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Tips for Managing News Anxiety
By L. Allison Earl, LBHP, DBH Candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute
We have all had those days where it seems like all we see and hear about in the news is negative. We all know that we need to move past only focusing on the bad news that we see. With so many different points of view, it can be challenging to know what are good sources and which are bad ones. For those who fall either far left or far right, they have the particular news outlets they prefer to follow due to their belief system and political affiliation.
Some tips for managing anxiety related to the news are limiting what information you are watching. With the news cycle running all day, there is no need to fill your tank with whatever the news outlets are constantly feeding you at that time. Be mindful of where you are getting your news. Anyone can post items that look like news that will only increase your anxiety.
Another tip is to limit your social media usage. Social media is a platform that anyone can say or post anything they want. Remember when Trump was running for and became president? That is when the “Fake News” started coming out. Fake news has not stopped coming out. We no longer have Tom Brokaw’s delivering the news where we knew we could trust what he said and knew it was not biased. It seems that now, all the information is biased one way or the other.
Another tip is to have expert stress management techniques. What are your coping skills? Do you have any? These are a couple of questions you can ask yourself when you feel that your heart rate is rising and getting stressed out. One way to manage your stress and anxiety is to identify a safe/calm place for yourself and “go on a trip.” When you go on the trip, connect all five of your senses to the place you go. This technique is called pleasant imagery, and it allows you to distract your brain from whatever is causing the anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are proven to have physical effects if not monitored and treated correctly. Untreated anxiety can lead to chronic health conditions, upset stomach, and other physical problems. One thing to remember is that anxiety about the news is normal. We cannot control everything in the news, so consumers must note what they are watching to limit the negative news to not add to their current anxiety.
Lastly, one of the best stress-reduction techniques is to exercise. Rather than sitting at home watching the news, get outside and increase your mindfulness!
References:
How to deal with news anxiety. Headspace. (2022). Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.headspace.com/stress/news-anxiety
Raypole, C. (2021, September 9). Physical symptoms of anxiety: What your body may be telling you. Healthline. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/physical-symptoms-of-anxiety
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Managing the Doomscrolling Dichotomy
By: Ellen Fink-Samnick MSW, ACSW, LCSW, CCM, CCTP, CRP, DBH Candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute
You have a break in the day and decide to catch up on your favorite social media feeds; suddenly it’s 30 minutes later. What began as a look at your BFFs Facebook feed spiraled to viewing headlines, graphics, and disturbing images of recent events. You are sucked into a vortex of posts across platforms and apps, distracted from everything on your calendar: social, occupational, or education activities. Emotions bubble up: anger, bewilderment, frustration, rage, sadness. You become unable to focus, sleep, and feel crispy around the edges. Welcome to the world of doomscrolling: a dynamic impacting rising numbers of persons across the globe.
What it Means
Doomscrolling (or doomsurfing) is a recent addition to Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries: addictive surfing or scrolling through bad news, even though negative in scope. Society has been exposed to a pervasive cycle of negative news these past two years including the pandemic, cultural, racial, and ethnic disparities, and the recent Ukraine crisis. It becomes easy to get caught up consuming mass quantities of online news in a single sitting.
The impact of these events on our wholistic health is telling. Growing studies speak to rising incidence of severe anxiety, depression, and psychological distress from over-consumption of pandemic-related media (Bendau et al., 2021). Daily social and traditional (e.g., new portals, magazines) media use exacerbates onset and exacerbation of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Price et al., 2022). Poor mental health negatively impacts sleep, putting further stress on the immune system; the interconnection between psychopathology and chronic illness is well-documented in the literature (Isvoranu et al., 2021).
Why We Do It
One quick answer is, misery loves company. Reading about negative events validates negative feelings felt by individuals. The more one seeks to satisfy this need, the more doomscrolling advances to addictive habit. Striving to stay informed about current events devolves into a vicious cycle where stress increases and cortisol levels rise. A myriad of health issues can result: increased blood pressure and glucose levels, migraine headaches, insomnia, or autoimmune disorders (e.g., lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome).
What to Do About It
Here is a list of my favorite strategies to inform your efforts:
- Limit Social Media Bandwidth: Read one article in the morning, listen to a podcast from that favorite platform (or news outlet) you trust.
- Take Social Media Breaks: Don’t get sucked in or your energy will be sucked out. You may stay off social media certain times of the day, or for longer periods of time (e.g., during the workday, weekends, or for several months).
- Use Body Scanning, Breathing, and Other Trauma-informed Tactics: Doomscrolling can trigger prior traumas. A colleague recently shared how use of trauma-informed interventions made the difference, for both clinician and patient. Regular body scans are an asset: take that nice deep breath, then start at the top of your head and move down your body. Note any sensations that appear: ringing in your ears, pressure around or behind your eyes, a tight neck or back, tingling in your chest or gut. 4-7-8 breathing is an asset as well.
- Sleep Hygiene Strategies: Doomscrolling and insomnia are a dyad. Sound strategies that address both disruptors include:
- Declare a screen-free sleep space.
- Keep traditional items nearby, such as a notepad or book. Jot down thoughts that wake you up or read to tire your eyes without using a digital screen.
- Detox devices by turning off notifications and removing apps; block apps and distracting websites using Freedom or other like-platforms.
- Avoid heated or emotional posts within an hour of bedtime
- Keep screen-free hours one hour prior to bedtime and over the sleep cycle.
- Stay Proactive and Consistent: It is easy to fall off the Doomscrolling wagon. Stay vigilant; like any addiction, it won’t take much to fall down the rabbit hole and re-engage. Take control of doomscrolling before it takes control of you!
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A new episode of Disruptors at Work: an Integrated Care Podcast focuses on the topic of health equity for transgender individuals with guests Michael Garrett and Jennifer Kelley, MS, LPC, DBH Candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute.
Transgender patients currently encounter multiple barriers to accessing adequate health care. While we are making strides to improve transgender patients' health care experiences, we still have a long way to go to achieve the goal of delivering ample support in navigating the existing obstacles.
A recently published article from the JAMA network confirms the challenges that trans youth have in accessing culturally competent healthcare. The article also confirms what we knew: that transgender and nonbinary youths have a higher incidence of a range of health conditions and may paradoxically face limited access to health care. As the push for integrated care continues, healthcare providers need to be identifying strategies to fill gaps in care for vulnerable patient populations.
Michal Garrett is a Principal at Mercer, where he Leads consulting engagements with large plan sponsors regarding their health benefit plans and Works with clients in developing and implementing new care delivery models such as accountable care organizations. His education includes a Masters degree from the University of Idaho in clinical psychology and a Bachelors degree in psychology from Gonzaga University. He is a Certified Case Manager, Certified Vocational Evaluator, Board Certified Patient Advocate, and a Nationally Certified Psychologist. Michael has authored and/or edited six case/care management books and is the author of numerous journal articles in the field. Michael is frequently invited to speak at national conferences related to his areas of SME.
Jennifer Kelley, MS, LPC is a student in the DBH program at CGI, is currently working in an integrated setting, and is the Author of a recently published article called “Transgender Discrimination and Its Influence on Patient Health”, which appears in the Nov/Dec 2021 issue of Professional Case management. We’ll link to this article and more resources in the notes for the podcast.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.
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Motor Impairments and Autism Spectrum Disorder, a webinar facilitated by Dr. Katarzyna Motylewicz, DBH, BCBA, QBA, is available on-demand and at no cost.
This webinar presents the results of Dr. Motylewicz's Culminating Project, which addressed motor impairments that contribute to delays in social-communication and play skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Explore the webinar
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Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies Forms a New Partnership with Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance
Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies (CGI) proudly announces a new partnership with Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance (IPBHA). Together, CGI and IPBHA will offer continuing education webinars on the topics of artificial intelligence, finances and sustainability of integrated health.
Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies, a private, nonprofit, DEAC accredited institution, offers education and training in integrated behavioral healthcare through a virtual online campus. CGI seeks to partner with innovative, forward-thinking organizations, such as the Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance, with a mutual interest to advance the knowledge and skills of integrated behavioral health professionals in the U.S. and abroad.
Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance is a healthcare service company founded by Dr. Ronke Komolafe, DBH, MBA. IPBHA drives healthcare change through advocacy, innovative technology, thought leadership, regulatory reviews of physical and behavioral health integration, evidence-based models, journals and innovative magazines. Dr. Komolafe has over 15 years experience working in Medicaid, health plans, provider organization and health information technology. She is an expert in business process improvement, quality measures, program development and evaluation, go-to-market strategies, leadership development, digital health, electronic health record systems, social determinants of health, population health management and integrated health. To learn more about Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance, visit, https://integratedphysicalbehavioral.health.
To learn more about Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies and future continuing education offerings in partnership with Integrated Physical and Behavioral Health Alliance, subscribe to our continuing education newsletter.
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