Anyone who knows me knows how much of a news junkie I am. I basically follow news 24/7 – US, Australia, UK, radio, TV, internet – it doesn’t stop.
I found this love of mine was an absolute detriment when I moved here in 2008, even though I was in the land of 24/7 news. With the economy crashing, the constant barrage of bad news affected me greatly. When you are hearing something over and over 24/7, you tend to believe it unequivocally. As there was mass layoffs there was NO way I was going to get a job, I would end up back in Australia and it went on and on.
Well, I did get a job, I didn’t have to move back and ‘switching off’ for a bit really helped raise my spirits.
Lately, I’ve slipped up. With everything going on here, I’ve been soaking it all up. My 3 day Hurricane Irene-fest of 24/7 news was the pinnacle.
Normally, I have 1010 WINS the news radio station playing for most of the day. Every day, Bill and I have lunch together and hear CNN blaring bad and negative news constantly. There are people arguing and talking about the no hope economy, jobs and suicide bombers in the Middle East. This is clearly not an ideal background for some lunch downtime. Today, I was sitting there listening to how so many millions are in poverty in the US and how a lady is living on $400 per month. I can’t handle this barrage any more. It is not about being blissfully unaware of things that are going on – it is about knowing when enough is enough.
So, now – 1010 WINS is off, I have Chris Isaak playing and there are these three sites that are perfect –
http://goodnewsnetwork.org/
http://www.happynews.com/
http://www.goodmood-news.com/
I read some of these stories and wonder how different things would be if ‘pundits’ discussed more of these than the usual.
I will still watch the news and know what is going on but not with this 24/7 need to soak everything up. That will do me just fine for now.