These days, my typical morning routine includes Googling whether it’s safe to venture outside today and if there are COVID-19 cases on the rise, followed by how much closer we are to discovering if we’ve found a vaccine, and finally, scouring articles to figure out if there are any long-term consequences of using so much hand sanitizer. And then before I know it, I’m seeking out more of this depressing and potentially negative info, even though I know it’s not helping with my sanity. Apparently, there’s even a term to describe this kind of behavior: doomscrolling. Merriam-Webster defines doomscrolling as “the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.” While I truly believe that knowledge is power, too much of anything can be detrimental to one’s health. In fact, going overboard with this kind of activity can have negative consequences on one’s mental and physical well-being, especially in these scary times.
As tempting as it may be to constantly hit refresh, we don’t have to stay stuck in this endless cycle of terror and misery. There is a way out, and that’s to cultivate an awareness of this type of toxic behavior and make a conscious decision to press the pause button on all the craziness that surrounds us. Betches spoke with Dr. Eudene Harry, Medical Director for Oasis Wellness and Rejuvenation Center, and Dr. Braulio Mariano Mejia, Medical Director of The Palm Beach Institute, specializing in Addiction Medicine for insight into what’s going on with our minds and bodies. They shined some light on what to do when the line between staying informed and ruining your mental health becomes blurred and offered us some tactics on how to set healthy boundaries between us and the news.
How To Recognize When The News Is Making Us Feel Bad
It can be difficult to attribute our emotions directly to the news—oftentimes we’ll think our negative feelings are caused by another trigger. While some types of news can conjure obvious and overt reactions, other times, the feelings can be subtle, like a slow and steady burn. Dr. Harry says that it’s important to check in with yourself frequently. She says, “ask yourself if you felt bad after watching the news. Did you feel motivated to act or did it leave you feeling drained and paralyzed? Are you feeling depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, helpless or apathetic? Is your heart racing? Does breathing feel shallow, fast and not enough?” These are the sorts of physiological cues she says you should pay attention to.
Additionally, Dr. Mariano Mejia says that there are behavioral and physical attributes that could be indicative of your emotional upheaval: “ask yourself, ‘have I been alienating my loved ones?’ ‘Have I been isolating from those I care about?’ ‘Have I been neglecting my family?’ ‘Have I been slacking at work?’ ‘Have I been having difficulty sleeping?’ ‘Has there been a change in my libido/sexual interest?’ Have there been any recent weight fluctuations?’” All of this matters and it’s important to take time for yourself to answer these questions honestly. It’s like going through your own personal mental checklist (it may also help to run through this aloud or write it down). If you’re answering yes to any of these questions, both doctors advise that you should regroup and recharge, stat.
Actually, It’s About Introspection
Dr. Mariano Mejia says that the first thing to understand about doomscrolling is that it speaks to our human nature more than anything else. “This phenomenon is more about the need to have some introspection. It’s about recognizing the need to stop for a second and ask yourself if repetitive news (fake or not) is necessary to get you emotionally or professionally where you want to be.”
The most important thing here is to determine whether this information will make a difference in the comfort of your professional and personal life. If not, you can do without this unhelpful stimuli. Dr. Mariano Mejia points out that we as humans have a tendency to obsess over minute things in our lives and that “in order to reduce our anxiety we act on these obsessions, which is a compulsion. In this instance, this compulsive behavior to turn to the media/news evolves into a negative pattern, thus creating a temporary relief.” However, if this tendency is left unaddressed, he says that it could lead to negative consequences.
The good news is that conversely, with this same ability, you can train your brain to be a more healthy and balanced one, simply by actively recognizing that you have the power and opportunity to step away from anything you deem to be detrimental to your health. “Introspection is more than simply taking a break. It requires you to stop, evaluate your conscious thoughts and feelings,” Dr. Mariano Mejia remarks. “This process allows you to look at yourself in order to determine what is most important in your life.” In a nutshell, think of it as an empowered “you do you” sentiment.
Why You Have All Of These Feels
Dr. Harry says, “your body and mind are being overwhelmed, and as a result, it is constantly activating the stress response system over and over again, continuously flooding the mind and the body with stress hormones.” She references clinical studies from Harvard and the National Library of Medicine in which voluntary participants were shown stress-inducing/upsetting pictures and videos. Though they were not actually subjected to the turmoil itself, ultimately, viewing upsetting material resulted in the body exhibiting the same level of heightened stress and trauma. She surmised from these studies that if these feelings are left to fester, it can result in an increased risk of developing psychological trauma, anxiety disorders, depression and other psychological conditions—as well as physical ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.
Ok, So I Feel Like Sh*t—How Do I Make It Better?
Say it with me: SELF-CARE. It’s not just some buzzword we see hashtagged to death on Instagram, but a real and positive force that can truly help with our health and wellness if we embrace it.
sometimes self care is an everything bagel
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 16, 2020
Create A Routine That Works For You
Dr. Mariano Mejia says that this can include proper hygiene, good nutrition, regular exercise, and healthy social interactions. Examples of healthy social interactions include interactions that limit exposure to negative people, maintaining positive conversations, and setting boundaries with your peers.
Quality Over Quantity
Dr. Harry says to rely on a trusted news source and consume it for 10 to 20 minutes a day to gather the highlights. Additionally, Dr. Mariano Mejia says that when you do seek out information, stick to factual content rather than opinion-based or emotionally biased stories. “A reliable source such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) would be recommended, but on a limited basis,” he explains. “Official information as it changes and advances on the studies of the novel coronavirus will not take place minute to minute or even hourly,” so there’s no need to obsessively hit that refresh button. He says you can also control how you remain informed by simply consulting your medical professional/family physician. Additionally, you can consider using free resources, such as Nurses On-Call.
Timing Matters
Dr. Harry advises against starting and ending the day with your news (lol, I suppose I’m doing this wrong then). She says, “you want to set (an optimistic) tone for your day. Starting it with potentially startling content gives you no time to prepare how to approach your day. As a result, you have immediately engaged your stress and vigilance systems that can leave you feeling edgy, jumpy, and anxious all day.”
Get Your Beauty Rest
This is related to timing and is why we shouldn’t be inundating our brains with news before going to bed at night or when we get up in the morning. “Sleep is incredibly important; however, it will be difficult to get sound slumber if you’ve just flooded your brain with potentially traumatizing information and events,” says Dr. Harry. It can be a lot to process and can leave you tossing and turning all night. She adds, “it’s also another sure-fire way to increase your risk of inflammation and illness.”
Unplug And Shut Down All The Things
The world can be a Debbie Downer sometimes, so if you want to chill out for the day and decompress, absolutely go for it. “That’s completely okay—take even a few days and go offline from all media to regain your equilibrium. No one knows how you are feeling but you. So find out what works for you,” offers Dr. Harry.
You Are Not Alone
Through these challenging times, it’s understandable to seek out answers and information to decrease feelings of anxiety and to feel more comforted. However, you don’t have to go it alone: “don’t hesitate to seek out support. If you are still having difficulties and can’t seem to break free or reduce the negative impact on your own, you may benefit from seeking the assistance of a trained and qualified mental health professional,” says Dr. Mariano Mejia.
Peace And Pleasure
Yeah, we’ve all been baking to reduce the stress, but it keeps us cooped up inside. Dr. Harry says that as an alternative, why not consider simply getting outside (safely) for an easy means of decompression? “This may be a nature walk, time with friends via a social distancing/park gathering, meditating, yoga/breathing deeply, and art (painting/pottery), etc.” It’s about actively distancing yourself from the negative cycle and instead, doing something that brings you peace and a sense of calmness. “More importantly, these activities give your body the chance to recover and reset,” she explains.
Doomscrolling may sound like some apocalyptic reckoning, but just remember that ultimately, you have the power to wield control over your thoughts and feelings. We may all be susceptible to this zombie-like trance of doomscrolling, but all it takes is a gentle reminder to pull ourselves out of this rut, turn off our smart devices and the news, and reconnect with elements of our humanity that fill us with joy. We got this.
Images: Bongkarn Thanyakij / Pexels; Chrishell Stause / Instagram; Diet Starts Tomorrow / Instagram (2); Tenor; Katy Perry / Twitter
There’s a war raging out there now: COVID-19. It’s much worse than that any human kind has ever seen before—so much so that the basic human survival is a big fat question mark. They say mankind had prepared itself to combat any war with its heavy artillery, tech-aided weapon systems, yet we find ourselves helpless in fighting this battle.
I am Dr. Mehek Kukreja, a resident pursuing dermatology in India. The residents are known as the backbone of the system, and all my colleagues from various departments are working in COVID-19. We are amongst the forefront health care providers, the so-called front line warriors in this pandemic. It sure is a mental battle for every human, but it certainly is a grueling one for the medical community.
Going into this battle first requires a lot of gear. Our PPE (personal protective equipment) consists of multi-layered clothing, which includes scrubs, an OT cap and gown, two layers of gloves, three layers of masks, two layers of shoe covers, a face shield, and a goggle. Wearing the entire PPE set in a non-air conditioned room full of COVID patients, especially in this burning summer heat, is beyond exhausting. It’s like a super-heated sauna you don’t want to be in. And did I mention a normal shift in the coronavirus outpatient department (OPD) ranges from 8-10 hours?
What makes it worse is that you can’t even wipe your own sweat. Our goggles fog up constantly and visibility fades away. Even breathing becomes really difficult within minutes of entering the OPD. Even at our loudest we aren’t audible enough to our patients. We are dehydrated during the shift, but we CANNOT eat, drink, or even pee for fear of contamination. All we have to do is wait for our duties to come to an end because we cannot afford to waste more PPE, as it is expensive to replace and there’s not enough of it to accommodate us all. Each minute in that room feels like an impossible task. You want to quit but you can’t—and you won’t. It’s human life we’re talking about, after all, and we’ve sworn to protect it under any circumstances whatsoever.
Working in COVID-19, I have witnessed patients succumbing despite our best efforts, the young and the old alike. I’ve seen entire families admitted in wards, unaware how critical the other is. I’ve seen patients unable to bid goodbyes to their loved ones because they themselves are infected. I’ve seen seriously ill patients running from one hospital to another because of the lack of beds.
It’s surreal and scary. The fear of getting infected by the virus is real, as it is spreading faster than we can fathom. The uncertainty of the situation day by day can be overwhelming and it leaves us hanging on the edge. But I also see bravery in everyone surrounding me. Here we are holding up stronger than yesterday, taking it one day at a time as it comes.
Recently, governments in various countries have decided to lift lockdowns because businesses were suffering and the economy was feeling the pinch. Over two-thirds of states in the US have begun easing restrictions to restart the economy. Like other parts of the world, businesses have resumed with fewer employees and customers, social distancing measures, and guidelines mandating the use of face masks.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus is still very much present amongst us, and it is no joke. While the US and Brazil alone share more than a third of the global cases, it is spreading like wildfire in India and parts of Europe. Yemen is said to be suffering the worst humanitarian crisis. In India the number has reached 5 lakhs (five hundred thousand), while the United States is the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with over 1.4 million cases. The whole world is in a situation where quarantine seems to be both a backup and necessity.
As the number of active cases increases, so does the risk of catching the virus. And now with all the asymptomatic and mild cases being treated at home, the risk has increased further. You can never know which person you meet on the street has an infected family member at home, or worse, is infected themselves. So please understand that THE RISK OF GETTING INFECTED IS MUCH MORE TODAY THAN IT WAS EVER BEFORE.
So please please please do not make the mistake of taking this lightly. Please understand that the release of the lockdown doesn’t mean the chances of getting infected have reduced now. As a doctor, it is disheartening to witness an increasing number of cases and deaths every day. It feels like there is a second wave on the way. Also, a big shout-out to all my fellow colleagues around for being brave by putting their life at risk and serving selflessly. It’s not an easy road ahead, I agree. But we’re in it together, and will come out of it stronger than ever before.
Stay strong. Stay safe. Take care.
– A thoroughly exhausted COVID warrior.
Images: theskaman306 / Shutterstock
