Toll of tragic news: Turning negatives into positive action

UTSA psychologist shares ways to prevent bad news negatively impacting mood

SAN ANTONIO – News of tragic events has seemed relentless this summer, from fatal police shootings caught on camera to deadly ambushes on officers and terrorist attacks like the ones in Orlando, Florida and France. If news of these disturbing events has affected a person’s mood — or even their health — they’re not alone.

“This is an embarrassment of riches. There's never been this much easy access (to news),” said Dr. Mary McNaughton-Cassill, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

We are inundated with news and information 24/7 — too much of it often full of heartache.

“People will say it’s like you drive by a wreck. You have to stop and look,” McNaughton-Cassill said. “But I think we're wired that way. The human brain wants to pay attention to negative things to make sure it doesn’t happen to us.”

That negativity can impact mood, cause stress and create a feeling of hopelessness.

“There's a crisis every day. If there isn’t one here in San Antonio, we'll hear about one in Japan or somewhere else,” McNaughton-Cassill said. “So there's a real sense of distance — 'I can’t fix those things.' I believe that you have to look for the places that you can.”

She suggests powerful change can come from using a positive to counteract a negative.

"If something bothers you on TV about hunger and kids, or abused animals, or people not voting, whatever it is, try to find a local solution,” she said. “Can you go volunteer?”

McNaughton-Cassill said it’s important to maintain perspective and realize people cannot fix every problem, but people can contribute.

Even if a good deed is not directly impacting victims of the latest tragedy, it can better the world and how people feel about their place in it.

"There's something to be said for action,” she said.
 


About the Author:

Myra Arthur is passionate about San Antonio and sharing its stories. She graduated high school in the Alamo City and always wanted to anchor and report in her hometown. Myra anchors KSAT News at 6:00 p.m. and hosts and reports for the streaming show, KSAT Explains. She joined KSAT in 2012 after anchoring and reporting in Waco and Corpus Christi.