Media diet - Exploring Hypervigilance Due to Media Exposure

[abovedown]

I am not sure if I did something completely crazy but I bought an flip cell phone which were at rage in early 2000s. I can get and send sms and call but I have no browser in that phone. I have a work phone as a back up if I need to access those. I want to know of restricted access to online sotes and the push to be always online are contributing to symptoms. I have these continuous what-if thoughts running in my head and any war (Gaza/Ukraine/Taiwan) related news really seem to feed into them. I keep going on an on "what if I get into war done, how can I cope?" I can do my daily chores but my subconscious seems to run a mental horror movie in the background. Is this symptom of hypervigilance?

 

[Sideways]

Is this symptom of hypervigilance?

Sounds like it.

I’m very fussy about what I have on my phone. Cheering you on for your Digital Detox. There’s so many amazing things in this world to get out there and experience first hand - don’t waste that time staring at a screen that makes your mental health worse:)

 

[arfie]

i miss my flip phone. it fit far better into my pocket and was far tougher for working in the field.

moving on. . .

i would call those symptoms, "withdrawal." i went through similar in the late 70's/early 80's when my therapist and i decided to try, "a media fast." in case you aren't old enough to remember, that was pre-internet, but my intake of newspapers, magazines, news broadcasts, etc., was tremendous. staying informed was contributing mightily to my emotional stability. taking media fasts had more tranquilizing power than any of the drugs i tried. i still take media fasts whenever i find myself empathizing with the latest random targeting shooters.

to this day, every media fast i have ever taken starts with a period of withdrawal carrying the symptoms you describe here. i don't even consider opening my laptop until the symptoms have been absent for a few days. i don't **let** myself cell surf. i fear i would turn into a one-eyed borg if i joined the packs of humans bowing their heads to the cell-u-light during real time social events.

 

[Friday]

My personal rule around media/news is that I'm only allowed to pay attention as long as I don't care / DGAF.

Because?

Another rule is that if I care... I have to actually do something about it. Not just sit/storm around whinging/working myself up about something other people are doing. Skin in the game or STFU.

It works out fairly well... in keeping my finite resources directed to areas where there is a very real answer to "What can I do to help?"

LMAO... It ALSO means that I'm usually fine to stay informed at any/all levels unless I'm sick/injured. When I want to be doing something, but cannot... is when I have the most difficulty not getting emotionally invested in things I cannot do anything about. So I close the paper & look to my own life, to find things I can do something about. Rather than wasting my time & energy doing nothing, and helping no one.

***

How about you?

- What can you personally do about any of the issues you're spun up over?

- What are you willing to do?

((2 VERY different Q's))

Not saying what works for me will work for you. But someone set me a similar challenge once, which is what led me to figuring out my own personal rules / what DOES work for me.

 

[LunaticOnTheFritz]

I find I am more relaxed if I pay less attention to media/news/info stuff. I finally cut the cable cord and utilize free TV sites that I can control what I'm viewing. The nightly news just made me a nervous wreck.

I wasn't sure I wanted my smart phone but I pay very little attention to social media on it. I replaced Instagram with YouTube shorts & I left FB altogether. Had TikTok and SnapChat briefly. I never been on Twitter.

I miss my flip phone but, the smart phone helps me with stuff like my grocery shopping app and I can play games on it, listen to music and read books. So, it's paying off.

 

[LunaticOnTheFritz]

I agree with you here, and that's what I did for a while. Having a social media detox has great benefits, but the thing is that everybody else uses it, and if you want to be on the same wavelength as your friends, you have to be on social media. That's why I came back, but for the two months that I had that detox, I felt better than ever

Why do you have to be on the same wavelength as your friends? I'm not and I manage just fine. Isn't your well-being more important than keeping up with your friends?

 

[Sideways]

if you want to be on the same wavelength as your friends, you have to be on social media.

Nah. Without the social media, your friendships become about other stuff. More meaningful stuff.

 

[DogTired]

Too much "graffic"media coverage was the major trigger for my latest relapse into full on PTSD.
The pictures of civilian deaths in Ukraine awoke a lot of old memories from another place and flashbacks plus nightmares was the result.
To that I add Hypervigilance and I now live in perminent Amber levels of security.
You can also add contact with old friends who shared the same history as me.
A couple of them also affected and have also relapsed into Hypervigilance and higher personal security.

While I like to keep up with what is going on in places where I had been, sometimes I wonder whose side the media are on and their aim.
I think we all know media love carnage. Except constant re-exposure to it can be painful for those who have experienced it.
But, as always, there is little consideration for those affected when media are only interested in ratings and NOT consequences.

Happily we got rid of our TV years ago, our phones are basic, but we do own computers and the Internet has a lot to answer for.
Except, has it? Everyone has choice in my mind and now my 'blocked list' of sites would fill a book.
Is that enough? Probably not but I think that it helps being selective with your viewing.

 

[pilchardbest]

It sounds like you've made a proactive choice to reduce your online exposure, which can be a good step for managing anxiety. The constant "what-if" thoughts and your reaction to war-related news could indeed be symptoms of hypervigilance, especially if these thoughts are persistent and intrusive. Hypervigilance often comes with heightened awareness of potential threats and a difficulty in shutting off those thoughts.

Switching to a flip phone and limiting access to stressful online content might help reduce some of this anxiety. It might also be helpful to talk to a mental health professional about your feelings and thoughts, as they can provide strategies to manage hypervigilance and anxiety effectively.

You're not alone in feeling this way, and seeking help can make a big difference. Take care of yourself and remember that it's okay to ask for support.

 

[DogTired]

It sounds like you've made a proactive choice to reduce your online exposure, which can be a good step for managing anxiety. The constant "what-if" thoughts and your reaction to war-related news could indeed be symptoms of hypervigilance, especially if these thoughts are persistent and intrusive. Hypervigilance often comes with heightened awareness of potential threats and a difficulty in shutting off those thoughts.

Switching to a flip phone and limiting access to stressful online content might help reduce some of this anxiety. It might also be helpful to talk to a mental health professional about your feelings and thoughts, as they can provide strategies to manage hypervigilance and anxiety effectively.

You're not alone in feeling this way, and seeking help can make a big difference. Take care of yourself and remember that it's okay to ask for support.

Thank you for your thoughts. The worse bit about it is I spent a good slice of my adult life in close protection. BUT, it was in combat that my PTSD started.
Now retired, my long suffering wife says I will never change as I am always looking for "what's not right with this picture" and still 'working' with my wife as the principal.

 

[abovedown]

Well the flip phone proved too hard for long term use used but website blockers/app can be pretty handy.

Funny thing: when bad things actually happen, I tend to become pretty calm & collected. Someone had scratched my car and now I need to to take my car to a repair shop. Yet I felt calmer than usually while I contacted my insurance company. It seems that my nervous system expects something to go wrong and when that happens I calm down because world acts as I expect ad it 'should' and no need to be alarmed anymore . Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

 

[DogTired]

I'm afraid to admit that no. Calm under stress doesn't live here anymore.
When things go wrong, I have to decide if it's me doing something stupid or someone else.
If it is someone else, I usually lose it.