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Perhaps you see the news as an important part of your day. Maybe having your finger on the informational pulse of the world is vital, possibly even for your job.

Or you could be like the rest of us, where we have the belief that we ‘need’ to know… but we are often unsure as to why.

Many years ago, I listened to an interview with someone I had a lot of respect for. And they publicly admitted to not partaking in the news.

The concept blew me away as I had always found myself trying desperately to keep up on things because I didn’t want to be uninformed. Even though I found it exhausting.

But in that moment, I felt like I was given permission.

And if the concept intrigues you, I would like to officially invite you to join me.

Just say no and stop watching the news.

While I know I just lost a bunch of you, let me chat with the rest.

As I write this, we are amidst an Incredibly contentious political season where a certain group of professionals are being paid millions to increase everyone’s stress levels. To play to our primitive brains and to keep us feeling fearful and on edge.

And we the people, are allowing them into our homes, onto our feeds and into our collective psyche to do just that.

If you are concerned you might miss something, don’t worry. If it truly is relevant, trust me, you will find out about it. Even with COVID. We as a family just had our first real experience and I have emerged from it feeling as though I am not sure anyone really knows anything aside from their own experience.

The one thing I do know for sure, tomorrow will still be Monday, no matter what. Then the week will roll, it will be followed by the weekend, and then we will do it all over again. And this will all happen, even if we don’t have the latest updates on the news.

Full disclosure, I do have one ‘cheat’. I subscribe to a curated news feed called “Understandably by Bill”. While this is not a plug, the relevant things Bill touches on allow me to feel in-the-know, but in ways where I get to choose to see more, or less. His views are apolitical, which I respect, and I get the idea that we share the same sense of humor. I believe this because he does share things that are intended to be funny. Things that are intended to warm your heart. Things that are intended to bring joy – not just doom and gloom.

What a concept.

So, I must ask – What would you really miss if you checked out of the news for a week? Even now as we get closer to the election. It might be interesting to see just how much time you spend between the feed on your phone/tv/computer/actual newspaper or however you get the news. This also includes ‘doom scrolling’.

Why not take the challenge and go cold turkey? Just out of curiosity.

What else could you be doing with your time? And how would it effect your state of mind?

Being at the mercy of the news is a choice we all get to make, but please know that the news is not required.

And if it makes us feel bad? Perhaps it’s time to consider Plan B.