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- Why You Should Stop Following The News
Dr. Paul Conti: There are things that are so terrifying that if we spend so much time with them, they change how our brain is functioning. Like, how many times have I written a prescription for someone that says no more news.
Andrew: You've actually written those prescriptions?
Paul: Yes yes. glance at the news, anything going on I need to know, right? But what are people doing is looking at it and they're clicking and they're clicking. And there's a sense of being like enthralled in a very frightening way with the horrors that are in front of us.
Trauma can come come from chronic denigration, whether it's based upon socioeconomic status, race, religion, sexuality, etc. Being denigrated by the society around us, or treated as less than can change the brain.
Dr. Paul Conti was a chief resident at Harvard and Stanford M. He helps people deal with their mental health struggles. He’s a psychiatrist and wrote a book about trauma, how it works, and how to heal from it. Here’s 1 non-drug tool he recommended to most patients.
Stop following the news. They give you negativity. And judge whatever age, ethnicity, or socio-economic background you have. That’s not healthy.
You get what Dr. Conti calls ‘chronic trauma’. It’s trauma that builds slowly. And after a while, your default thinking becomes “oh my god what’s happening? The world is falling apart”.
You got used to all the wars, arguments, and protests. And you hold a narrative that puts you down.
No, it’s not okay because you’re ‘seeing the real world’. 90% of the news is negative. But the real world is nice. Don’t believe that? Stop watching the news and you’ll see ;)
Whether it’s E-newspapers, Twitter, Reddit arguments, youtube videos from 2018, or cable TV. Stop following them. They wreck your mood, steal your hope, and make you feel bad about yourself.
Optional questions to ask yourself
What negative news am I consuming?
think of answer…Is it helping me?
think of answer…Do I want to sacrifice my well-being to keep consuming this stuff?
no you don’t :)
This isn’t just for politics & society. If there’s an influencer pushing an idea that makes you feel very attacked, you don’t need to listen. You don’t need to subject yourself to the ‘trauma’ over and over again.
Instead, listen to a nice, light-hearted science-y podcast…… (like hidden brain 😁. sorry Hubes😀). It’ll make you feel better.
Stop following the news.
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