Is keeping up with the news worth the stress 1260x542
22 Feb 2011

Is keeping up with the news worth the stress?

1 mins to read
At the start of each year, I go on a month-long ‘news fast’. I don’t read newspapers, I stay away from smh.com.au (even for entertaining gossip), and I switch off the 7pm news. If it’s happening beyond my lounge room/beach shack/clothes line—la, la, la, la. I don’t wanna hear about it.


At the start of each year, I go on a month-long ‘news fast’. I don’t read newspapers, I stay away from smh.com.au (even for entertaining gossip), and I switch off the 7pm news. If it’s happening beyond my lounge room/beach shack/clothes line—la, la, la, la. I don’t wanna hear about it.

Once February kicks around, however, I’m back into it like it’s no man’s business: blogs, bulletins, broadcasts—everything but twitter—I’m there!

The thing is: I love both states (being ‘in’ and ‘out’ of what’s happening in the news).

When I’m ‘off’, I feel an extremely sense of calm. The world seems to move slower. I sleep better. My mind chatters less.

But when I’m ‘on’, I feel connected to the world, empathetic to the sufferings of others, delighted by the wins of winners! …

In a nutshell, the news recharges my mind. Dare I say it, being on top of it also makes me feel more interesting—it gives me more conversational artillery.

So, here’s the dice. Keeping mentally active is great for slowing down the brain’s ageing process and increasing its plasticity (in the last five years, scientists have discovered that the more we exercise our minds, the more it preserves, and even grows new, connections).

But on the other hand, slow living carves big strips of stress from our lives, which is also fabulous stuff for a healthy mind. Less stress (and less ‘extraneous input’) equals a healthier head.

Which is better: logging on or off? Surely a cross between the two. I think the answer lies in not putting pressure on yourself to keep up, keep up, keep up. 

What about you: do you ever feel inadequate because you’ve missed something in news? (I kept a tally for the last three days and I’ve felt guilty on three counts—I’ve had three “You didn’t see that?” conversations).

Is the news worth your time and does it enrich your life? Or, does it simply add one more thing to our endless to-do lists?



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