Watch What You Watch!

In times such as these, our natural tendency to stay abreast with everything that’s happening around us tends to be heightened. We want to know who’s caught the virus and when and where and how. We want to know how many infected – recovered – dead? We want to know what’s going on in our locality, state, country and the world at large. We want to know….everything!

And yes, it is important that we are aware of the precautions and measures to be taken to safe guard ourselves. It is also important that we know where to find the right information when we need it. We are all keen on keeping the virus away. But It is not sufficient that you isolate yourself from the virus. Equally important is to also disconnect from the excessive engagement in the news and the media reports around it. While it is important to be updated about your local situation and health mandates, research has shown that overconsumption of news can have a negative toll on your physical, mental and emotional health. All of this further compromises your immunity.

There is currently an overload of fatalistic and alarmist messages all around. While you may be trying to be helpful by spreading such messages, it could have the opposite effect. Research has shown that people who watched negative material showed an increase in both anxious as well as sad moods as compared to those who watched positive or neutral material. What’s more, this was seen in as little as 14 minutes. Even having these playing in the background can have a negative effect on your psyche. So do yourself a favour and avoid listening to or propagating these messages.

Know that just as you can consume things that are harmful for your body, you may also be consuming things (by way of what you see and hear) that are harmful for your mental health. If you want to have a better chance at staying healthy – emotionally, physically & psychologically – you may want to choose wisely what you watch..