How to Curb Your Addiction to News
Seek help from family and friends., Schedule a specific amount of time to watch news.Set a maximum amount of time that won’t interfere with other activities., Keep a money jar for lapses., Unsubscribe to news-heavy social media sources., Use online...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Seek help from family and friends.
If you don't feel you can do this alone, ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable to reducing or stopping your news viewing.Having someone to help you adhere to your goals will provide you with a greater chance for success, especially if your obsession has been bugging them or interfering with your relationship.
Alert your friends and family to the telltale signs you’ve been watching too much cable news, such as becoming easily agitated, paranoid, not answering the phone, panicked and restless.Make a point to check in with your family and friends.
Don’t wait for them to ask you how you are doing.
Consider saying something like, “Hey, I wanted to check in with you to let you know how I’m doing with changing my news viewing habit.” This will provide a lead in for them to feel comfortable to ask questions. -
Step 2: Schedule a specific amount of time to watch news.Set a maximum amount of time that won’t interfere with other activities.
Typically 30 minutes of news can provide you with ample coverage; any more than that and it gets repetitive.
Create a schedule of all your daily events.
Include news reading, viewing or listening as a small portion of each day, and no more.
Setting limitations and tracking your time on a daily schedule or planner will help you hold yourself accountable to your goal.
Apply the same rules to internet news.
Give yourself a chance to break your news addiction by limiting your online news reading to set times of the day.
If you see headlines, don't click to go there unless it's during your allotted time. , If you watch more than your allotted amount of news put money into the jar.
The money will be given to your friend or family member.
Or, it could be donated to a non-profit organization that helps people with addiction.
This principle is similar to using a Cuss Jar when trying to stop a family member or yourself from cussing.Instead of cussing, the goal can be news watching.
Pick an amount of money to insert into the jar for each violation.
You can also get someone to agree to add money to the jar when you go an entire day without watching the news.
All the money will go to a good cause. , If it is filled with news about the latest sensational terrible event, you will hear the same information from 50 different sources across multiple electronic devices.Weed out the sources that are not at the top of your list.
Limit yourself to 1-2 sources.
Check in for updates infrequently unless you're actually in the epicenter of an unfolding issue and need real-time help. , Also, you can use the program to block sites that are distracting you from your goals.
The most effective outcomes result from allowing yourself some freedom to browse certain sites, and then self-determine what you want to block.
So pick a time to review the sites you visit regularly and pick your top three. , If you free up your time by reducing your news watching, there will be time to do it.
If part of the problem is that you have too much time on your hands, try something new.Research indicates that if you have a hobby you will be healthier and less depressed.For example, take a class at the local community college, tackle a project you’ve had on your “to do” list for years or make a concerted effort to see friends and/or family members more often. , Going cold turkey is one possibility, which is a successful technique for many people.
Abstaining from seeking news will likely be challenging due to the constant influx of news that fills online, TV and radio channels.
Divert your eyes and ears from news sources and focus on your work or an activity.
A person can develop an addiction to many things.
Abruptly stopping your news viewing is a valid method for recovery, but it has limited success.
For example, although smoking is different than excessively watching the news, studies have shown that only 22% of smokers who attempt to quit cold turkey kick the habit. -
Step 3: Keep a money jar for lapses.
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Step 4: Unsubscribe to news-heavy social media sources.
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Step 5: Use online commitment devices.There are programs that will alert you when you have reached a limit on your viewing time.
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Step 6: Get a new hobby or venture.
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Step 7: Turn it off.
Detailed Guide
If you don't feel you can do this alone, ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable to reducing or stopping your news viewing.Having someone to help you adhere to your goals will provide you with a greater chance for success, especially if your obsession has been bugging them or interfering with your relationship.
Alert your friends and family to the telltale signs you’ve been watching too much cable news, such as becoming easily agitated, paranoid, not answering the phone, panicked and restless.Make a point to check in with your family and friends.
Don’t wait for them to ask you how you are doing.
Consider saying something like, “Hey, I wanted to check in with you to let you know how I’m doing with changing my news viewing habit.” This will provide a lead in for them to feel comfortable to ask questions.
Typically 30 minutes of news can provide you with ample coverage; any more than that and it gets repetitive.
Create a schedule of all your daily events.
Include news reading, viewing or listening as a small portion of each day, and no more.
Setting limitations and tracking your time on a daily schedule or planner will help you hold yourself accountable to your goal.
Apply the same rules to internet news.
Give yourself a chance to break your news addiction by limiting your online news reading to set times of the day.
If you see headlines, don't click to go there unless it's during your allotted time. , If you watch more than your allotted amount of news put money into the jar.
The money will be given to your friend or family member.
Or, it could be donated to a non-profit organization that helps people with addiction.
This principle is similar to using a Cuss Jar when trying to stop a family member or yourself from cussing.Instead of cussing, the goal can be news watching.
Pick an amount of money to insert into the jar for each violation.
You can also get someone to agree to add money to the jar when you go an entire day without watching the news.
All the money will go to a good cause. , If it is filled with news about the latest sensational terrible event, you will hear the same information from 50 different sources across multiple electronic devices.Weed out the sources that are not at the top of your list.
Limit yourself to 1-2 sources.
Check in for updates infrequently unless you're actually in the epicenter of an unfolding issue and need real-time help. , Also, you can use the program to block sites that are distracting you from your goals.
The most effective outcomes result from allowing yourself some freedom to browse certain sites, and then self-determine what you want to block.
So pick a time to review the sites you visit regularly and pick your top three. , If you free up your time by reducing your news watching, there will be time to do it.
If part of the problem is that you have too much time on your hands, try something new.Research indicates that if you have a hobby you will be healthier and less depressed.For example, take a class at the local community college, tackle a project you’ve had on your “to do” list for years or make a concerted effort to see friends and/or family members more often. , Going cold turkey is one possibility, which is a successful technique for many people.
Abstaining from seeking news will likely be challenging due to the constant influx of news that fills online, TV and radio channels.
Divert your eyes and ears from news sources and focus on your work or an activity.
A person can develop an addiction to many things.
Abruptly stopping your news viewing is a valid method for recovery, but it has limited success.
For example, although smoking is different than excessively watching the news, studies have shown that only 22% of smokers who attempt to quit cold turkey kick the habit.
About the Author
Julie James
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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