Social Media, News Media and HSP
Newspapers, television news and now social media can be treacherous places for me. Years ago I noticed that after reading the paper I was always left feeling so angry and/or depressed that I could barely function. So much so that I simply stopped reading the paper and watching TV news. I would hear snips from my husband and friends and kind of kept up that way. But, in truth, I wasn't very well informed.
In 2008, I found myself drawn into the world of Facebook. For a while it seemed it was relatively tame, just people sharing about their lives. That was an election year and I remember being a bit annoyed by some posts about it, but nothing too intense. By 2012, people were sharing much more openly about their political views. Although most of the people in my Facebook feed are people whose politics I happen to agree with, these days I'm inundated with images of a particular politician I can't stand as well as other upsetting bits of news. My coping mechanism is to either scroll past quickly, no clicking, or just take Facebook breaks.
One particular date stands out for me - December 14, 2012. This is the day of the Newtown, CT school shootings. I was watching the progress on my computer at work. My son was 7 at the time and was at school in our Boston suburb where we live. As I watched the news, I felt like I was experiencing the heartbreak of every single one of the mothers of those sweet, innocent babies. I don't mean to imply in any way that non-HSP's weren't deeply moved as well. It's just that as an HSP, I felt each death as a blow to my heart. Witnessing this tragedy was unavoidable.
I deliberately do not consume a breakfast of the news each morning like many of my fellow citizens. I just cannot hear about the grandmother that was raped and beaten and killed the night before and go on with my day. It might sound callous and uncaring but actually it's quite the opposite. I can't function after hearing about these kinds of events. I make sure to keep up with current events as I'm able but I definitely don't start each day that way and this is an important part of my self-care as an HSP.
I'd love to hear about how you all balance staying informed with taking good care of your sensitive self.
Blessings!
Caprice
