Associated Press | "Experts talk how to navigate distressing news stories and finding coping mechanisms"
The Associated Press interviewed Dr. Dana Rose Garfin, associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, about coping with stress.
The Associated Press interviewed Dr. Dana Rose Garfin, a psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, about how to cope with stress from the news of the day.
"In terms of any kind of crisis, people turn to the media for information. And that’s a very logical, rational and helpful reaction," Garfin said. "But, what we’ve seen in our research is there’s this sort of reciprocal effect. An event happens, people learn about it, they turn to the media to learn more about it, and they’re really distressed."
Even if a worrisome news event is happening thousands of miles away, and even if it doesn’t directly impact a person reading about it, it can still cause intense stress and anxiety. For that reason, medical experts urge people to identify other ways to cope.
“People have a lot of inherent knowledge of what helps them ... and things that they find comfort in, which is different for everybody,” Garfin said.
