As I enter wk 2 of massively reducing my time on social media, I've discovered that my stress levels are WAY down, and my general enjoyment of life is up.
More surprising is that when I realize this, I actually feel guilty, like it's inappropriate not to be in a constant state of fear and anxiety.
Which ... is crazy.
It's important to understand what is going on and do what one can to address it.
But being *constantly* on edge is ... surely unproductive and unhealthy. That I had come to see that anxiety and stress *important* is ... def not good.
I'm increasingly convinced--and wouldn't be surprised if there is actual psych evidence backing this up--that constant exposure to news is unhealthy at best, aggressively harmful at worst.
Fox News, MSNBC, Twitter, Gab, any of it. I feel like our minds aren't designed to handle 24-7 news firehoses.
Have spent the last week in a nursing home while Dad is in rehab, and there's an entire generation of elders watching news channels 24/7. FNC is the worst, just constant vitriol, spite, constant othering, and hyperbole about threats and dangers. Toxic. What's your detox plan?
I just deleted everything off my phone, and that was basically enough.
Over the first few days, I realized just how instinctively I would open it up, bc I kept swiping to where it was and it wasn't there.
Even within a day or so, I felt the urge start to fade.
And yeah, the FNC thing in nursing homes is crazy. I have a family member who lives in a graduated retirement community, and they have a constant mission to turn off Fox any time they come across an unattended TV.
They won't aggressively turn it off is someone is watching, but if not? Click.
Oh, the other thing I’ve started doing a LOT of is deleting my angrier posts (esp abt the whole Biden-step-down mess) abt an hour after I post.
I get to vent, but deleting means the comments stop, so my urge to check stops too. And the stress? Plummets.
Chopping up my social media (Meta for closer friends and family, LinkedIn for work, Bluesky for general scrolling and some news, plus some private communities), and turning off all social media notifications were huge life improvements.
Glad you're stepping back to find what works, too.
With how nostalgia-cized the 80’s was vs. reality, I feel like I would’ve been absolutely miserable had I been born 30-40 years earlier just as a Bi guy (given AIDS and the awful sociopolitical reaction to it).
24/7 media of this era definitely wouldn’t have helped tbh.
Just from how much I’ve learned about the era in the last few years, I’m almost shocked to see surviving queer elders that aren’t totally miserable and suicidal. I guess the lack of said media plus the solid community structures & clubs (in or outside the bio family, if you’re lucky) likely helped.
I love news. I grew up on reading the paper everyday, then CSPAN, then CNN, then RSS. over those decades I have gone through the 5 stages of grief and am no longer emotionally invested in what I read. I care, I just don't emotionally react to everything. that's exhausting.
