Knowing the GST prices, rising inflation, what is happening in other countries, developmental works, infrastructure, and new ways to mediate. I should congratulate you on your great knowledge.
Do you feel better knowing everything? Educated on the topics that you can discuss, debate, and teach. Or some information, the news you read, makes you pause for a while, makes you feel scared, and prompts you to wonder about it. Do you scroll on social media platforms, listening to various influencers talking about their lives, how to move on, better yourself, or whatever you like to hear? Does it expand your horizon or shrink you, like sitting in a hole surrounded by wild rats (information), where you can feel everything all at once, even if you’re actually sitting in the comfort of your home?
And I get it, having general knowledge and a basic civic sense is much needed in this world. Although we cannot possibly consume everything just for the sake of learning, right?
Suppose our mind is a vessel, it spills when it is overfilled. For example, the food we eat is according to our appetite. Similarly, when we don’t consume according to our mental capabilities, without checking if we have enough space in our minds to consume and learn, it drains us.
Even Harvard experts link doomscrolling to a range of symptoms: headaches, muscle tension, neck/shoulder pain, difficulty sleeping, elevated blood pressure, plus a phenomenon called “popcorn brain” which is an overstimulation that disrupts engagement with the real world.
And I know, this thought itself can make you question, how do I know what to consume, what not to? Or maybe what I am saying feels wrong to you, that you can go with filling your minds, you are brilliant.
So, to the disagreeing points, let me add one.
Staying informed is valuable when it equips us to make decisions, adapt to changes, or engage meaningfully in conversations. But it crosses into “overwhelming” when: The information no longer serves a purpose
You experience physical or emotional stress
You lose control over your time and attention
Empathy turns into helplessness, such as Reading about world crises helps us stay compassionate, but if it leaves us feeling paralyzed, guilty, or hopeless, the balance tips from awareness to despair.
We should know if we have the energy or the capacity to take this information. The one that needs that spotlight in your mind to be viewed.
Afterall, there is a thin line between minding our own business and showing empathy and the assimilation of important knowledge.
Taking the earlier example, just like we don’t eat everything on the table, we shouldn’t consume every piece of information available. A healthy news diet is about balance. Think of it as choosing between nutritious meals vs. junk food. A thoughtful article on economic policy may nourish your perspective, endless angry comment threads are the mental equivalent of fast food that’s cheap, addictive, and leaves you unsatisfied.
It’s in our conscious decisions now, how we decide to intake the new. Sometimes disconnecting is an act of self-preservation. And managing information flow is a part of modern self-care. Do ask yourself, are you doing enough of it?
