And let’s face it: This information is coming at us all day long. Our newspapers, news feeds, and inboxes are overflowing with reports about the COVID-19 pandemic — including how many have tested positive or died from it, what the curve looks like, how poorly prepared we were for it, how the economy is in free fall from it, reports of what we can no longer do, and on and on the stories go. While some of these reports are delivering life-saving information, it’s important to recognize that consuming too much too often can breed unhealthy fear, anxiety, and agitation. RELATED: How to Handle Anxiety in the Time of COVID-19 When we’re subjected to a continuous influx of disturbing or alarming news, research indeed shows that information overload can easily and insidiously upset our emotional equilibrium. A 2017 survey by the American Psychological Association involving 3,440 adults in the United States found that 56 percent of people reported that following the news closely caused them stress. That data comes from before the novel coronavirus was on our radar; back then, participants pointed to social divisiveness and political uncertainties as stress-inducing topics in the news. That same year, Steven Stosny, PhD, a therapist in private practice in the Washington, D.C. area and author of Soar Above: How to Use the Most Profound Part of Your Brain Under Any Kind of Stress, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post describing what he calls “headline stress disorder.” In it, he noted: “For many people, continual alerts from news sources, blogs, social media and alternative facts feel like missile explosions in a siege without end. In my Washington area–based practice, women seem especially vulnerable to headline stress disorder.” RELATED: Are Virtual Interactions on Social Media Busting or Boosting Your Stress? In a commentary article in the March 2020 issue of the journal Health Psychology, a group of psychologists warned that repeated media exposure to news about the COVID-19 pandemic could present a risk of psychological distress on its own. The mental health professionals reviewed several studies suggesting that repeated media exposure to community crises can lead to increased anxiety and heightened stress responses that can cause harmful downstream health effects, including symptoms that are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. “With repeated media exposure, there’s a psychological reaction and a physiological reaction where your fight-or-flight response is activated,” explains lead author Dana Rose Garfin, PhD, an assistant adjunct professor in the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing at the University of California in Irvine. “When you’re continuously exposed to it, your body is staying in that heightened stress response and that can trigger anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.” RELATED: I Have Medical-Related Anxiety. Here’s How I’m Surviving the Coronavirus News Even in the short-term, that information overload can be difficult to process, making it harder to complete day-to-day tasks and make decisions effectively, explains Lise Van Susteren, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice in Washington, D.C., and coauthor of the book Emotional Inflammation: Discover Your Triggers and Reclaim Your Equilibrium During Anxious Times. (Full disclosure: I am the other coauthor). “A deluge of negative or alarming information can rev up anxiety; leave you in a state of fear, despair, or anger; or upset your emotional equilibrium in subtler but equally damaging ways,” she says. The threshold of information overload varies from one person to another, so it’s important for each of us to identify our own information-related tipping point and protect ourselves from going over our personal edge. But how do you know when too much really is too much? RELATED: How I’m Staying Positive During the Coronavirus Pandemic
How to Determine Your Own Information-Overload Tipping Point
Here are some tips for helping determine what amount of news consumption during times of crisis is right and appropriate for you: Limit how often you open the information gates. You can moderate the amount of alarming news you’re exposed to by putting yourself on a media diet: Set limits on how frequently you check news feeds or social media, or read or listen to the news only in the morning (and avoid it the rest of the day). Pay attention to recommendations from authoritative health groups, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and from local public officials, like your governor, so you can protect yourself and your family, says Marjorie E. Weishaar, PhD, a clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, who has done research investigating cognitive risk factors for suicide. Of course, you should stay informed, she says. “But we don’t need to keep a scorecard of how many are ill or dying in order to protect ourselves.” While it’s true that the information is still changing, you probably don’t need hourly updates, Dr. Garfin adds. “Reading the news in the morning or watching it at night should give you the updates you need.” Whatever information-limiting strategy you choose, think of it as a healthy form of self-care that can foster self-preservation. RELATED: How to Start a Self-Care Routine Use critical thinking skills. There’s no question about it: Some pieces of distressing news are worth paying attention to. But other are not — especially if they’re biased, distorted, or not factually true. That’s why it’s smart to fact-check the information you’re hearing, and try to view an issue from multiple angles, Dr. Weishaar says. Don’t just take it at face value. “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it,” according to a definition from the Foundation for Critical Thinking. As a side benefit, doing this will slow down — and perhaps temper — your emotional response to the news you’re exposed to. Think of it as similar to calling a time-out during a basketball game when the opposing team goes on a scoring streak — it’s a chance to pause and regroup. And in this case, you’ll be able to interrupt the runaway emotions you’re experiencing by asking some key questions, such as: “What is the source of this information? Is it reliable or biased? What evidence is presented to support the claims that are being made?” Process the facts and then analyze the information you’ve just heard, breaking it down into different components and examining the issues from various sides. Reframe your thoughts. It’s not just the news you read or hear that can be stressful; it’s also the way you think about what you’ve learned. As far as the latter component goes, your thinking style can ratchet up your stress level or help dial it down. For example, reading an article about how long the coronavirus can live in respiratory particles that are expelled may be downright alarming. But if you remind yourself (assuming it’s true) that you are taking precautions recommended by various health groups as best as possible — you’ll calm your emotional reaction to what you read. Another way to reframe your thoughts: Instead of being anxious and sad about all the lifestyle changes you’re being asked to make to keep yourself and those around you safe, try to be grateful for the steps you’re able to take to protect yourself and those in your community, Dr. Van Susteren says. “Acknowledging what you are grateful for helps neutralize anxiety by directing your attention outward, bringing not only comfort but a greater sense of being in control.” And that’s a powerful antidote to feelings of isolation, frustration, and uncertainty. Look for the good news too. If you consciously seek stories about what’s improving in the world, including how people are going to extraordinary lengths to help others, how companies are working to meet the demands of this crisis, and more, the sense of helplessness you may be feeling can be replaced with a dose of hope. Even reading uplifting anecdotes or stories posted by friends on social media can boost your spirits. “When you redirect your attention toward something more constructive and positive, the first thing that happens is your mood improves,” Weishaar says. “This is an extremely difficult time — we’ve never experienced anything like this — but in the midst of this, there are positive aspects to life.” Staying informed enough, without tilting into information overload, about the coronavirus is important for both your physical and emotional health. “It’s important to find ways to do what you can with the resources you have and continue to do things you enjoy,” Garfin says, rather than focusing on the news every waking hour. Once you recognize that you’re doing what you can to protect yourself and your loved ones, having more frequent updates isn’t likely to help you because you’re not going to do anything differently. As we all endure this unprecedented pandemic, it’s essential that we preserve our energy to maintain our physical health and emotional equilibrium so we can help ourselves and others do our best to get to the other side of this crisis safely. RELATED: Self-Care Tips for Being Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic Stacey Colino is an award-winning writer, specializing in health and psychology, and the coauthor of the book, Emotional Inflammation: Discover Your Triggers and Reclaim Your Equilibrium During Anxious Times.
