find yourself checking in with the world, and then if that time works for you, then make it a habit.

2. Limit your Duration

In addition to being specific about your intake time, I would advise you to limit your time spent consuming the news.  

You can set a timer on your phone to remind you to stop reading after a certain amount of time.

 You can also set a time limit on your device through the system preferences. I have been known to set app specific time limits for certain apps on my iPad.  I will think about how much time is appropriate for me to be reading the news, and then set a screen time limit for that app.  These screen time limits help me to manage my time much better because I don’t have to think about it.  When my time is up, I get a notification and the app closes.

3.  Limit your Modalities

There are so many ways to consume the news today.  We can read it in social media, watch it on the TV news channels, go to YouTube, listen to a podcast or the radio, read in through a news aggregator, and even read a paper newspaper (yes, they still exist).

 I have known people who just love to listen to the news all day.  They have their favorite TV channels, and they tune in for most of the day. The news provides the soundtrack to their day.  Some people like to listen to the news radio on their commute to work.  Others prefer to see the news through the lens of their social media feed.

I prefer to read my news through the Apple News app.  I find that the sources are reliable, and I prefer to consume my news by reading.  Since I read quickly, I can spend less time consuming the news.  Additionally, I do not get disturbed with the print news like I can with the video of the situation.  The only exception is when there are wildfires in my area.  In that case, I prefer to watch those on TV so that I can actually see what is happening.

Figure out what you prefer and what works for you.  If you love to watch the news on TV, then pick your favorite channel and time and let that be your time to be informed.  Maybe you like listening to the radio or a podcast.  Be advised though, because there are so many different ways to be  informed, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.

Make sure you choose a way to stay informed that allows you to maintain your peace and tranquility.

 Be choosy about your preferred modality, and make sure your family is aware as well. If TV news bothers you, then speak up.  Perhaps your family member can reduce the time the news is on, or wear headphones so that you don’t need to listen to the program.  My family knows that hearing the news adds to my anxiety, so the television news isn’t usually on in our home.

I hope that you can take some of these ideas to help you as you seek to find a balance between being informed and being overwhelmed.  It is possible to be informed and not be anxious, but it will not happen unless we take deliberate actions that move us away from overwhelm and towards peace.  Be intentional about your inputs!

Feel free to share other ideas you have in the comments below to help us all be intentional about our inputs.