Break Your News Addiction

A lot has been written about addictions and the importance of breaking away from the control it has over one’s life. Addictions have ruined marriages, destroyed families, shattered dreams and turned professional, intelligent people into slaves to their desires. When speaking about addictions, the first thought that comes to mind is drugs and alcohol, but it runs far deeper than that. In today’s modern world, people are addicted to phones, the internet, shopping, gambling, Netflix, food, and of course – money. All of these are very serious and – if you feel you’re drowning and unable to free yourself from the clutches of a particular addiction – please see a professional immediately. Just like you would run to a dentist with a toothache or bring your car to a mechanic when something’s wrong… you must also reach out to therapists who can give you tools which can free yourself from any of the addictions listed above.

The point of this article, however, is to highlight a relatively new addiction, one which is never discussed but has millions of victims. It causes anxiety, panic, worry and tons of stress. Simply put: It’s called being addicted to the news. Years ago (and I’m not that old…) we would read the morning newspaper, hear the news on the radio a few times throughout the day and watch the 11pm tv news before going to bed. Looking back – even that was way too much, but that’s what kept us connected. The news did not occupy a central point in our lives, and many days went by without us thinking about it. If we had a wedding to attend or if the Yankee game went past 11, we simply missed the news and didn’t think about it for a second. That simply doesn’t happen today.

For the past few years, people have become intravenously connected to the news. They check their phones at 3am before using the bathroom and then again as soon as they wake up in the morning – often before thanking HaShem for returning them their soul. During davening, they check 3 different news sites, read emails from various media outlets and check their WhatsApp’s for breaking stories. Upon arriving home – or at work – they check websites throughout the day, watch news related podcasts and surf dozens of blogs for updates. While eating dinner, they have the tv on (a serious violation when I was growing up) and watch news at 8, 9 and before they go to bed. Then – just like it says on the shampoo bottle – they “rinse and repeat” all over again in just a few hours.

What is this intense need to know what is happening, every minute of the day? Trump said this, so Bibi did that… then Trump said the opposite so Bibi changed everything… and then Trump went back to his original plan… - you can go crazy watching, reading and following these developments. I agree that it’s important to know what’s happening in the world but trust me, you can check the news 1-2 times a day and you will be fine. More than that and your head will be spinning. But it’s actually deeper than that.

While there are thousands of media outlets, only a small, tiny portion of them actually report the news. In today’s opinionated world, 99% of news shows are commentary and not news. Years ago, Walter Cronkite gave us the news. He told America what happened. He didn’t impose his political views on the public… he simply reported what was going on and allowed us to draw our own conclusions. Today, you can experience something firsthand and then read about it in different ways. I’m sure you know what I am referring to. Watch how CNN or MSNBC report on something and then watch the report – of the same event – on Fox… totally different! In Israel we have it as well. Channels 12 and 13 are our very own CNN and MSNBC while 14 is like Fox… same events reported in opposite ways. Naturally, this makes the public crazy… which one is right? Here’s my answer: Neither of them! Therefore, don’t waste your time watching these self-proclaimed “experts” who love hearing themselves talk and who are simply offering their personal opinions. Guess what? I also have opinions of what is happening, but I don’t see any of the media people listening to me… so why should I bother with them?

A woman in my community recently said to me that the situation in Israel is very stressful and she is suffering with tremendous anxiety. I asked her how often she watches, listens and reads the news. She answered; “All day! I am fluent in 3 languages, so I watch the news in Hebrew, English and French. I switch channels, then check websites and read whatever I could.” I told her to take a complete break from the news for 14 days. I assured her that Israel would still be in existence after her 2 week “news vacation” and she agreed that she would try. 10 days later, she told me how much happier and calmer she was. She told me that she “cheated” a few times but nothing more than that… all from simply breaking away from this addiction.

Yes, we want and need to know what is going on but it is not necessary to be involved in it 18 hours a day. Select a news website that you trust and check it no more than twice a day. Forget about newspapers completely (I haven’t read one in over 2 years) and never – and I mean never – watch the tv talking-heads. I highly recommend an amazing news service called: Israel News Highlights. They send news highlights 3 times/day (morning, afternoon and evening) directly to your WhatsApp. Their advertising says it all; “Everything that is happening in a concise format. You’ll save time, stay calm and keep up to date.” Their website is: www.tamzit.org.il/israel-news-highlights/ - I promise that you will still know what’s happening, be able to talk to people about current events… and lower your blood pressure – all at the same time!

Am Yisrael Chai!