Technology

Stop an addictive habit and replace it with an inspiring one

Other than substance abuse, what is the most destructive habit or addiction?

I would say that since mid-2015, the top destructive addictive habit for many Americans has been following national political news.

And I’m not casually throwing the word addiction. According to the American Society for Addictive Medicine:

“Addiction is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain (from a substance), impaired behavior control, desire, decreased recognition of significant problems with behavior and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response.”

Are you addicted to national political news?

Here are some telltale signs:

If you don’t read, listen to, or watch some political news every day, you feel anxious and private.

Political news attracts your immediate attention and it’s hard to walk away.

You can spend hours reading, listening, or watching political news, even if there is a lot of repetition.

Your participation in political news takes you away from more productive and rewarding activities in life (not to mention advancing your business and marketing).

You can find many thoughtful articles on political news addiction online, Just Google: “Political News Addiction” and read a few.

This is my perspective, and it is very personal.

As a political news junkie for the past three years, I have seen the costs and would like to share what I am doing to combat this addiction and how I am replacing it with something more inspiring.

Step 1. My first step about two years ago was to cut my cable TV subscription. I watched up to three hours of political news programs every night. It was getting toxic.

I replaced cable TV with subscriptions to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Acorn, and CBS All-Access. My wife and I now see quality programming on our schedule with no commercials and zero political shows. (Yes, even this is a bit addictive, but a lot less toxic.)

It can be challenging to remove CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc. but in a week or two you will notice a big difference in your well-being.

Step 2. More insidious perhaps, is the preponderance of political news online. On my iPad I had bookmarks for 12 different political websites, and I scanned them daily, reading the most current articles, sometimes for hours on end.

In the end, this was not much better than watching television. I often read several articles before starting work each morning. What a disappointment and what a great way to suppress my creativity and productivity. It was really starting to show itself.

With the help of a coach, I chose a new online activity to replace reading political news articles.

It was actually a simple and easy change. I replaced all my political bookmarks with links to articles and information that inspire me, lift me up, and help me feel more creative and productive.

Of course, there are endless sources of material like this online, but I have two that I find to be especially potent antidotes to political news addiction.

Medium.com – For me, Medium is the best place for articles of general interest, with tons of great ideas on personal growth and business.

My current favorite Medium writer is James Clear, who writes on: “… topics like health, happiness, creativity, productivity, success and more. The central question driving my work is, ‘How can we live better?’ To answer that question, I like to write about science-based ways to solve practical problems. “

In my opinion, your articles are tremendously revealing and always leave me thinking of new and exciting possibilities.

Right now, my main substitute for checking political headlines every morning is reading an article or two from James Clear, even before I get up. In no time, my brain has entered “creative productivity mode” and my day takes on a more positive and energetic shape.

If James Clear doesn’t float your boat, just use the search feature on Medium to find articles on any topic under the sun. Just avoid the politicians! (However, even on that topic, you will find more interesting and thought-provoking articles than on most news sites.)

This is certainly better than, “Oh shit, what are you doing now? We’re all screwed!” Mindset that is generated by reading political articles that tend to stifle creativity and productivity.

Another great source of inspiration are Ted-Talk videos. Most last less than 20 minutes; all are inspiring and many are inspiring enough to unleash new ideas and possibilities. You can start with the 25 most popular Ted talks of all time.

Political news addiction is real. And if you have it, it is hurting you in some way, be it subtly or obviously. And the best way to change an addictive habit is to replace it with a positive one. I urge you to honestly try this approach.

The inspiration for writing this article came from an article by James Clear I read this morning on how to change a bad habit. Thanks James!

Regards, Robert

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *