The Stress of Staying “Informed”: A Mental Health Dilemma

Photo Credit: Crush Rush/Alamy Stock Photo: South Carolina Protestors hold a rally at the South Carolina State House protesting the death of George Floyd

By Allison Chabala

Everyone is vulnerable to the feelings of stress that can be induced by a myriad of reasons. It’s sometimes nice to de-stress by surfing the waves of Netflix, letting the tide of relief wash over our minds and bodies. It is a much needed amelioration to the constant notifications on our phones, and the sober headlines that feel like they are being obtrusively thrust in our faces. 

According to an article by the American Psychological Association, 95 percent of Americans surveyed regularly follow the news. Of this percentage, 56 percent said that being informed causes them stress. Additionally, 63 percent stated that the future of the nation is a major source of stress for them.

This article was released in 2017. But this was just a mild presage to how people feel today. There has been a rough awakening for many Americans amidst a global pandemic, perpetually stressful politics, social injustice and unfair persecution of minorities, particularly African Americans. It is harder to rebuff these topics and turn to Netflix because many people encounter a moral dilemma—is it ethical to turn away from the news when so many people are suffering, now more than ever in their lifetimes? Ninth Grade Dean Mark Lukach shared his views of the importance of balancing mental health with news. 

“If it’s ethical ...yeah,” said Lukach. “But there's ethics on how you take care of yourself, and there's also ethics on how you take care and you help others.” 

 “Americans’ stress levels were significantly higher than the global average of 35 percent leaving the U.S. tied for fourth (alongside Albania, Iran and Sri Lanka) in Gallup’s ranking of the world’s most stressed populations,” reported a Smithsonian Magazine article written by Meilan Solly.

A more recent article by U.S. News provides additional commentary on the public’s mental health in the face of current events. “For a lot of people, we might be reaching the breaking point in terms of the amount of stress and uncertainty we are experiencing," said Vaile Wright, the American Psychological Association's senior director of health care innovation, as quoted by U.S. News. But in the wake of all the unfortunate events happening in the world, how should we find a balance? 

“I would say that about ‘being informed’—it’s a gradient,” Lukach states. “Like I could have the NYT open on my computer and be refreshing it every five minutes and I could be informed. And that's probably gonna cause me immense anxiety. I could also dedicate 20 minutes a night to reading the news and staying up-to-date. I'm still informed, I'm way less anxious in doing so.” Lukach also offers an interesting analogy about the importance of staying informed. “It’s almost like your homework as a citizen. You're not constantly doing your homework, you set time aside to do your homework,” said Lukach. “You’re not constantly reading the news, you’re setting aside [time] to check in, make sure you know what’s happening, and then, you put it away! And you go about the rest of your life.”