These practical strategies will help you focus, advocate with intention, and protect your mental health
By Scott M. Banford LCSW
I consume a lot of content daily. I listen to podcasts of various sources including the occasional Social Work Talks podcast from NASW.
I subscribe to my independent local newspaper because I like to hold a paper in my hands. Some online papers have recordings of articles, and I can have the news read to me. So cool. I also look at social media posts. I don’t post much; some would call me a Lurker, but I prefer Wallflower. I see some people posting everything the new administration says or does, and then complain that there is too much news, and they get overwhelmed. I agree, there is a fire hose of executive orders, statements and actions every day. The flood of news is intended to keep you unable to focus on the substantive stuff they are working on. Sending out multiple news stories every day is expected to overwhelm news outlets.
I noticed a friend posting daily about one outrageous thing after another. His frenetic hysteria seemed to be growing in intensity as he posted about Trump saying Joe Biden is a robot. I pointed out in a comment that the story was not news. There were several other serious pieces of news coming out at the same time like contracting with Palantir Technologies, a software company to create a data base of Americans. The robot story was just nonsense probably intended to distract him and enrage him. And it was working. He replied that it was important to him, and he had to stay exposed to all the news and post about it every day. Sounds to me like a life of grinding anxiety to the point of exhaustion. NASW CEO Anthony Estreet wrote about this.
The way I look at it, there are three kinds of news out there and we need to curate what we consume, or our mental health will suffer. Our ability to take meaningful action will, too.
- Substantive news: These are stories that have a direct impact on the nation, things we really care about.
- News for the MAGA base: These are events or spin designed to reframe current crises in a MAGA-positive light, or “red meat”—stuff that makes them feel either good or outraged.
- Nonsense (like a photo Trump shared related to the Pope).
There is still too much coming in the substantive category daily, some of the news for the base or even nonsense might move into the substantive category. I suggest picking a couple of areas you are interested in and let the rest go past you. Rest assured there are people paying attention in the areas you are passing up. I have a couple of areas I am paying attention to. One is Medicaid. I’m watching closely the Republican House Budget now in the Senate. Another is income-aligned home ownership. I am watching my local news which has had several stories recently about the effects of funding freezes.
Why does consuming information this way matter? It helps you get engaged mindfully and meaningfully. When you are contacting your congressperson, you have a specific topic you want to address, and you are better informed to direct your advocacy. Our strength is in our diversity and unity. In our diversity we can keep track of all the areas important to social workers. In our unity we can come together to advocate in one voice when called to action. Finally, stay away from click bait, from the left or right.
Scott M. Banford LCSW is the NASW-KY Northern Branch Chair.
