Protecting Your Mind in a Noisy World
This morning, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I wasted precious time sucked into the news.
I spent a few hours reading articles, scouring social media, and searching for the reactions of others to a horrifying event. I scrolled through hate-filled comments and even affirmations of violence, as if it is justified.
I felt my body start to deflate. My mind was foggy, my throat was clinched and my head was pounding with so many thoughts of worry - for my family, myself and the overall wellbeing of others.
I tossed my phone into my room and left the house. When I returned, I decided to write about it in order to express my heart and try and gain some clarity of my own values and actions I can take moving forward.
As a child, love was paramount to everything. It was expected that we should treat others with kindness and respect. I cared how other people felt, and was distinctly aware of how my actions impacted their wellbeing. I recognize that I was fortunate in that I did not truly know “hate” growing up. But it feels today my children will grow up in a world where they are bombarded with hatred and disregard for what it means to be human and care for one another.
Media, especially social media, has brought us into a time of disconnection. Of being able to act in ways that put each of us into categories - creating a “us’ versus “them” mentality. So many feel their opinion matters more than that of their neighbors. Social media allows us to say cruel things and then walk away to confirm our biases through an algorithm that dictates what we are exposed to. This disconnection to one has been normalized and is part of our daily life.
It’s not just in times of tragic events, but sorrow, devastation and catastrophes happen every day all over the world. What’s unique about today is that we are exposed to it constantly, and can do little about it.
Noticing the physicality of my reaction to the media this morning, I started to wonder how hate and love are impacting our health - and specifically our brains.
How Hate and Love Impact Our Health
When we are experiencing feelings of hate, our sympathetic nervous system is activated, thus we are put into a state of fight of flight. In other words, we are stressed. When stress is chronic (we are exposed to it every day), it can have a major impact on all of our bodily systems - inflammation, suppressed immune system, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, poor cardiovascular health, impaired memory and concentration - to name a few.
When we feel genuine love and deep connection, our brains release a cascade of “feel-good” neurotransmitters. This shifts us into a parasympathetic, rest-and-digest state—calm, safe, and open. Love is a dopamine-rich experience that lifts mood, lowers stress hormones, and even helps lock positive memories into place (Fisher et al., Journal of Neurophysiology, 2005).
Just as chronic anger or hate can raise stress and strain the body, nurturing feelings of love can help lower stress and support a healthier mind–body pathway.
What can we do…
Limit your exposure. Being constantly connected to the world stage can be a form of addiction. Have you ever tried a “media detox?” Give it a try for a week or two. Don’t watch the news, remove social media from your phone, and unsubscribe from news outlets that fill your inbox. Then, take time each day to reflect and make note of how you feel, how you sleep, how you interact with other people.
After a few weeks, your self-awareness will have improved. Then you can make some decisions. How can you continue to limit your time spent with social media? Can you stay disconnected from certain media outlets? Can you watch something else besides the news in the morning that lifts your spirits. Can you get outside and enjoy the morning sun before you even touch your phone? Write it down and set these boundaries as a goal. You may slip into old habits of media consumption, but you will be more aware of how this will impact the way you feel.
Another solution is to determine what you will do to involve yourself in ways that can help. What matters to you most? How can you take action or volunteer? Not just making comments or reposting news articles, but what can you physically do?
That being said, I would encourage that your volunteer efforts bring about feelings of positivity. Honestly ask yourself, are the people you are going to surround yourself confirming a bias, or will they project negativity and engage in divisive discussions. Helping should bring a feeling of connection and acceptance of others.
My Own Action Plan
I have found an app that I have used, Freedom. I am not affiliated in any way with this app, but I have found the free version incredibly beneficial for productivity. I plan to use it more consistently. For me, this will look like setting an alarm on my phone to start a distraction free “session” at 6:30 every morning, and again during family time in the evenings until I go to bed. Those are the times I have identified I am more likely to turn to distractions. I want to spend my time in ways that are productive and nurture my brain and my health. (You can also pay for a subscription to the app to automate scheduled distraction free times).
I also took a hard look at where I’m involved. One organization I joined to advocate for a cause I believe in has, over time, left me absorbing messages that foster a “me vs. them” mindset. For now, I’ve decided to step back so I can focus on building genuine connections without division.
