Take a News Break

Every. Time. The news is on tv, my phone, my laptop… my shoulders creep up around my ears, my jaw gets all clenchy, and I’m certain I can feel my blood pressure rise.

Of course, there’s so much going on these days “My desire to stay informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.” – to quote a cartoon I saw a few years ago. But, as I’m sure you know, all that jaw clenching and blood pressure raising isn’t great for you.

I live with a news junkie, so it’s not easy to take a break from it. The main thing I try to do is make sure I’m avoiding the news for at least an hour or so before I go to bed. Sometimes this means I just get up and leave the room if the news starts playing on my TV.

I also tend to try not to read the news while I’m at work unless there’s some big breaking news thing I want to pay attention to. It helps me stay better focused on what I’m there to do, which is to give a restorative massage.

Pick a day or a time of day and turn off the news. You can catch up tomorrow, or later. Fill the time with something positive, or just focus on your to-do list. Watch something funny as a “palate cleanser”. You might notice your shoulders lowering and your jaw feeling a tad less clenchy, and your body and brain will thank you for it.