Anyone else addicted to the news?

[Mya]

Just out of curiosity...anyone else addicted to the news? I always have been and my husband cannot stand it. Since having Panic and anxiety I know it is making things worse but it is like I cannot stop knowing what is happening in the world around me. It is almost like I need to know if something dangerous is in my surroundings or that of a loved one. It has gotten worse since September 11th for me.

Yes, watching the news is very depressing and there are times when I feel like the world is going to come to an end. Does anyone else have this problem - the news bringing anxiety but not watching also brings anxiety? It is like a catch 22!

[margaret jones]

Hi Mya

I think like you that listening to the news is something i need to do , but also i try and restrict it to only once a day , and try to look for some good things in the news as well as the awfull things that happen every day .In the last few mnths so many soldiers have been killed in Afganistan so young and there life over for what . I try and keep positive when i see there familys saying that their loved one lived for the job and they are so strong .

Take Care Margaret ( like the bit about Anxiety being a full time job that stinks I agree )

[Maj]

Hi, I think there are lots of people like yourself who always watch the news. I wouldn't put it all down to anxiety. The 11th September tragedy affected thousands of people as it was an unimaginable catastrophy. If I watch something on the news sometimes I can be really affected by it and keep thinking about it. At least you are taking an interest in the world around you which is a good thing. Please try not to worry about this too much. It shows you are also a caring person.
Myra

[ElizabethJane]

Dear Mya would you agree that the anxiety is already there before you watch the news? It is the anticipation of bad news that make it worse for us. My psychiatrist also has a name for it 'catastophising' ie alway anticipating that something bad is going to happen nothing good. It is a symptom of depressive illness. I'm not suggesting that all this applies to you but sometimes it is important to put the news into proportion that the worst stories will always make good news and that people want to read about catastrophies. I'm just as bad in thinking that bad things are going to happen and it will be me or my family who will suffer. Thankfully it does not happen.

[Slothette]

Yes I'm addicted to the news but if there is a very bad incident which is being reported on, I restrict my viewing of it as I know it will increase my anxieties. I also try to look at the good things in the news to try to keep a balance....Lex

[Mya]

Thanks for your replies!

Elizabethjane - yes, the anxiety is most definitely there before even watching the news. I have "catastrophic" thinking with a lot of things not just the news. My mother is the same way and I think it is a learned behavior. She is also addicted to the news. I do think I will begin limiting my intake and stick with only the local news at night. Seems like the only positive thing is the weather and that isn't always nice either!

Thanks again!

[nervy-paul]

I avoid watching the news, or listening to it either if I can help it. I found it made me depressed, or if I was having a bad day, made me worse!! The media seems always to over-analyse and over report on the bad news, whereas the good news is often shunted away somewhere near the end, if at all. The papers are just as bad, but are harder to avoid.

[looking4answers]

Yes for over a year.. my wife and I couldn't live without the news, all the science channels and movies. .One day I realized I didn't want to hear the crap anymore. We still pay to have it just in case.. but don't watch it..I have better things to do than to sit and scare myself to death and be depressed.. Michael

[den68]

i stopped watching the news when i was at my worst as i couldnt deal with it all and i dont watch much of it now

[ElizabethJane]

It is probably why I just listen to classical music on radio 3 in the morning then catch up with the news when I get to work by accessing it on the net ie BBC news. Husband also brings 'metro' home at night. I agree if the news makes us anxious and depressed or contributes to it then just dont watch/listen to it.