14/10/2025
📺 The Impacts of Watching the News
Recently, while helping at a meditation stall, I was having conversations with people about the challenges they were facing. A woman said to me: “See, this is why I don’t watch the news anymore.”
It wasn’t just what she said but how she said it. That moment made me think more deeply about a topic I had rarely explored: the personal impact of news consumption.
Of course, there are obvious reasons people avoid the news: it is seldom positive, media outlets profit from misfortune, corporations have vested interests, and misinformation is on the rise. But I realised I had seldom asked people to describe the specific impacts on themselves.
I also wondered: are these impacts universal, or shaped by background, trauma history, or personality? Are some people more resilient to bad news than others, and what factors help people cope?
✨ So I put forward a question:
“If you’ve stopped watching the news, why? I’m not asking about the media machine itself, but about you — your thoughts, feelings and overall impact. How differently do you feel when you don’t watch it?”
📺 What Surprised Me
I was struck by how thoughtful and self-aware respondents were. They weren’t simply “helpless” in the face of negative media. Many had noticed how the news affected them, reflected on those effects, and set clear parameters for their engagement.
Instead of passivity, there was intentionality: people described being highly aware of their responses and proactive about protecting their wellbeing.
📺 Emotional and Psychological Impacts
Across the responses, many described feeling:
- hopeless, heavy, or demoralised,
- caught in spirals of despair,
- deeply saddened by tragedies they had little control over, or desensitised, particularly children exposed daily to news bulletins.
One respondent shared:
“The news generated a general feeling of hopelessness that actually led me to participate in change-making less, not more, even though being ‘informed’ was supposed to encourage action. These days I follow only one or two issues that I have the capacity to work on, and let go of the rest. The stories I find most difficult are those of war and invasion. The second Iraq war left a lasting mark on me — I marched in the streets to oppose it, and when the invasion went ahead anyway it was deeply demoralising.”
Others spoke of their sensitivity to the tone of newsreaders’ voices, the lack of authenticity, and the feeling of “infecting” their minds with propaganda. One person described needing to step away:
“I had to disengage from news because I need to look after my mental health. I find it easier to moderate what I see by keeping up to date via social media. I can scroll by if I don’t want to see it… I still know what’s happening in the world, but I’m not bombarded by it, and much of what I do see has been filtered through content creators I trust. It doesn’t take up mental load anymore.”
Another powerful account came from a respondent reflecting on the August 2025 demonstrations in Indonesia:
“There were large demonstrations in several cities, sparked by rising inflation, living costs, tax hikes, government policies favouring elites, poor communication from officials, and the growing role of the military in civilian life. Mainstream and social media covered the protests intensively every single day. Instead of reassurance, the constant flow of news reinforced my unease with the current leadership. Policies discussed in the news created anxiety and uncertainty among ordinary citizens, and the communication from officials often felt unempathetic, widening the gap between people and their leaders.”
“Reading the news day after day had several negative effects: rising anxiety, frustration, distrust in institutions, resurfacing of historical trauma, and emotional exhaustion. At one point, I had to step back from the constant flow of information to protect my mental health. Limiting my news intake helped me feel calmer, more focused on daily life, and less emotionally drained, though there was also a sense of guilt about not fully engaging with a key democratic moment. Being selective isn’t about ignoring democracy — it’s about finding balance, staying informed, and protecting emotional stability.”
This account highlights how intense news coverage during political crises can deepen old wounds, amplify distrust, and take a toll on mental wellbeing.
📺 Boundaries and Rules
To manage these impacts, respondents described creating intentional rules:
- Avoiding TV news altogether, sometimes for years.
- Controlling timing: morning consumption rather than evening, to protect sleep.
- Choosing formats: short podcasts, reading articles, or selective online sources instead of broadcast television.
- Focusing selectively: following only one or two issues that felt manageable.
- Leaving groups or feeds that caused distress or anger.
One person explained:
“I left many politically minded Facebook groups because the content made me sad, angry, and powerless.”
📺 Alternatives and Coping
Instead of daily bulletins, respondents described ways to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed:
- researching events independently online,
- listening to curated podcasts or selective news channels,
- replacing TV with music or meditation,
- grounding themselves in local community service,
- stepping back entirely when necessary.
As one person said:
“Better to earnestly care but be grounded and present in the local reality where I can be of real service.”
📺Window of Tolerance
Some of these coping strategies connect to the psychological concept of the window of tolerance: the optimal zone where a person can experience and process stress without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down. People who step back from distressing news are often self-regulating, staying within their window so they can remain functional, grounded, and emotionally present. Exceeding that window — by watching too much or too intense news — can trigger anxiety, despair, or emotional shutdown.
✨Questions That Remain
Hearing these stories raises important questions:
How do we widen our tolerance for discomfort around news?
What difference does this make personally?
How do we identify our limits and stick to them?
How often should we engage to balance being informed with self-care?
What research exists on this topic, and where are the gaps?
📺 Conclusion
What emerged clearly is that people are far from passive in the face of the news. They are reflective, aware, and deliberate about how they engage. Stepping back from overwhelming media is not about ignorance or disengagement — it is about protecting mental health, staying grounded, and being able to respond meaningfully in the spheres where one can actually make a difference. The Indonesian respondent’s experience shows how intensive coverage during crises can intensify stress and trauma, reinforcing the need for boundaries, selective engagement, and grounding practices.
