A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO FEELING BETTER AND GETTING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP - By: Dr. Kevin Smith

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic stress and anxiety. This can lead to feelings of anger, hopelessness, and other negative emotions. The problem is widespread and pervasive. It can affect ones ability to get a good night’s sleep as well as interfering with activities of daily living.

One of the primary reasons for all of this mental anguish is with watching the news on TV and in reading newspapers. I don’t know why the even call it “news”. It should be called “bad news” because that’s pretty much all they report. You never see a segment about anything happy. Perhaps happy things don’t sell and don’t keep people morbidly glued to the television set. Do we really need to know about every murder, rape, assault, fire, robbery, auto collision (resulting in fatalities), or the latest celebrity tragedy? The answer is no. These stories don’t affect us personally. And it’s really none of our business. And here’s the worst part. The news is a form of entertainment. We have been conditioned to watch as the media shows us other people’s misfortunes as some kind of perverse sadistic voyeurism showcase. And don’t even get me started with the proliferation of shock-jock political rabble rousers on talk radio whose job is specifically to get you so angry that you feel compelled to call in on the hotline to vent your outrage about the latest scandal in Washington.

All of this “entertainment” comes with a price. From an emotional health point of view, that prices comes in the form of a decreased ability to get a good night’s sleep (even to be able to easily fall asleep because your mind is still mulling over the latest horrific tragedy you just watched on the 11:00 news). A compromised night’s sleep leads to poor performance at work, exhaustion, irritability, chronic back & neck pain, headaches & migraines, and a poor mental attitude.

Additionally, we need to be aware that we aren’t the only people who are exposed to the news media. Our children are also soaking in these events. Does a child really need to be exposed to this? The answer is (of course) absolutely not! As parents, we have a responsibility to safeguard our children and this extends to safeguarding them from things which adversely affects their emotional health.

I recommend avoiding the news and to stop reading newspapers and (news based) magazines altogether. You have a choice about what you focus your attention on and it does not have to be the garbage that the media is feeding to us.

Turn off the TV and read a book. Go outside and go for a walk. Play with your children. Take the dog to the park. Play a musical instrument. Focus on the good things in life and don’t allow the news media to consume your mind with the “bad news”. You’ll feel a whole lot better and you’ll enjoy a much better sleep.

About the Author

-- Dr. Kevin Smith Red Apple Wellness http://www.redapplewellness.net

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Dr--Kevin-Smith/61439

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