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September 05, 2003

A "News fast"

Some good advice, just sent to me by my mom.

I love you, mom. :)

Tip: Mental Clarity: Taking a News Fast

Been feeling stressed out after watching or reading the news lately? A "news fast" - avoiding news on the television, newspaper or the Internet for a few days or even a week - may be in order. It is a good way to gauge how you react to and process news, and how the news affects you. If a news fast seems outlandish, consider the following:

*    Both local and national network news have increased their emphasis on crime, even as U.S. crime rates continue to decline. This is particularly true of local news.

*    Studies show that violence, death and other negative images can provoke changes in mood and aggravate anxiety, sadness and depression.

*    Feelings of depression and sadness can lead to a negative view of your own life. Perceiving the world as violent, unsafe and hostile can have negative effects on your body, as well. By taking a news fast, you can develop a more conscious relationship with the media - and promote greater mental calm within yourself. When you spend more time in harmonious mental states, your body will function better, and anxiety and overstimulation may be minimized.

Posted by wil at September 5, 2003 05:37 AM

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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A "News fast":

» News Fast from Ed Heil's Weblog
Wil Wheaton's Mom recommends a "News Fast". Oh yeah. I can tell you right away that I can be thrown into a very unhappy state by overexposure to the news. Especially since the turn of the century. I've been reading [Read More]

Tracked on September 5, 2003 12:22 PM

» I'm Taking a News Fast, Thanks Wil from Jim Lynch
Wil Wheaton has a good entry about the importance of taking a break from the news for a while. I think it's good advice so I'm going to try to take the next couple of days off from reading the... [Read More]

Tracked on September 5, 2003 12:27 PM

» Whaddya mean "recall"? from My Crappyass Blog
Aww CRAP, I just made a huge entry only to accidentally close the friggen browser >:( Well, I'll try and [Read More]

Tracked on September 5, 2003 12:53 PM

» Take a fast from informage
Coming direc from Wil Wheaton's mum, apparently. I've found abstaining from all TV news , as I've done for a couple of months now pretty much, give or take a couples of samples of Japanese and Malaysian TV, has a... [Read More]

Tracked on September 5, 2003 04:29 PM

» News Fast from Andy's Blog
Wil Wheaton has the answer to my problems. His Mom send in some advice to help "promote greater mental calm within yourself". Take a news fast. As a tv news video-editor, I get a double dose of stress five days [Read More]

Tracked on September 6, 2003 05:45 AM