Many of us have felt it at some point in the past year. You wake up in the morning and thumbs up to your news app of your choice, but feel empty and uninterested as you scroll through an endless stream of alarming headlines. We live in an era where, after all, there is no shortage of bad news – from political war to a global pandemic, from mass shootings to natural disasters – and it is all too easy to feel tired and even a worrying sense of numbness.
If all this sounds worth knowing, an instructive new article co-authored by Richard F. Mollica, MD, MAR, a trauma expert and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School – who has authored books Trauma Story Assessment and Therapy: Journal for Field and Clinic and Heal Invisible Wounds: Paths to Hope and Recovery in a Violent World—Explains why.
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“Whether each of us is experiencing the ravages of our time near home or as part of a larger circle, the symptoms of collective trauma are widespread,” Mollica writes. “Many of these symptoms – feeling overwhelmed, anxious, tired – may be familiar. You deserve special mention: numbness.”
According to him, the endless barrier of bad news, even if it is effective in maximizing readers’ interest on a large scale, is taking its course. “Our responses to the pandemic and the continuing uncertainty, driven by judgment scrolling and news feeds, range from hyperactivation (struggle or flight) to numbness (freezing),” he explains. “While the three Fs refer to the body’s stress response right now, these reactions can continue long after they have been traumatized.”
Over time, too much exposure to this type of bad news can have the effect of damaging your nerves, which can actually lead to numbness where the bad news is no longer effective. “You may feel a low level of anxiety in the background, much like an operating system running our computers quietly,” he writes. “You may not feel any feelings or a feeling of coldness during the day, followed at night by insomnia or nightmares.”
The important thing is that you take more time to take care of yourself, and that you are simply aware of the effects of “doomscrolling.” Mollica, who also leads the Harvard refugee trauma program, says we can even take some tips from the program Refugee Trauma 10-point toolbox, which describes a number of strategies you can do to reduce your stress and ultimately feel less judgmental – which you can read below. And for more news from the forefront of mental and physical health, make sure you are aware of the single most effective way to exercise every day, say psychologists.
The goal here is to make sure to offer plenty of break for your nervous system.
For more scientifically supported news you can use, make sure you are aware of the big side effect of sitting too much on the couch, experts say.
Spending more time in the woods, which the Japanese call “forest baths”, will lower your stress hormones and lower your feelings of anxiety, fatigue and depression, among other health benefits.
Practice daily meditation to be in the moment. By focusing on the present, you can let more stressful thoughts slip away.
When taking in the information, do so by consciously trying to ground yourself in the present.
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