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Switch It Off And Chill Out

Reducing Your Exposure to Bad News Stories Can Reduce Feelings Of Anxiety

In 2008 I carried out a study to research the impact of repeated negative messages in the media, specifically via radio, television and newpaper news articles on levels of anxiety, stress and feelings of general well being in individuals.  I first became interested in this area long before qualifying as a therapist, when witnessing my young son’s responses to repeated images of the Twin Towers plane crashes which were shown after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  The television coverage was repeated so often during the days following the attack that within a couple of days, he was convinced that hundreds of planes had crashed into hundreds of buildings and had found this highly distressing.  Obviously, once I realized this, I switched off the TV and explained that this was not an everyday occurrence, but because “everyone was so upset” about the incident, it had been repeated on TV over and over again. 

The study concluded that individuals suffering from stress who expose themselves to media through out the day may benefit from switching off TV's and radios which repeat (mainly negative) news stories on an average cycle every 15-20 minutes.

I was awarded the National Council For Hypnotherapy's Researcher Of The Year Award for this piece of work which also formed the basis of my dissertation for my Diploma in Hypno-Psychotherapy.