- Wisdom & Sol
- Posts
- How News Plays on Your Fears: Reduce Anxiety by Mastering Locus of Control
How News Plays on Your Fears: Reduce Anxiety by Mastering Locus of Control
Plus, tips to escape the endless scroll!
Sol TV
November 14, 2024
š§ TL/DR: How News Outlets Mess with Your Mind
š§ Sol Bites: Locus of Control Exercise
šµ 3 Proven Ways to Escape the Endless Scroll
š¦ Words of Wisdom
This past week has been challenging for 48% of the United States.
As people try to understand national and local election results, it can be easy to get lost in endless news stories.
If youāve been anxious, you can keep worrying and scrolling. Or you can embrace some good news: There are deliberate actions that can help you feel better. What happens this time is all up to you. šš
TL;DR: How News Outlets Mess with Your Mind
News outlets manipulate how your brain works. For-profit news doesnāt really care about showing you both sides of the storyāthey care about triggering your fear center, aka your amygdala.
News is designed to tap into the part of your brain that wants to keep you safe and is always on the lookout for threats. (Picture a reptile scanning for dangerāitās the same instinct.) When a risk is detected, your brain triggers a quick response like fight, flight, or freeze.
You also have a part of your brain that helps you relax and digest, but itās not as finely tuned as the threat detector. For a lizard, noticing potential predators is more vital than finding food, and our brains can work similarly, zooming in on threats and prioritizing them over safe things.
News outlets exploit this by focusing on alarming and sensational stories, triggering your brain to make you click on themāand earning them more ad revenue in the process. But consuming this kind of news can make you more anxious, scared, and even depressed. Itās not that the tragedies and conflicts youāre reading about are unimportant, but itās essential to know how news affects your emotions.
Sol Bites: Locus of Control Exercise
The way you perceive what happens in your life has to do with your locus of control. When you have an external locus of control, you feel more anxious and helpless because you think things are out of your hands. People with an internal locus of control feel less stressed because they believe they can change their circumstances.
If youāre just going to read the news and not do anything in response to what you're readingālike join the army or save a failing school, itās almost better not to be informed. But if you want to take action, try this simple exercise described by psychologist Julian Rotter in 1954 that can help you increase your focus on the things that matter to you. You can apply it to anything and bring your locus of control inward.
Step 1: Draw two large, overlapping circles.
Label the first circle "Things That Matter."
Label the second circle "Things I Can Control."
Step 2: Think about what matters.
What is important to you? Some examples: family time, career goals, personal values, and meaningful relationships. Write your list in the first circle.
Step 3: Focus on what you can control.
What parts of your life do you have control over? Examples: personal habits, health choices, career actions, learning new skills.
Write your list in the second circle.
Step 4: Figure out where everything meets.
Look at the overlapping portion of the two circles. This is where what matters to you meets what you can control.
In that space, write any items that appear in both of your circles. Those are your top priorities because they are actionable and meaningful.
Step 5: Consider the uncontrollable.
Outside the circles, write down everything you canāt control.
They might be external events, other peopleās opinions, or unexpected changes.
Step 6: Reflect and act.
Take a minute to think about what youāve written. The circlesāand their overlapping parts should help you focus on the doable things important to your well-being.
Consider setting goals or action plans for the intersection areas to make progress.
Make time to revisit this diagram. As your life changes, so will the things that matter and the things you can control.
Adjust your circles and intersections to align with your current goals and values.
By doing this, you can spend your time on what matters and reduce stress on the uncontrollable. This can become a daily habit for personal growth and mindfulness.
Read this if you're ready to break up with your phone and reclaim your damn life. (Your brain will thank you.)
Words of Wisdom
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.
Along the Same Linesā¦
 |  |
We love you,
Mona & The Sol TV Team ā¤ļø
Lastly, some housekeepingā¦
If you can't find the newsletter, check your spam folder. If itās there, mark it as ānot spam.ā
Whitelist our email. Add our email address [email protected] to your contacts listor your Primary inbox in Gmail.
What topics related to emotional well-being would you like us to explore in future newsletters? |
Reply