Why I Hate the News

A quiet confession and a gentle reframe by Wendy

I have a confession: I hate the news.

Not because I don't care about what's happening in the world. But because somewhere along the way, I realized it was doing something to me.

Every morning, I'd wake up and scroll through headlines (usually negative). Almost instantly, I could feel it, my chest tightening, my thoughts racing, this quiet urgency settling in before my day had even started.

Nothing in my actual life had changed. But my body didn't know that.

I thought this was just what being "informed" felt like. Responsible. Aware. Until I noticed the pattern: I didn't feel more prepared or capable. Just heavier. More anxious about things I couldn't control.

There’s an old newsroom saying: "If it bleeds, it leads."

It's not a moral judgment, it's a business reality. Research shows negative words in headlines boost clicks by 2.3% per word, while positive words decrease engagement. The result? About 17 negative stories get published for every 1 positive one.

Stories about danger, conflict, and loss pull more attention than balanced ones. And over time, that's what rises to the top of our feeds.

Once I saw that, it clicked.

Most news isn't designed to meet you in a calm, grounded state. It's designed to activate you.

And when that activation becomes your daily ritual? It doesn't stop at your screen. It moves into your body, your thoughts, your decisions, your whole day.

That's why I hate the news.

Not because the world doesn't matter but because real clarity doesn't come from living in constant alert mode.

What It Does to Your Body

Here's the part people miss:

Your nervous system can't tell the difference between a real threat in front of you and a headline from across the world.

When you constantly consume fear-based content, you stay in fight-or-flight. Stress hormones spike. Your body thinks danger is everywhere.

And in that state, something crucial gets drowned out: your intuition.

Your pineal gland (your inner compass) gets clouded. 

You stop hearing your own voice because there's too much external noise.

You react instead of respond. You feel scattered, anxious, disconnected from yourself.

There's even a term for it: "mean world syndrome"... when heavy news consumption makes you believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is.

What You're Really Trading

Your clarity isn't fragile but it is impressionable.

What you feed your mind becomes your internal weather.

We think we're staying informed. But often, we're just absorbing someone else's framing, someone else's fear, someone else's agenda.

And slowly, we forget what our own inner voice sounds like.

But here's what I've learned: you can be aware without being flooded.

You can care deeply about the world and still protect your energy.

What I Do Instead

I still stay informed, just differently.

I'm selective. 

I choose depth over volume. Context over breaking news. 

And I'm intentional about when information enters my day.

The loudest voices in the world don't get to be the first thing my nervous system hears in the morning. 

Unresolved crises don't get to be the last thing I carry into sleep.

 

My morning looks like this now:

Delay the scroll. No news or social media for the first hour. My mind gets to wake up on its own terms.

Get outside. Even 5-10 minutes of sunlight. It activates your pineal gland and tells your body: you're safe, you're here.

Journal. Just a brain dump. What am I feeling? What do I need today? This reconnects me with my own inner voice.

Set one intention. A word, a feeling, a focus. It reminds me I choose my frequency.

Breathe. Box breathing: 4 counts in, hold, out, hold. Five rounds. It resets everything.

This simple shift has changed how I move through the world. I feel clearer. More creative. More like myself. I respond instead of react.

I can hear my intuition again.

A Small Experiment

If this is landing for you, try something simple:

For seven days: no news before noon, no headlines after dinner.

Just notice.

Most people don't feel less informed. They feel more present. More discerning. Better able to actually respond to what matters.

Why It Matters

The world doesn't need more people stuck in constant alarm mode.

It needs people who can think clearly, feel steadily, and act wisely.

The most important signals aren't breaking news… they're the quiet ones.

The intuitive nudges. The inner knowing. The creative sparks. The whispers from your higher self.

They're always trying to reach you. But when your nervous system is hijacked by fear-based media, you can't hear them.

You're too busy reacting to someone else's reality to create your own.

If you've been feeling foggy, anxious, or disconnected lately, start here. 

Protect your mornings. 

Guard your inner environment as carefully as you guard your home.

Your pineal gland is your inner compass. When it's clear, everything else follows.

That's why I hate the news.

Not because I don't care but because caring requires clarity.

And clarity requires space.

With love and light,

Wendy 💜

Your guide at Nutraville