Why New Parents Need a Break From the News (and What They Should Do Instead)
A few months after my children were born, the news cycle sent me into a tailspin of worry and fear. The Pennsylvania sexual assault scandal and the Newtown shootings paralyzed me for several days: I cried while changing diapers, cried in the bathtub, cried while rolling the stroller down the street. What could have been (just!) A terrifying preschooler was now incapacitating. For my own mental health, I had to stop reading the news and watching social media.
Take the media quickly
From conversations in my mums’ groups, these feelings are not unusual. “Young parents are especially vulnerable to anxiety,” says Laura Venuto, a New York City therapist specializing in postpartum mental health problems. “Lack of sleep and hormones exacerbate mood and anxiety symptoms. With new fatherhood comes the realization that you are suddenly responsible not only for yourself, but also for the young child in a world that sometimes seems dangerous. “
Dr. Venuto suggests speeding up your work with the news media completely, or at least dramatically shortening the time by rooting your news for 10-15 minutes (“In the morning! Not before bed!” She says), and then doing something enjoyable, such as playing with your child or calling a friend. For those concerned that a lack of connection means a weakening of their political activity, she gently suggests relaxing a little: “If you are a new parent, you are not going to make changes on a global scale. You are in survival mode. You can call your representative and that may be enough. “
Containment practice
Lissa Hunsicker Kenny, a Brooklyn-based trauma survivor social worker, also recommends “containment,” the first line of treatment for anxiety, as a first step. “Shutting down your iPhone is a containment because it’s so easy to disable it . It just scrolls and scrolls and it’s endless. “
So what do we do instead? (Besides caring for our kids, I mean.) I asked Lifehacker readers and my new mom friends what kind of media they turn to to take their escape from reality. I didn’t check all of the answers (although I ruled out everything that was “horror” in the IMDB description – what about “do not disturb” what these people didn’t understand?), So do your own research before jumping into anything. completely unknown. It’s a good mix of classics, favorite sitcoms and adventure shows, several kids’ shows and books, comics and pretty much all of the BBC’s work.
Ideally, this list will remind you of your favorite books, TV shows, and movies you’ve enjoyed in the past, and be soothing entertainment now while you’re still in the sensitive new parenting stage. I read all of Jane Austen at night instead of mindlessly scrolling through my smartphone; others swear by sitcoms: “When my son was born, we realized very quickly that we had to stop watching Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, and ended up just revisiting Parks and Entertainment in a continuous loop for about three years,” wrote one of the commentators. Check out the original comments here, and please add your favorite comforting ones (no danger to children, no dead parents, no rape or murder) below.