Sick of Watching the Same News Over and Over Again

Story highlights

• Thank you to technology, exposure to traumatic events has rapidly increased over the by few decades
• Chronic levels of stress can lead to headaches, musculus tension or hurting, stomach problems, anxiety and sleep bug

(CNN)With every news warning or breaking story, our globe seems to be pushed further and further into crisis. It is taking a serious toll on our environment but besides on our mental health.

In the past year, hurricanes dilapidated communities around the globe, a monster earthquake wreaked havoc in Mexico, the American Due west erupted in flames and continues to burn, there have been more school shootings, and the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea is pouring lava into the Pacific Ocean, threatening the lives and homes of residents.

Co-ordinate to the National Centers for Ecology Information, the The states experienced xvi weather and climate disasters terminal year, with losses exceeding $1 billion and full costs of approximately $306 billion -- a national record.

The United Nations' disaster-monitoring system says that since 1970, the number of disasters worldwide has more quadrupled, rising to about 400 per yr.

With the surge of technology, social media and a 24-hour news cycle, exposure to traumatic events has rapidly increased over the past few decades, as well. According to a survey conducted past Pew in 2015, "65% of adults now employ social networking sites -- a nearly tenfold jump in the past decade." Much of the public's news consumption occurs on these digital platforms.

The world has always been stressful, but experiencing astute events occurring thousands of miles abroad is a new and challenging phenomenon. On any given day, it feels like the world is falling apart.

How can we caryatid for disaster and find the force to withstand it? How volition we adjust to our greater exposure to trauma? And will our mental health be sacrificed in the procedure?

This is your encephalon on disaster

Our brains are hardwired to process stress relating to trauma by entering what is known as "fight, flying, freeze" mode earlier returning to a restful country, explained Susanne Babbel, a psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery. However, constant exposure to trauma tin can derail our ability to cope healthily and hinder our ability to return to a relaxed state.

"Every time nosotros experience or hear virtually a traumatic event, we get into stress style. Nosotros might get numb or have an overactive fear response to the perceived threat. Our physiology is triggered to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline," Babbel said.

Ideally, after the perceived threat is resolved, the body's resting land of homeostasis should be regained. However, recurrent exposure to traumatic events ways the body is undergoing this process far more than frequently than always, interrupting this restful recovery.

"Over fourth dimension, when we feel this process once more and once again, our adrenal glands can get fatigued. Adrenal fatigue tin lead to being tired in the morning time, lack of restful sleep, anxiety and low, every bit well equally a multitude of other symptoms," Babbel said.

A literature review of studies about the effects of stress on the brain and body found that "acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden. However, if the threat is unremitting, specially in older or unhealthy individuals, the long-term furnishings of stressors can harm health."

Chronic levels of stress can have myriad physical manifestations such as headaches, musculus tension or pain, tummy problems, anxiety and sleep issues.

Inundation of news and trauma can besides lead to what is known as disaster fatigue, making us less concerned and more apathetic and feeling a diminished sense of urgency nearly the crisis at hand. Disaster fatigue occurs when prolonged exposure to news coverage of disasters causes potential donors or volunteers to lose motivation to accost the problem.

Tune out

"One way of coping to this continual exposure is non getting overloaded with the news and pacing yourself with your consumption. Anybody has a different limit, and you take to find out what your limit is," Babbel said.

Setting a limit on how much you await at the news or go on social media tin can create the space and time for you to soothe your nervous system's stress response and return to normal. This may crave turning off push notifications on your phone or setting aside specific times to check globe events.

"What is important is to pay attention to when yous are overloaded, when you first to get stressed, when you feel numb and moody or irritated or feel other outward symptoms of a nervous system response. Whenever you lot experience like y'all're 'off,' that is a signal. That is your signal that you need to terminate."

To soothe the nervous system, you tin utilise stress management techniques such equally exercise, spending time with friends and family unit, and relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing and yoga.

"The nervous organisation hijacks the logical brain," Babbel explained. "One time you lot are triggered past a traumatic event or hearing most trauma, people will oft say, 'Merely get over it.' You tin can't, because you don't have logic." All yous can do is soothe your nervous system using the language it understands: sensation.

Using whatsoever of the muscles in your face or vocal cords, such as deep breathing, humming or singing, volition help at-home your nervous system. "That'south why soldiers oftentimes sing when they are going into war, to cope with the stress," Babbel said.

Cultivating resilience together

Every bit climate change heightens the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, preparing and recovering from crisis will become even more important. Traumatic events tin dismantle the mental and social frameworks that support a healthy heed.

Fifty-fifty after the floodwaters recede, the wildfire is put out or the rubble is cleared, many individuals confront heightened threats to their mental wellness.

"Across the board, one of the major mental health threats to well-existence is feeling unmoored," said Christie Manning, banana professor of ecology studies and psychology at Macalester College.

"Think about the people who had their homes and lives destroyed by Harvey or Irma or the wildfires in California. People lose everything. Their lives go asunder from their past and their customs. They are now scattered," Manning said.

The research points to social connexion every bit the bedrock of resilience and the best style to combat apathy.

"The more that you are connected to others and you tin call upon them, the more than likely information technology is that your entire community will withstand," Manning said.

The style forward is to acquire effective ways to engage with reality without being consumed past information technology, explained Terry Osborne, a professor at Dartmouth College who studies the relationship of humans and nature. "The claiming is conveying the pain but not letting it bury y'all."

Cocky-intendance can seem indulgent, fifty-fifty selfish, in the confront of destruction. Personal problems tin can feel miniscule relative to the grave suffering and pressing global bug around the world. Just in crisis, cocky-care is 1 of the most selfless actions. Practicing the ability to cocky-soothe and better our nervous system'due south response to stress will buffer the negative impacts of crisis and help u.s.a. assist others.

Practicing self-soothing techniques is like building musculus; it will make us stronger and more resilient to crises. And as the legendary Mr. Rogers said, in times of disaster, "Wait for the helpers." Contrary to what many may look, the nearly dire situations can lead people to be their all-time selves, serving others and coming together beyond deviation.

Looking for the helpers, learning to soothe your fight-flight-freeze response and edifice social connections will assistance you stay afloat when you feel like you are drowning in bad news.

We might non be able to predict the time to come, merely we tin prepare for it using these strategies -- a future that might be filled with ending only that is hopefully brighter and more beautiful than the present.

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Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/01/health/bad-news-bad-health/index.html