How To Clear Your Mind

Why No News are Good News

I must admit that I once was a news junkie.
I used to read several newspapers, watch the news on TV, not to mention the internet as a vast resource of news.

But it was probably the worst thing I could do, being someone who is rather sensitive. And who has a mind that sometimes goes like a roller-coaster. Adding so much useless information, my mind sometimes almost exploded!

Now I try to only rarely read the news. I still like new information, but I try to gather only new information about some focused areas. This way my mind stays relatively clean and focused.

News often just drain your energy

Once I was reading the biggest German online news portal and was looking for some good news – I did not find a lot of it. Maybe some science stories, but that was it. The vast majority of the information was either something to potentially worry about or something unrelated to my life.

And this news portal wasn’t even a tabloid site – those sites tend to emphasize even more the dangers of our society, all the corruption that is going on, how the world is a bad and scary place, oh, and have you seen the new outfit of that celebrity?

If you know the saying “only bad news are good news”, then there would be almost only “good news” – and that’s why there is so much bad news. Fear based media is just something we draw attention to, even if there is no actual danger.

That doesn’t mean that you should live in a bubble where everything is just oh so fine, and you don’t wanna see how reality is. That’s not what I would suggest. But probably the news are not reality, either. They are just a very small, filtered part of reality.

Maybe you are one of the few people who live in an area with a high crime rate. But chances are much higher that you live somewhere where it is rather peaceful and quiet, and people are not always friendly to each other, but sure most of the time.

I’m reading a lot about the subconscious mind lately. Our unconscious mind is like a recording device, it records everything we experience, and everything is stored forever. Now, is it really good if you have stored a lot of bad news in your unconscious mind? Because it adds up.

Get clarity while watching or reading the news

If you still want to watch the news, ask yourself:

• Is this information fear-based?

• Does this information help me in any way? Does it add something positive or worthwhile to my experience?

• Could I do something about it? Would it be a good use of my time and energy?

• Does this information have something to do with me personally? Is it relevant for me?

As tragic as it is to the people involved, I don’t see much value in reading about car accidents. When someone I care would have a car accident, I would know, and I probably wouldn’t find out about it in the news.

Maybe a short question to ask is just:
Is it just clutter?

I always joke around that when I don’t read the news, if there would be an apocalypse of some sort, my neighbours would tell me. What a relief, isn’t it? 😀

Try a News Fast To Experience a Clear Mind

I really do recommend to do a media fast trial of some sort, be it for a week or a month, or even just a day. Normally a 30 day trial is a good idea, because it is enough time for a new habit to sink in, and at the same time it’s not too long (oh my, you don’t have to do it your WHOLE LIFE! 🙂 )

I just did a 30 day trial with no news, it ended today. The first days were strange, because I experienced withdrawal symptoms. Often I thought “Oh, it would be so interesting to read new stuff right now!” Then, after the first days, those thoughts vanished. Strangely, the first few days were rather tough, though.

Now my mind is more focused and I feel more clarity. I feel more free and my mind has more space to process other things.
I have less mental clutter, it’s really nice. I even have more time to do other things.

Try it out, you could still switch to your old behaviour after the trial has ended.

Do you still watch the news? What do you think about it? Is it useful for you?

Because sometimes it’s really nice not to know too much.
You know what happened to the spy who knew too much, right? 😉