Protecting one's mental health

I don't want to be desensitised through over-exposure

I don't think you would if you're a person with empathy.
Some people lack it.

I think we all have a responsibility to understand what’s happening in the world, and I don’t understand people who deliberately avoid politics, or who don’t pursue stories where there is a potential impact on their own lives

I'm a bit puzzled as to why these things are so tightly juxtaposed. It doesn'y follow from wanting to avoid news or information 'overkill' that someone is not looking at news storeis and not taking an interest in politics.

Also, what is the meaning of "pursue stories"? Does it mean that you keep going back to something to get more and more details?

lixy said: I don't want to be desensitised through over-exposure.

Spot on. I feel the same about violence in films.

You are not wrong, I do the same. I watch BBC news or ITV news most nights and avoid Newsnight, Channel 4 news or politics thread on GN.

Otherwise the news will overload my senses , upset me and make me feel down in the dumps.

I am aware that so many people are suffering around us and driven to destitution in UK and Europe because of the energy prices. I am just thankful that my siblings live abroad and they are okay.

Not able to volunteer, my husband is elderly and I do not like to leave him too long on his own on a regular basis.

Protecting one's own mental health is as necessary as looking after physical health.
The news going over and over the same ground when a disaster happens is not good for my mental health and I avoid it as much as I can. I don't want to be desensitised through over-exposure.
On the other hand I do listen to the World Service news during the night because that covers so many stories that just don't feature in the domestic programmes. It's interesting to know what is going on in the world.
As has been said by others upthread I help when and where I can and am happy to lend a listening ear if needed but I can only be useful if I'm healthy.

When I was a mother of 3 under 5 years children, I was called for jury service . I knew i wouldn't cope well with anything grisly but it took a solicitors letter to get me out of it citing childcare costs and loss of earnings.
I sigh with relief even now .

Oreo

Not talking about politics here Casdon but about awful things in the news that will upset us greatly.

I’m not sure you got what I meant Oreo. Government Policy has an impact on the occurrence of atrocities, for eacample whether it’s the war in Ukraine, or lack of mental health resources to support people in the community, and lives are lost as a result of those policies. That’s why it’s important that all citizens take an interest in politics.

Excellent, some positive news worth sharing. 👍

A positive to come out of the negative aspects of Covid for many young people.

Here’s a lovely story.
This young man was on tv a couple of days ago telling how well the charity is going.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/10/devon-teenagers-spark-uk-english-schools-mental-health-resources

FarNorth

^So does that mean a Buddhist may not choose certain jobs or careers?^

Never work as a paramedic, a fireman/woman, policeman/woman, a social worker, nurse, forensic scientist so that their peace of mind is never disturbed?

Working at something where you can make a difference is not the same as just reading about upsetting things where you can do nothing useful.

But pascal said:

One of the Buddhist ethical vows is to be careful what one watches and reads

Working in certain fields means one may see things which can never be forgotten however careful one might be.

There is some good news in the world too.. stories of small people doing tremendous acts of bravery and generosity. You don't get that reported as its not deemed to be 'news'!!

Perhaps we need to see more of that in the mainstream news, Phillipa111. It does seem to be a constant barrage of gloomy news.

pascal30

Callistemon21

pascal30

One of the Buddhist ethical vows is to be careful what one watches and reads... it doesn't mean one is less compassionate to the suffering in the world but that one uses that compassion wherever one can without it adding to our own suffering.

So does that mean a Buddhist may not choose certain jobs or careers?

Never work as a paramedic, a fireman/woman, policeman/woman, a social worker, nurse, forensic scientist so that their peace of mind is never disturbed?

Let's think about all these people who see the results of all these atrocities, horrors, every day.

No not at all in fact they are encouraged to be all of those with another vow of right livelihood and I myself was an RMN ... It means being careful with how you consume information in order not to be unable to be compassionate.

&^t means being careful with how you consume information in order not to be unable to be compassionate^

I'm not 100% sure what that means.

My compassion is usually reserved for the victims.

I haven’t watched the news for over 20 years

I want to know what is happening in the world but I do not need lurid pictures or endless discussion to overload my senses. I can take in the concept of, say, a murder without seeing distressing images. There can be too much information sometimes. I watch the news with my finger on the "off"button.

Callistemon21

pascal30

One of the Buddhist ethical vows is to be careful what one watches and reads... it doesn't mean one is less compassionate to the suffering in the world but that one uses that compassion wherever one can without it adding to our own suffering.

So does that mean a Buddhist may not choose certain jobs or careers?

Never work as a paramedic, a fireman/woman, policeman/woman, a social worker, nurse, forensic scientist so that their peace of mind is never disturbed?

Let's think about all these people who see the results of all these atrocities, horrors, every day.

No not at all in fact they are encouraged to be all of those with another vow of right livelihood and I myself was an RMN ... It means being careful with how you consume information in order not to be unable to be compassionate.

I have not watched live news - apart from the lead up to the death of her late majesty and the funeral preparations- for years since the 2017 Westminster terror attack. I found myself becoming increasingly weighed down by the constant reports and speculation, and I was worried I'd slip back to the hideous, post-cancer PTSD anxiety and depression of 2013ff.

I read the news on the BBC app, and can choose to go deeper, which I often do. I find the written word easier to gauge as to its effect on me than the spoken word/moving image.

I avoid the news if I know they will be covering something which I know will be upsetting for me.

I avoid Cert 18 films as I know they will be too violent for me!

Not talking about politics here Casdon but about awful things in the news that will upset us greatly.

Oreo

Why? We have no responsibility at all to know what’s going on in the world if we don’t want to.
Why should we pursue stories that make us anxious and unhappy?
Our responsibility is to our families, friends and neighbours.
Other than that to give to charity.

It’s our responsibility as citizens - if we aren’t interested in politics our views are uninformed, so we shouldn’t vote, as elected politicians act on our behalf.

That was to Casdon btw

So does that mean a Buddhist may not choose certain jobs or careers?

Never work as a paramedic, a fireman/woman, policeman/woman, a social worker, nurse, forensic scientist so that their peace of mind is never disturbed?

Working at something where you can make a difference is not the same as just reading about upsetting things where you can do nothing useful.

Why? We have no responsibility at all to know what’s going on in the world if we don’t want to.
Why should we pursue stories that make us anxious and unhappy?
Our responsibility is to our families, friends and neighbours.
Other than that to give to charity.

I just watch snippets of news but never at bedtime. There is nothing I can do about the poor people of the Ukraine and it really frustrates me to tears. I suffer from black dog days and the news just makes things ten times worse. I have to protect my own little bubble.

I think we all have a responsibility to understand what’s happening in the world, and I don’t understand people who deliberately avoid politics, or who don’t pursue stories where there is a potential impact on their own lives or those of others. I don’t however think we need to know the gory details of crimes in order to understand how horrific they were, and I never read or watch detail of killings or cruelty because it does tend to play on my mind.

I think we all have different levels of sensitivity and abilities to filter information. If you are sensitive it makes sense to look after yourself, as if you end up in emotional difficulty you are of no use to yourself, or others.

Journalism can be brutal and dare I say sensationalise acts of war and cruelty. We all know it's going on!

There is some good news in the world too.. stories of small people doing tremendous acts of bravery and generosity. You don't get that reported as its not deemed to be 'news'!!

The news is a constant barrage of negativity and fear making and personally I have stopped watching it as I noticed, like some others here, that it was affecting my mood and levels of anxiety. It doesn't mean that I'm not aware of or don't care about others who are suffering. That information does get through but I have accepted my limitations and do what I can ie give food to food banks, give to charity etc.

I don't think it's helpful to judge others in the choices they make regarding their well-being. We are all very different in what we can handle. If an uncaring person watches the news does that make them more worthy than a caring person who chooses not to watch it?