I think reading online papers everyday is making my anxiety and MH issues much worse.

williewonder

With what's happened the last couple of weeks in this country plus potential economy troubles its making me really anxious and I'm catastrophizing about it all. And this is making me depressed as well. I'm going to talk to my community nurse tomorrow about it who's coming to give me my monthly injection. Would it be a good idea to give up reading the papers for while and focus on my mental health. I don't want the depression to worsen. Maybe it's the depression causing the anxiety. I don't want the depression to bounce up and I become hyper manic or manic which does happen unfortunately.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to write this. I don't want to to end up as a politics discussion.

Muttleythefrog

I think ultimately it's something we can only say you need to discuss with healthcare professionals and those other professionals involved in your support. 

But what I do think is you need healthy distractions from overthinking things... most of the threads you post are about overthinking and your anxieties... they're not actually requesting benefit advice or if they are that is not the reason you post. 

As for newspapers... they are often politically motivated so inherently whip up scaremongering, bad news, fears and even false information. Of course the country.. the world... is not full of rainbows... and there's plenty to worry about but you can only start with being the best version of yourself.

Spoonie_Turtle

Is there a reason you haven't already stopped reading the news, since you've identified it has a detrimental effect on you?

I don't know if this is veering into the realms of medical advice so I'll simply share that stepping back from consuming news immensely helped my mental health, a few months into the pandemic.  Every now and then I engage a bit more (such as with the Cost of Living payments etc.) but other than that I don't keep up with the news.
I don't have any mental illnesses but it still had a massive effect on how I was feeling.  I now only engage with the news when I need to, or if it's clear something really important is happening (and even then usually only to get an overview of what's happening, I rarely read up about specifics and get more in-depth unless I feel I need to - such as for any actual benefit changes, particularly to know how to help others asking questions about it).

smpNWI

Take care of yourself, @williewonder.

You don't have to read anything you don't want to, especially if it affects your mental health. You don't owe it to anyone to worry about the world.

Try to define if there is any specific information you ought to keep track of for your personal benefit or even safety and only go for that, if any.

Try to get some specialist help - even peer support groups and forums mgiht help if you don't have anywhere else. Just make sure to choose somewhere where you are respected rather than mocked and/or challenged.

fatbelly

I had anxiety issues in the early months of the pandemic. I now avoid all mainstream news output. Looking back, I should have come to that position earlier

I do watch tv and have a Sky Box. Whereas I used to be in the habit of having tv (mostly news) on while eating - Interesting that news programmes are Breakfast, Lunch and when I have my main meal - now I have a selection of things on the Sky Box I can pull up: like yesterday's Pointless, Chase or Countdown. I've recently been working through some Fake or Fortune

Online I spend a lot of my spare time on mse. I am much healthier now.

sandra8009

Just remember that news outlets often focus on negative events because they attract more attention, which can create a perception that the world is more dangerous or negative than it actually is.

Try the following:

• Limit Exposure: Set specific times for checking the news and avoid it outside these times.
• Choose Reliable Sources: Select news sources known for balanced reporting to avoid sensationalism.
• Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness or relaxation techniques to manage stress.
• Focus on Solutions: Look for news that highlights solutions and positive developments.
• Stay Informed, Not Overwhelmed: Focus on staying informed about important issues without getting bogged down by every detail.

Hope this helps, it is also a common problem after I started suffering from this and read a reasonable amount about it.