Psychology Today: 5 Anxiety-Reducing Tips for the Modern Man

Is a constant stream of news headlines and notifications barraging your phone and infiltrating your email, reminding you of political, economic, and humanitarian unrest? It’s difficult not to emotionally respond and react, or let the most recent CNN or NYT update put you in a horrible mood.

Do you shudder when a notification from a news network pops up on your phone mid-day, while you’re trying to finish a report for work? Do news headlines that flood your Facebook feed make you angry, anxious, or irritable?

Men tend to use less effective coping strategies. We abuse substances more than women, and are more likely to shut down in the face of unpleasant emotions over working through them.

So how can the modern man manage his stress and anxiety? Here are five approaches to staying grounded.

1) Limit news to 10 minutes a day from one trusted source.

It’s possible to control your own exposure to the news, and if it’s negatively impacting you, you have the power to limit how much you digest daily. Imagine designating 10 minutes a day and 10 minutes only to catch up on the Washington Post or your favorite news source — at a time of the day when you don’t have other commitments or distractions. Turn off your push notifications and resist the habit to read all about what’s wrong with the world as soon as you get to the office.

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