The addiction to excess information has spread considerably with the increase of channels and sources of information. By constantly following the news, you will probably feel like you are in touch with the world, but in reality you are less involved in real life. Moreover, it is not certain that the story made by newspapers and newsletters offers an accurate representation of the events, but it is very likely, instead, that it will be structured in such a way as to attract viewers to increase advertising revenues and fuel catastrophism. However, if you do some practical advice and get to know the underlying causes of your addiction, you can go back to living a more balanced life.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Act Immediately
Step 1. Seek help from family and friends
If you feel unable to deal with your problem on your own, ask a friend or family member to monitor you to reduce or curb the search for information. With outside help to help you live up to this goal, you'll have less difficulty managing yourself, especially if your obsession bothers those around you or interferes with your relationship.
- Tell friends and family about the precursor signs that indicate cognitive overload due to excessive information seeking, such as agitation, paranoia, not answering the phone, panic and restlessness.
- Make sure you stay in touch with family and friends. Don't wait for them to ask you how you are. You might say, "Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to change my news-finding habits." That way they won't feel uncomfortable asking you questions.
Step 2. Establish a certain amount of time to dedicate to the news
Try not to exceed a certain duration so that your search does not interfere with other activities. Generally, half an hour is enough to keep up to date on what has happened; more it becomes repetitive.
- Create an agenda in which to order your daily gestures. Include reading the news, watching or listening to part of the news and nothing more. By setting limits and keeping track of the time you spend searching for news, you will be able to meet your goal.
- Apply the same rules to information you find on the Internet. You can get rid of your addiction by limiting your online news reading to a certain time of day. If you see the titles of the articles, do not click, unless it happens to you during the time you have set.
Step 3. Organize a relapse piggy bank
If you exceed the time limit, put some money in the piggy bank. You can give the money raised to a friend or family member, or you can donate it to a non-profit organization that helps people with addictions.
The concept is similar to that of the piggy bank aimed at correcting the bad habit of swearing. Instead of swearing, you have to inhibit the search for news. Choose an amount of money to put into the piggy bank each time you transgress. Also try asking someone else if they want to add money when you abstain from constantly updating information for a whole day. Eventually, you can donate all the money to a good cause
Step 4. Unsubscribe from social media that continuously post information
If they all spread the same news about a catastrophic event, you will receive it from 50 different sources on every electronic device in your possession.
- Delete the sources that are not at the top of your list. Stick to just a couple of them.
- You rarely check the evolution of events, unless you have a direct connection with what happened and need help in real time.
Step 5. Use virtual resources so you don't get distracted
There are some programs that notify you when the consultation time limit has expired. Also, you can use them to block sites that distract you from your goal.
The effectiveness of these tools depends on the freedom you allow yourself to navigate and, therefore, on your determination to block the ones you have identified. Then, decide how long you intend to consult the sites you usually visit and select the top three
Step 6. Find a new pastime or a new passion
If you spend less time updating yourself on what has happened, you are automatically freer. If part of the problem is that you have too much time on your hands, try doing something new. According to some studies, cultivating an interest makes you feel better and less depressed.
For example, you could take a course, try your hand at a project that has been on your mind for years, or plan to see friends and / or family more often
Step 7. Unplug
Detoxing out of the blue is a possibility that works for many people. It is probably more difficult to refrain from constantly updating news due to the constant influx of information that fills online sites, television channels and radio stations. So, take your eyes and ears away from the sources of information and focus on your work or other activities.
A person can develop an addiction to many things. By abruptly stopping the search for news, you may be cured, but this method has limited effectiveness. For example, even though smoking is a different problem than cognitive overload due to information overload, some studies have shown that only 22% of smokers who try to quit out of the blue break free
Part 2 of 3: Deal with Your Addiction
Step 1. Assess the level of your addiction
By realizing the extent to which you are addicted to news research, you will be able to better orientate yourself in your detox journey and eventually find a therapy. Ask yourself a series of questions and write down the answers. Once you have an eye on what you have written, think carefully about how your behavioral pattern limits your life. Introspection is a method that allows you to have direct access to the processes that take place internally. When you understand how and why you react in a certain way, then you can solve your personal problems. By becoming aware of your discomfort, you will be prompted to change your behavior. Ask yourself a few questions about addiction to excess information, such as:
- Has your constant search for information compromised any of your interpersonal relationships? If you are not fully aware of how your behaviors affect your relationships, ask the people around you for some suggestions. This way you will understand that your addiction harms not only you, but others as well.
- Does the morning news affect your behavior and mood for the rest of the day? Does the last update of the day affect the quality of your night's rest? If you are influenced by the information to the point of ruining your sleep, you should visit.
- Do you abruptly interrupt conversations to hear news while in a shop, restaurant, or with other people? If you get to upset or mortify someone just to follow an event, you will give the impression that the need to inform yourself is much more important than the presence of those around you.
- Do you believe that the 24-hour news channels contain more important news than those broadcast by other television stations? Do you give up other things in life just to feed your habit? This perspective limits your perception of the world and, consequently, your experiences.
- Do you feel deprived of something if you don't know what is happening in the world? Do you suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), or the "phobia of being cut out"? Recent studies indicate that those affected by this fear feel excluded and dissatisfied with their life.
- Do you go out of your way to be the first to hear the latest news? The urgent need to keep abreast of what's going on in the world puts a lot of pressure and can affect behavior.
Step 2. Assess your mood after watching the news
Feelings are a real warning sign that tells you if addiction to excess information affects your life. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, and convinced that the world is out of your control, it means that you are relying too much on the news. If you are cheerful and optimistic one moment before learning a piece of news and suddenly get angry the next moment, consider that this attitude is a symptom of your addiction.
- Your optimism quickly turns into mistrust and moodiness, do you see only dangers, panic, are you afraid and imagine a terrible future ahead of you? It can happen if you see too much news.
- Are you unable to react rationally in the most stressful situations? Do you suddenly snap at your family members or do you get upset if someone dares to suggest that things aren't as tragic as you are portraying them?
- Are you becoming more paranoid or do you feel more uncomfortable around people? Continued exposure to a huge amount of news can lead even the most balanced individual to feel paranoid or worried that something terrible is about to happen.
Step 3. Identify the underlying causes
True change is not possible without identifying the emotional mechanisms that underlie one's behavior. Do you have problems with anxiety, stress or depression? The news may help distract you. Unfortunately, they can do more harm than good. Most of the time, news stories are full of tragic events or dramatic crises and generate a sense of helplessness.
- Manage anxiety, stress or depression with the right balance, using relaxation techniques, sports or yoga.
- When you are relaxed, your muscles are relaxed, your blood pressure and heart rate drop, and your breathing slows and deepens. If you want to ease your mood, take it easy instead of looking for the news. Also, try using relaxation techniques if you want to calm down after learning a disturbing story.
Step 4. Make a plan to implement some personal management strategies
By adopting a model that helps you solve your problems, you will have a system on which to base your change. Once you have identified the spy behaviors of your addiction, you will need to set clear goals, follow them, make the necessary changes and monitor your progress.
- Set clear goals. First, you could come up with a plan and keep a journal to write down how much time you spend reading the news. By keeping this habit in check, you can bring about real change.
- Choose a date to start and go ahead with putting your plan into action. Don't put off the inevitable. Start as soon as possible.
- Recognize your progress and treat yourself to some rewards. If you hit your daily, weekly, or monthly goals, don't hesitate to celebrate. You could go to a movie, attend a sporting event, or plant a tree in honor of someone you admire. Positive reinforcement will keep you motivated to keep going.
- If a strategy doesn't work, stop using it. Find an alternative and apply it to your plan. Do not think that you have failed, but consider this circumstance as an opportunity to correct your course.
- It takes time to acquire a new behavior, but it will eventually become second nature. You will be able to ease the pressure on your achievements and continue to achieve positive results.
Step 5. Seek professional help
If you are having a hard time managing your addiction to information overload, consult a professional who specializes in managing this type of problem. Contact your doctor, friend, or family member you trust to ask who you can contact.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the many forms of psychological therapy that are effective for addiction, depression and anxiety disorders.
- Group therapy also bears fruit if accompanied by a resolutive approach to the problem. You may be dating a group that focuses solely on addiction to excess information or one that can help you develop social skills and strategies for coping and managing stress.
Part 3 of 3: Finding Balance in Life
Step 1. Strengthen your support network
Relationships need to be nurtured for them to survive. Social support is essential for physical health and psychological well-being. If you've been locked up in the news prison for any length of time, your social relationships have likely suffered. Reconnect with others to build or save your relationships. Once you are 100% sure of the changes you have made, you will need the support of people.
- Get involved in real and virtual life commitments, as long as they guide your interests beyond news. For example, you can take a music course, volunteer to help protect animals or children in need. You will realize that there is something else in life besides information.
- Common interests bring people together. Look for a group that might interest you and hang out with them. It could be a theater workshop or a center that organizes recreational activities: the important thing is that it offers you the opportunity to meet new people.
Step 2. Be an example for others
If you meet someone you suspect has the same addiction as you, avoid talking about what's going on. Choose different topics so that the conversation takes a more positive turn. You can always say goodbye if the discussion becomes difficult or boring.
- Share your experience with other people and offer to help them without being pushy or arrogant. You can suggest all the strategies that have allowed you to manage your addiction to information overload.
- By teaching others what you have learned, you will have a sense of inner satisfaction and gratification far beyond what the news can give you.
- By learning to overcome and manage your addiction, you will also fuel your self-esteem.
Step 3. Look at your life from the right perspective
It is important to form an opinion on the information we receive. An infinity of articles and bulletins limit themselves to giving detailed information on catastrophic situations. Sources of information usually have to be subject to certain time constraints, so they post as much news of death and destruction as possible. If your mind is flooded with this information, it will have a misperception of reality.
- Pause and think clearly. You will realize that the risk of the same disaster happening again is minimal. Infectious flu disease is a prime example of the narrow perception of reality. A number of people die, but in a country with 350 million people, 50 flu-related deaths make up a small amount. Do not assume that a pandemic has broken out if there is no reliable evidence.
- When the news leads you to believe that the situation is getting worse, stop and ask yourself: are they real? Why do I think this way? Are these facts credible? By questioning information-induced alarmism, you can defeat your obsession.
Step 4. Choose what you want to see more lightly
Watch movies or TV shows that do not contain news or stories of disasters. For example, you can see programs on houses and dwellings or biographies of historical figures. Add some humor to your life to balance the negativity of newspapers and news. It could help you heal.
Periodically ask yourself how much you laughed in the past week or month. If you can't remember the last time it happened, find a way to laugh again. Call a witty friend or catch a cabaret show. Once you have tasted the benefits of laughter, you will never want to deprive yourself of them again
Step 5. Expect ups and downs
Life is full of satisfactions and obstacles. Much of existence takes place between these two extremes. You are able to appreciate moments of joy because you know what it feels like during the most difficult ones. If you're feeling out of sorts, you can rest assured that a nice surprise will eventually come.
Advice
- In extreme cases, get rid of television and the Internet completely, as long as your family accepts this decision.
- If you are addicted to the news and online news, you may want to limit your sources of information to newspapers.
- Anyone who suffers from addiction is vulnerable to relapse. In such cases, take back control and rely on your plan. Every day is an opportunity to start over.
- Consider following a 12-point program or joining such a group. Even if you are not addicted to alcohol, a 12-point program will help you manage your addiction and give you additional support.
Warnings
- It is necessary to question the validity of the news transmitted. There are television channels and online information sites that do not faithfully report what happened. Therefore, try to be skeptical when you read an article or see and listen to the news.
- An excess of information negatively affects the perception of the world. News consumption must be closely monitored.
- Isolation from real life can cause depression and serious mental health problems. If you think you might end up hurting yourself or others, call a family member, trusted friend, or the authorities for help.
- According to some studies, learning too much about traumatic events can trigger a strong stress response. Seek help immediately if you think you have suffered trauma from what you saw on the news.
