News is unhealthy

In the aftermath of the referendum, I completely stopped watching any news on tv. Partly because it rehashed the same things over and over again and partly because of the bias of the channel it was on. Now I only access news from around the world, and domestic news, from the Web. I have an alert for "breaking news" so don't miss anything important but ignore anything about Trump because I just can't get my head around the man.

I am so pleased to discover that I'm not alone in finding the news stressful! We have just moved house, and 'carrying' a husband who has physical and mental health problems has made it the hardest thing I've ever done. As we ploughed money into the new house, the gloomy news re Brexit, and NHS difficulties plus disappearing funding for social care has made me so anxious that I'm also trying to avoid the news. I was floored by a virus for a couple of weeks and felt that I wanted to do without the news, e mails, texts and phone calls. Made me realise that these all create pressures that we can do without at times.

I love listening and reading the news. It's very important to be well informed. It's the first thing I look at when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep. If people just watch the BBC then all they will hear is Trump is bad, Brexit is bad, the NHS is in a bad state etc. I like to look at a variety of news channels to help me make up my mind about issues - SKY news, RT etc. I don't watch BBC news but I do watch the Politics Show with Andrew Neil as he is very well informed himself and gives all sides a hard time in interviews. I read news online ( I dip into 3 newspapers and other sites too). I also lead a very varied life and still work p/t, read books etc. It's my daughters' aim in life to tell me an important news item before I tell them!

Today on the radio I heard that The Lords get £300 per day just for showing up, they just sign in and can then leave.
I mentioned that on another thread HannahLL, apparently one of them kept his taxi running (at our expense presumably) while he signed in for his £300 and then went!

There is a programme about the scroungers (Lords) on BBC2 next Monday night.

Perhaps better posted on a news thread Terri?

Very upsetting item on the BBC News at 6 tonight about young Albanian girls being trafficked by their fellow countrymen and being forced to work as prostitutes in Western Europe. These girls are very young one was only 14 and to hear them sobbing was heartbreaking. It's a big problem in that country. I detest men who do this sort of thing, especially when one being interviewed admitted to having daughters himself and would hate this sort of thing to happen to them.

We have always watched the BBC news at Six, I feel lost if I miss it, even if it is just the headlines. We also have a paper every day. Maybe we are nosy but it feels we should know what is going on in the world. I did think that the BBC leading so often on the NHS recently did have a bearing on both the BBC2 programme running at the time and the fact that they thought there were no other worthy lead stories at the time. I suppose the news could cause anxiety and depression to some people, depends how an individual broods on things.

I too thought it was just me. Added to all the mainstream news is the frankly terrifying stuff that keeps popping up on Facebook. I do block it but it comes under another post.
Today on the radio I heard that The Lords get £300 per day just for showing up, they just sign in and can then leave.
Generally I'm in favour of the House of Lords but this maddens me.

We hear and see far too much in this house - the first thing I look at on my Kindle when I wake up is the news headlines (followed by Gransnet ), I check my email and can't resist clicking on some of the headlines above that, on to Facebook and there is so much bad news on there now that I've joined a local group (who knew there were so many burglaries, vehicle break-ins and, particularly, stolen dogs?), the radio's on all day with its hourly bulletins, if we're about for them we switch on the 1 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock television news out of sheer habit, we still buy the weekend papers which we spend the whole week reading from cover to cover.....

There doesn't seem to be a horrible crime, disaster or act of cruelty we're not aware of these days. We like to be well-informed, but I have said to DH that we'd probably be much happier people if we just kept away from it all.

We dont have a daily newspaper any more, DH reads on his tablet, I look at headlines on my Computer, but rarely read details,I watch one news bulletin a day on TV, thats enough its ony depressing news, hardly ever nice news, and as far as President Trump is concerned I am sick of hearing about him, seeing him, reading about him, I had better not have my blood pressure checked, he will be the cause of it being sky high!

I'm amazed at how many people don't read the news, I've always been an avid newspaper reader, made worse by online newspapers, but just lately I've given up. I can't take how it makes me feel any longer, it's so depressing, so negative, so 24/7 and so much of it is things I can do nothing about personally.

A slight problem I have is that DH, like his mother before him, is a radio addict and has to have one on in every room. I follow him about turning them off . He also reads a newspaper every day and insists on watching the 10 o'clock news. Drives me mad!

Breath of fresh air Fitzy54!

This might help!
www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

I don't feel the News is actually NEWS. They repeat the same story for days so it isn't newsworthy.

It is true that, when I was younger, you did not instantly hear what was going on around the world so you were protected to some degree. As others have said there is very little we can do about it so telling us is not helpful.

We might have too much news but haven't you noticed that they just repeat what they told you in the morning in the evening.

I think being able to SEE the news and the horrible things that go on around the world that makes more of an impression on our minds these days.

We never buy newspapers, they are a waste of time because you cannot rely on them to be telling you the truth. I think there should be a ban on 'fake news' myself, they should be prosecuted for selling lies and damn lies. You only have to remember the Referendum on coming out of Europe to know that they try and brainwash people.

Personally I am sick and tired of all the politics on tv especially the BBC as it is well and truly biased. It is almost working as a propaganda machine for the government at the moment if they want to get a message across be it smoking, anything about losing weight, what we are costing the NHS in blocked beds, BREXIT, Mr Trump. Really gets you down. Also why do they have 2 or even 3 people reading the news? One presenter is enough and look how much it would save the BBC in wages! Why do we want to be told about someone's book, play or new record album when we are trying to get breakfast or getting ready for work?

I went to the doctor as I wasn't feeling so good and after the normal tests and questions doc said how much news are you watching. I am a bit of a news junky. Doc said stop now. Since Brexit so many people were being diagnosed with Anxiety. What with the Trump nightmare now etc it is affecting people's mental health. Hard to stop watching though when you like to be informed.

I like to keep up with the news but if you saw "How to survive the end of the world" with Jon Richardson last night on Channel 4 there was a man admitting that newspapers purposely peddle fear stories to sell more.In fact,most of the things we are scared of are very unlikely to happen.

I stopped buying a paper about 8 years ago- I started reading it online but then decided I just didn't need to know all this stuff. I listen to Today programme on radio 4 every morning & that is my lot.

That gives me all I need to know. Even with just that I am sick of the name Trump!

I prefer to listen to the news on the radio. I can't stand the 24-hour news we have nowadays. Early morning and late night news broadcasts are enough for me. I read The Guardian on line and buy the I and put my own interpretation on their news items.

I have to agree. It is not doing a lot for my mental health at the moment having to share my life with a news addict. OH shouts at the TV about everything on the news but watches it for hours a day. He 'can't believe' the lies the media tell here or in the US but watches both avidly! Exactly, justwokeup! What he can't watch he tapes so that he can rile and rant later. Any room up there in the Outer Hebrides, roses?

I no longer trust the TV or radio news and certainly not newspapers.
I do listen to the politics show at lunch time on BBC2 because you often get to hear from the 'horse's mouth' not an interpretation of what they said.

I wondered how Mum could stop watching the news because 'there was nothing she could do about it'. Now I'd happily do the same. OH shouts at the TV about everything on the news but watches it for hours a day. He 'can't believe' the lies the media tell here or in the US but watches both avidly! Victor Meldrew move over!

My mom used to call it The Doom and Gloom! I don't think anything has changed.

I laughed at Wilygran's comment. As a retired teacher I would like to know when there hasn't been a shortage? This also goes for doctors, nurses etc etc. It seems to me that the 'going round in circles' is happening ever more quickly. But, it's still called progress :-) All governments continue to rearrange the deckchairs!