If you are having a hard time finding anything good in the world, then odds are you are spending far too much time watching the news. So one way to fix this is to stop watching the news. Sure, you want to stay in the loop with everything going on in the world; however, is the news really the best way to do that?
Even though breaking this habit is hard, this article will talk about five reasons you should cut down on your news intake and a few simple strategies you can use to break this habit.
Let’s get to it.
5 Reasons to Stop Watching the News
A few of the top reasons why you should stop watching the news include:
1. You Might Be Hurting Your Mental Health
One of the top reasons why you should stop watching the news is that you may be hurting for mental help. Mental health issues have become a serious issue, and the news baby contributing to it. If you watch the news, you may feel like there's nothing good in the world, which could be contributing to depression and anxiety.
In order for you to take care of your mental health, you should stop watching the news. Instead, take a look at things that make you happy. Of course, there are some things you need to know about that might not necessarily be positive; however, if you spend all of your time focusing on the negative things that are happening in the world, your mental health is going to suffer. Therefore, take care of your mental health, and pull yourself away from the news.
2. They Make Too Much Money Off of You
The news has become just like any other industry. Its goal is to make as much money as possible. The more people watch the news, the more they can charge for advertising blocks. Think about this. The news could be having a negative impact on your life, and they are using your eyes to make more money.
They do not deserve to make money off of you, particularly when the quality of the service they provide has begun to suffer dramatically. If you want the news to stop making money off of your viewership, then stop paying attention. In order for news organizations to get paid, they should be providing you with quality information. Until they do that, they should not be making any money.
3. The News Could Be Misleading You
News organizations often misleading you with headlines that are downright inaccurate. Furthermore, you may have a hard time telling the difference between sponsored content and an actual news segment. Sponsored content refers to a block in the program that someone pays for. Someone may pay to go on a local news show and promote a specific product or service. During that block, they are able to say just about anything they want.
Furthermore, you may not even realize it is actually sponsored content because it is showing up during a local news program. You may think you are watching the news only to realize how much is actually selling you a product. This is incredibly misleading, and it has contributed to multiple problems throughout society. Therefore, don't let this happen to you. In order to avoid allowing news organizations to mislead you, stop paying attention to them. Instead, you should do your own research to figure out what is actually helpful to you.
4. It Might Not Be Relevant to You
Another reason why you should stop watching the news is that it is simply not relevant to you. Even though you may pay attention to international networks, how much of what they talk about is actually relevant to your everyday life? Is it really worth the stress and anxiety of paying attention to news organizations? If the news is not actually relevant to you, why are you paying attention to it in the first place?
Instead, you should pay attention to information that is actually relevant to your everyday life. For example, you may want to take a closer look at stories related to news that is happening in your backyard. Or, you may want to learn more about products and services that you use around the home. If you are going somewhere in the near future, you may want to take a look at news from that specific destination. Because most of the news that airs on TV is not relevant to you, you should not be paying attention to it.
5. There Are Better Ways to Spend Your Time
Perhaps the biggest reason why you should stop watching the news is that there are better ways for you to lose your time. Think about this. Instead of paying attention to a news show for multiple hours on end, why not turn to the internet to find the information you really need on a specific topic? You may be able to learn everything you need to know about a specific topic in just a few minutes. Furthermore, you might have access to better quality information.
Then, what can you do with all the extra hours you have because you are not watching the news? You might be able to go to the gym and get in better shape. Exercise is a great way for you to take care of your mental health.
Or, you might be able to pick up a new hobby. For example, you might be able to learn a new instrument because you are no longer spending endless hours sitting in front of the TV. You might even be able to spend more time with family members and friends. There are plenty of ways you can spend your time if you do not watch the news for several hours per day. Find better ways to spend your time instead of sitting in front of the TV watching the news.
How To Stop Watching the News
Change is hard, and you may have a difficult time pulling yourself away from the news. A few steps you should follow if you want to stop watching the news include:
1. Change the Environment in Which You Live
The first thing you have to do is change the environment in which you live. This means switching up your routine. You probably have a designated time during which you watch the news every day. If you really want to stop watching the news, you have to eliminate this routine and make some big changes. Even though change is hard, you need to change your routine if you want to stop watching the news.
Do you find that you always watch TV in the evening? If so, you may want to use that time for something else, such as cooking dinner. Do you find that you sit down in front of the TV and watch the news as you eat? If so, you may want to set up the table and turn off the TV instead. Do you watch TV when you go to work during the day? If so, you may need to pull yourself away from the TV and do something else. If you switch a routine, you will have an easier time pulling yourself away from the news.
2. Remove the News from Your Phone
Even though you can stop watching the news on TV, you also have to remove the news from your phone as well. This is one of the most common ways that people consume the news. Therefore, you need to take a look at all the applications you have on your phone. Then, head to your settings and turn off notifications. That way, you will not feel compelled to click on the button and watch the news during the day.
After this, you may want to take the next step and remove these applications from your phone entirely. Your phone only has a limited amount of memory. If you are no longer watching the news using these applications, and you need to remove them from your phone. In order to do this, you should hold down your finger on top of each application. Then, click the “x” that comes up. That way, you can remove them from your phone completely. You may also be able to remove these applications if you head to the settings area of your phone.
3. Look at Your Email Subscriptions
Next, you also need to take a closer look at your email subscription. There is a good chance that you have signed up for daily emails from certain news organizations. You need to remove these from your inbox as well. That way, you can clean up your email, and only see what you actually need to.
In order to remove your email subscriptions, you need to take a look at the email you have received from specific news organizations. There should be a specific area at the bottom of each email that you can collect remove yourself from their subscription list. You will probably feel better immediately because your inbox will not look as cluttered.
4. Find a New Activity
Finally, some people may be watching the news out of boredom. Therefore, you need to find a new activity instead. For example, you may want to spend more time outside. Think about going for a walk in the evening instead of watching the news. Or, get together with a few friends and play a sport.
You may also want to spend more time with family members and friends. You can go to the movies, go out to eat, play a board game together, or even pick up a new hobby. If you are able to find a new activity, you can prevent yourself from watching the news. This is one of the best ways you can stick to your new activity. You might even want to take on a new project.
Final Thoughts on Breaking the “News Habit”
In the past, the news was a great place to learn about the world, stay up-to-date on everything going on in the local community, and listen to some of the experts in the field. Now, the news has become entirely focused on ratings, and they will say just about anything to keep you glued to the TV.
Unfortunately, a lot of the information on the news has become sensationalized. Some of it might be downright inaccurate. Therefore, this is no longer a reliable source of information, and it might also be contributing to mental health issues.
So, if you want to learn more about taking care of your mental health, then be sure to check out this article on how keeping a journal can make a difference in your overall well-being.
It's also not just about your mental health. Watching too much TV may also be holding you back. Find out if successful people watch TV as much as you do.
Finally, if you want to level up your productivity and time management skills, then watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at work.
