Most of us are checking the news way more often than we normally do. It’s important to stay up to date on the coronavirus pandemic and know what you’re supposed to be doing, so checking more makes sense. But if you’re anything like me, you’re probably checking too often. Even at a moment in history when staying informed is critical, doing is still greater than watching.
And most of us are checking social media way more often than we normally do. This one is harder to justify – there isn’t a lot of practical information on social media. Maybe we’re doing it because we’re feeling isolated and lonely. Maybe it’s because we’re nervous. Maybe it’s because we’re bored. Or maybe we’re just craving more information.
And what’s the result of all this checking? Well, depending on the moment and depending on who you are, it’s leading to more fear and anxiety, or anger and frustration, or just feeling drained. And personally, constantly checking without taking action has been making me feel like a passive victim rather than an active agent.
Now, despite my best intentions, I’m as guilty of this over-checking as anyone. So you’ll get no judgment from me. But I have been thinking about how I can mitigate this impulse or at least turn it into something good. So I’ve come up with a new personal rule, which I’ve been following for the past week:
If I check the news (or social media), then I will follow that by doing something positive.
Instead of chastising myself for checking too often and “wasting time,” I’ve decided to use checking the news as a cue that I need to do something. I’ve realized that part of the reason I’m checking the news so often is that I’m trying to fill a proactivity-void. I want to be able to do something to help, but I feel powerless.
Applying my philosophy that everything counts, I’ve begun taking more little steps to make things better. I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy. I’m staying isolated as much as possible. I put a sign on my door reminding me to wash my hands as soon as I get home. I’m checking in on family and friends. I’m meditating more. I’m giving more to charity.
And like all behavioral change, this shift hasn’t come easily. I’ve needed reminders, like the sticky note underneath my monitor:
Even though I cannot personally stop this pandemic, I can do my part, and so can you. Try a little experiment, if you’re up for it. Adopt this rule for the rest of the day, and see how it makes you feel.
Here are some small, positive actions you might take as a follow-up to checking the news or social media. They can also serve as meaningful alternatives to checking if you can catch yourself before giving in to the impulse to check.
- Go for a walk. (It’s fine, you’re allowed to, just maintain social distance)
- Read something other than the news.
- Call or text a relative or friend to check in on them.
- Do some pushups or squats.
- Clean something. Do a chore.
- Do someone a favor.
- Meditate for a few minutes.
- Give some money to charity. Your local food bank is a good choice because the homeless are a very high-risk population for COVID-19. Or give to Partners in Health because people living in countries with poor medical infrastructure are also at much higher risk.
If you took just one positive action for each time you checked the news or a newsfeed, you’d make your life and the lives of people around a little better. If we all did this, we’d make the world a little better.