Is News Anxiety Affecting Your Mental Health?

How much news is too much? Given the volume of troubling headlines today, many who keep up with current events often feel overwhelmed. In fact, a March 2022 survey by the American Psychological Association reveals that 73% of American adults report that the news represents a significant source of stress in their lives. From war and crime to climate change and mass shootings, there always seems to be concerning news that happens on our screens. 

While most people want to stay informed, it's not unusual to feel stress while reading the headlines or watching the news on TV or online. When these feelings are pervasive, ongoing, and not healthily managed, they may come to negatively impact a person’s daily functioning and well-being. They even have the potential to increase the risk of more serious mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and trauma. Read on to learn more and explore coping strategies and support options that may help. 

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Why is news-related anxiety so pervasive?

A qualitative analysis by RAND outlining the relationship between how much news we're exposed to and how it's presented may shed some light on why it's become an increasing source of anxious thoughts for the general public.

While the ubiquity of 24-hour cable news is one of the more obvious and significant vehicles for subjective reporting and contributors to news anxiety today, social media has become another major source since its early days of use. For example, a 2020 report by Time magazine reveals that one in 10 Americans checks the news hourly, with 20% reporting that one of their leading sources of news exposure is social media.

The relationship many of us have today with online news has even given rise to terms like "headline stress disorder," "doom-scrolling," and "doom-surfing.” According to the RAND report cited above, these all refer to the inclination to "continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing" and makes the individual feel powerless, worried, and anxious. 

Potential mental health effects of news anxiety

Not everyone who keeps up with current happenings and sometimes feels stress as a result has an anxiety disorder. To understand how news-related anxiety can impact people in daily life, though, it may be helpful to recognize some key symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder as a benchmark. News-related anxiety is not currently considered to be a diagnosable mental health condition, but the effects of this mental health challenge could exacerbate or contribute to a person’s development of a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

If you experience the following mental health symptoms with significant frequency or severity or if they interfere with your daily life, it may be indicative of an anxiety disorder. If you experience them occasionally, it could be nonclinical news anxiety:

• Irritability: feeling easily agitated, restless, or on edge. Small things may trigger intense emotional responses when a person is feeling irritable.

• Worry: persistent and intrusive thoughts or concerns about various aspects of life, including work, relationships, health, or future events

• Fear and apprehension: an overwhelming sense of fear or impending doom, even when there is no apparent threat or danger

• Difficulty concentrating: inability to focus on tasks and trouble making decisions or remembering things due to racing thoughts and preoccupation

• Feelings of overwhelm: a sense of being mentally overloaded and/or unable to manage daily stressors or responsibilities

• Mood swings: frequent mood changes, such as feeling anxious one moment and then feeling down or having excessively negative thoughts the next

• Avoidance behaviors: avoiding situations or activities that may trigger anxiety or cause discomfort

Potential physical health effects of news anxiety

Anxiety can certainly affect people psychologically, but it’s not uncommon for physical symptoms of anxiety to appear as well. The reason for this may lie in the functioning of our autonomic nervous system and how it responds to stress.

The autonomic nervous system is in charge of those activities of the body that we don't consciously control, such as heart rate and breathing, but it's also responsible for triggering the fight-or-flight response when we feel threatened. For those with an anxiety disorder, this response can become overactive, with the body too frequently responding as if it’s threatened. This can result in physical symptoms such as:

• Sleep disturbances

• High blood pressure

• Heart palpitations

• Digestive issues

• Muscle tension

• Persistent fatigue

• Weight fluctuations

• Dizziness

• Breathlessness

• Sweating/trembling

When anxiety is chronic, a person may also be put at increased risk for certain physical health conditions like “arthritis, chronic pain, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, asthma, and peptic ulcers.”

Tips for managing anxiety related to negative news

Staying informed and aware is a priority for many, so simply not consuming news may not be an option. Even if a person makes the choice to try and avoid the news, it may not be possible in practice since it often appears on social media feeds, on the radio, and on TVs in public places like the doctor’s office or the gym. That said, there are strategies that may help you consume news in a healthier way and better manage any resulting anxiety. 

Limit news consumption to avoid “headline stress disorder”

Constant exposure to news can amplify anxiety and cause “headline stress disorder,” a colloquial term rather than a diagnosis that refers to news anxiety. Instead, you might make a deal with yourself: Set a specific, limited window of time each day to catch up on the latest headlines or browse social media, which may help you avoid excessive intake of the news cycle and achieve less stress. You might also consider turning off news notifications on your devices. Taking a break regularly to disconnect from the stream of news to spend time with loved ones and engage in activities you enjoy is recommended as well.

Choose reliable sources

It may be beneficial to seek out the most trustworthy news sources you can find and avoid engaging with those that publish deliberately inflammatory, sensationalized, or opinion-based content. Focusing on those that seem to provide accurate, unbiased reporting and present information objectively without excessive speculation is usually helpful. Developing media literacy skills can help you learn how to distinguish between factual reporting and opinion-based or inaccurate stories and conversations to find a balanced perspective. 

Be selective about topics

It's often unnecessary to follow the news coverage for every single event or to delve into every detail. Focusing on and prioritizing the topics that directly impact your life or community or are of personal interest may spare you some of the negative news you don't need to see and limit your news anxiety.

Practice self-care

Prioritizing self-care activities can help you manage stress and news anxiety. These can include things like getting enough sleep, eating nutrient-dense foods, exercising regularly, engaging socially, taking part in activities you enjoy, spending time in nature and practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.

Connect with others

Individuals with anxiety may be hesitant to discuss their experiences or seek support, but sharing your concerns with friends, family, or a support group can be beneficial. Opening up to talk about your feelings may provide reassurance or a sense of solidarity, and engaging in meaningful conversations can give perspective, help contextualize news events, and potentially reduce stress and anxiety symptoms. 

Take action

If news stories evoke a sense of helplessness, channeling your news anxiety into positive action may provide a feeling of empowerment. For example, you might get involved in causes that align with your values or volunteer for organizations working toward positive change.  

Establish routines

Building structure and predictability into your daily life may create a sense of stability and purpose that could help counterbalance the uncertainty of the news cycle. Sticking to healthy routines, setting goals, taking regular breaks, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are a few examples of ways to do this. 

Therapy for help managing news anxiety

If news anxiety persists and interferes with your daily life, you might consider meeting with a mental health professional. A therapist can listen to your concerns and support you in addressing anxiety causes and symptoms, finding ways to process the troubling news you’ve seen, and developing healthy strategies to help you cope.

If you’re interested in seeking the support of a therapist, you can choose between online or in-person sessions in most cases. Individuals who have a busy schedule and can’t regularly commute to appointments or who simply prefer to speak with a provider from the comfort of home may choose virtual options. 

With a platform like BetterHelp (or TeenCounseling for children ages 13–19 with parent consent), you can get matched with a licensed and experienced therapist who you can meet with remotely via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. Since research suggests that online therapy can typically provide similar benefits to in-person sessions, this format may be worth exploring if it's more comfortable or convenient for you.