The Law of Attraction teaches us that what we give our attention to, we attract into our lives. Because of this, we try to surround ourselves with positivity.
We learn how to nurture our positive thoughts and our positive relationships. We put ourselves in positive situations and try to create positive environments.
All of this is done with the intention of raising our emotional frequency. We try to emit to the universe the positivity that we hope to attract back, in greater abundance, into our own lives.
That isn’t to say that negativity is escapable.
In fact, it is far from it. But this is why we take such great care to learn how to block out and transform these negative influences into something positive, something that we can learn and grow from.
Despite this, more and more people are beginning to express the same concern:
How can people that are looking to live happy, enlightened lives block out the negativity of the media?
So, does watching the news make you depressed? In a society with such a dominating media presence, this poses a valid and important question. But is there a solution?
So, what exactly is your relationship with the television doing to you and your happiness?
Whether you are a religious follower of the latest programs and news updates or somebody that claims to catch pieces of the news ‘here and there’ whilst passing through the living room, the images, stories, and messages that reach your eyes and ears are all impacting your thoughts.
Not only that, but they are impacting how you feel, too.
Take the evening news for example. Broadcasted with the intention of keeping us in the ‘know’, the news informs us of the day’s most sensational events. ‘Sensational’ because the news that is most often featured, are the stories that are the most shocking and provocative.
Arguably, keeping abreast of the world’s news is important for any individual that cares about the world they live in.
But the problem with the media’s news coverage is its delivery; its emphasis on the despair and impossibility of a situation, its need to shock and terrify.
Can something whose crutch is the fear and misery of the world really be that great for our mental wellbeing? Many people argue not.
Another recognizable example of the media impacting our thoughts are advertisements. Whilst watching television the majority of us will pay the adverts on our televisions very little heed… or so we think. Even when we are not giving adverts our full attention, we are unknowingly absorbing their messages.
Take this recognizable scenario; you are reading a magazine with the television on in the background. You do not notice, but an advert for weight loss pills appears on the screen. Whilst you may not have been listening to the advert, you may not have been worried about your weight. But suddenly you have a thought.
And that thought is what you could do with losing a little weight. Before you know it, you have woken the next day feeling fatter and with a strong urge to diet.
It really is as subtle as that! Our thoughts are powerful things; however, the difference with the thoughts that we adopt through the news, is that we do it unknowingly. This leaves us powerless to ward off the negativity that we are so skilled at warding off elsewhere.
Unfortunately, fear sells. But when you strive so hard in every other area of your life to act and make choices from a place of love, instead of fear, how do you prevent this negativity from creeping in and ruining all of your hard work?
Television teaches us that there are many, many things to be afraid of in this world; disease, natural disaster, crime, the environment, the economy… the list could go on. But when we feed into this fear and allow it to contort our choices, our goals, and our actions, we are the ones that miss out.
So, the solution? Do we simply turn off our televisions; block our ears when the radio comes on? It is true that we can become more conscious of what we are filling our heads with. Change the channel when a particular fear-inducing news story comes up? Or swap our weekend news subscription for a more uplifting publication?
Censoring the negativity that we are exposed to through the media is a valid possibility, but scrapping it altogether would be incredibly difficult. If not impossible!
So here’s what you can do instead: find your bad news antidote. That’s right, an antidote of pure, unadulterated happiness to counteract that shot of pessimism the news has just served you.
You know what makes you feel good; exercise, time spent playing with your child, a good laugh with a friend, or even a quick listen to one of your favorite inspirational speakers.
The media is undoubtedly a problem when it comes to spreading fear and negativity; however, becoming conscious of this fact means that half of the battle is already won.
Awareness of the thoughts and beliefs that are being instilled in you puts you in the powerful position of being able to deal with them.
It is when we are unknowingly absorbing the negative messages of the media surrounding us, that the damage is done.
So, the next time you sit down to enjoy the morning papers, do yourself a kindness and be sure to take everything that you read with a pinch of salt.
Be alert to the information you are absorbing; then do with it what you will.
Learn to gauge when your emotions and energies are being impacted by what you see on the news.
If what you are reading on the news does not feel vibrationally ‘right’ for you, then simply bring out the big guns and disperse them with your very own ‘bad news antidote’.
We cannot close our eyes to the negativity of the media, but we can reduce the part that it has to play in our lives.
Choose to outweigh the bad by opening your eyes to the abundance of good that surrounds you; because despite what you might hear in the news, the world really is quite an incredible place!
Alternatively, be sure to surround yourself with positivity.
This may seem obvious at first, but consider how many negative news sources you may follow on social media.
By following positive accounts on social media, you are actively seeking happiness and joy.