Consuming too much news isn’t great for mental health. I think that’s widely known, especially in terms of social media consumption. But as we’re in a pandemic, it can be hard not to be glued to the news. Nerves are on high, which leads to seeking information or reassurance on how to stay safe—or sane. But checking the news all the time for the latest updates isn’t helpful, not even in a pandemic.

Paradoxically, the very threats the news is trying to warn us of is creating a related threat: psychological distress from repeated pandemic media exposure (Garfin et al., 2020). Similarly, research from Stainback et al. (2020) found that greater exposure to COVID-19 news is significantly associated with greater psychological distress. I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone, but I do think it’s a friendly reminder as the pandemic wears on.

It’s been almost a whole year—a whole year of non-stop pandemic news. And get this: the data that showed the association between pandemic news exposure and distress was collected in March 2020. I can only imagine the stress trend is ticking upward as COVID-related news is still nonstop as we approach March 2021. Or maybe the prolonged exposure has made you feel like you need a break from the news. That’s okay. In fact, that’s good! Because as the end of the pandemic is still not quite in site despite having a vaccine, stressors remain high.

For example, the news makes us worry about the potential effects of the pandemic, such as worsening health and finances, which then increase stress (Stainback et al., 2020). And as these perceived threats are anticipatory in nature, they perpetuate stress and anxiety as the unknowns remain unknown and the threats remain threatening.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. Despite it seeming unending, the pandemic is time limited. And there is a vaccine. That is a good thing. But even vaccine news is fraught with unknowns as vaccine rollout is bumpy, to say the least. So, closely following vaccine news, as hopeful as vaccines are, isn’t great for mental health either. To be clear, I am extrapolating that from the above evidence showing the mental health effects of following COVID-19 news. I think tracking vaccine doses is not helpful, unless of course that’s your job. In which case, please keep doing that. Otherwise, watching pandemic-related news like a hawk—whether it’s about case counts or vaccine counts—can be detrimental to your mental health. It causes stress, which then causes outbursts of emotion like irritability and overreactions. And those, while natural reactions to mounting stress, are generally not helpful either. But that stress can be curbed.

There are healthy limits to consuming pandemic news. It’s good to stay informed on the updates in your area, but as much as we hear “this is a rapidly evolving situation,” we do not need to rapidly consume news like it’s going out of style. It’s still bad news with hints of good. In the grand scheme of things, it hasn’t really changed all that much, has it? The good news is that while vaccine rollout travels its rocky road (mmm ice cream!), we still know effective strategies to keep ourselves and others safe:

1. Mask wearing.
2. Social distancing.
3. Avoiding crowds.
4. Ventilating your indoor spaces.
5. Washing your hands.
6. Getting vaccinated when you can.

Pretty sure you know all of this already. It’s everywhere we look because it works in curbing the spread. And taking breaks from the news curbs stress. And curbing stress curbs, well, feeling exhausted, irritable, teary, angry, take your pick.

Take back control of how much pandemic news enters your already full brain by limiting how much news you watch, listen to, or read. It’s good to be informed, but obsessively checking the news is not staying informed, it’s staying stressed.

If you don’t want to take it from me as a health communicator, take it from the researchers and the CDC. In addition to those six measures the CDC promotes to keep us all safe, they also promote taking breaks from the news. Imagine that! I would go so far as to say take extensive breaks from the news, including social media which can be fraught with misinformation anyway. No one needs that. I put myself in that category, especially after having a slight meltdown on Sunday after reading the newspaper (the real paper one, for the record). Needless to say, it stressed me out, which lead to an outburst of emotions. I know I’m not alone in this, which is why I was inspired to write this post.

With a mix of science and humanness, let me conclude by saying it’s okay to take a break from the news, or even extend that break, for the sake of your mental health. And if you’re looking for some stress coping tips, here are a few to try on for size:

1. Move your body. Or, as I heard once, “Get out of your head and into your body.” Take a walk, do some pushups, kickbox the air, or do a little dance (“make a little love, get down tonight, get down tonight” … sorry, it got stuck in my head!)
2. Connect with a friend or family member—a good one that will virtually hold back your hair as you word vomit. Let it out. Chances are they’re stressed too and can relate. You are not alone!
3. Journal it out. Expressive writing can help clear your mind. Just put it all on paper, then put it out of sight, or recycle it. It’s out now—you don’t need to hang onto it.

Oh, and breathe!

References

Garfin, D. R., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 39(5), 355–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000875

Stainback, K., Hearne, B. N., & Trieu, M. M. (2020). COVID-19 and the 24/7 News Cycle: Does COVID-19 News Exposure Affect Mental Health? Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120969339