Exactly, we focus on the things we can control, Justin. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing, Mrs Freedom! I’m sure you can do something about it… For starters, my android phone allows me to switch off notifications for certain apps. But the mentality of not checking the news is the hardest bit it needs changing!

I found that I like reading a lot – anything really. So I have found a few reading sources for topics I like, like following certain threads on Medium and getting article recommendations from Pocket, as well as blog subscriptions.

Therefore, when I feel a strong need to read I already have something valuable to consume instead of browsing the daily news. Oh, honourable mention: I love books and Kindle helps so much!

I guess if you see it as a form of entertainment it’s ok, but when it affects your life and takes away valuable time then it starts to become a problem.

A lot of people are upset or stressed for things outside their control which is worrying!

However, as I got older, the news started to bother me and I would feel overwhelmed by all the doom and gloom, the helplessness I felt at all the bad stuff going on in the world.

I’m not sure when I stopped feeling this way but at some point, I became more laid back and quite detached from it all, if what I was reading didn’t affect me directly.

These days, I still watch the news (when I have the tv on), listen to the news (on the radio) and regularly visit ‘old school’ news websites and have news Twitter feeds. However, I read it all with a pinch of salt (but do further reading if there’s something which interests me). I read the Daily Mail (THE website for click bait articles!) for ‘entertainment’ and not news, I read financial news but don’t deviate from my plan, unless it makes sense after further research.

When I’m on holiday and internet/wifi is intermittant, I have to say that I miss reading the news far more than I miss social media!

Interesting that you list ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ as a recommended read – I haven’t read it yet but hope to read it sometime this year.

Sometimes I get caught up in Google News too, as it knows exactly the stuff I like to read :)