March 13. was the last normal feeling day of my life. After the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled school and all activities, I have been spending a lot of time on my phone watching Instagram stories and Tik Toks; however, they are not the only things I use my phone for.

Every few minutes I feel a silent buzzing on my phone and notice the CNN or Chicago Tribune notification at the top of my screen. It’s yet another coronavirus news update, and it feels like I’ve seen about a million of them already.

The news articles were very helpful at first, but as the virus has spread, so has my worry. There isn’t much other news to cover, so all the media’s attention has been diverted to the current issue we’re facing.

The pandemic has truly shown me that when the country has a lot of focus on one issue, it can feel like you’re being force fed news stories 24/7. Sometimes, these stories can feel unnecessary and cause anxiety and stress (which we all seem to have a lot of right now).

I’m not saying to completely mitigate all news stories. It’s important to be updated. You just shouldn’t have to spend your day glued to a screen to get the valuable information you need.

Oftentimes, the stories I read on my phone seem to give information opposite of one another. One news story might say quarantine will be over by May. Another says we’ll have to self isolate for the next two years.

This causes so much stress and I’m not even sure which news article is right or wrong. The contradicting stories make it difficult to discuss the issue with others since everyone might receive news from different sources. COVID-19 has made my life confusing and the news articles that should be alleviating some of that confusion are doing quite the opposite.

When I sit down to watch the news with my family, I end up getting glued to the screen. There’s not much else to do. However, this does way more harm than help.

It’s important not to get hypnotized by the bad news we seem to always hear. I’ve been taking time for myself to reconnect with old hobbies or play Mario Kart with my siblings. Because frankly, if you spend too much time on your phone you’re bound to find a stressing news story that might not be true.

What I’ve been trying to do to relieve this stress is avoid spending a lot of time looking at news coverage. I look at important information and try not to look at any doomsday articles about the end of the world. It’s helped me to try and live in quarantine without a sense of constant panic.

I love seeing articles about the bravery of NYC doctors fighting this difficult battle and the brave people working in food pantries to help support those who have little during this time. Bringing a little bit of hope into my life with these articles does tend to help!

While we all might feel extremely isolated at this time, reading about the positives of this event can bring people closer together. These stories help me feel connected to this event without making me feel a sense of dread or panic. Seeing the kind things people do for one another gives me hope for humanity.

In the meantime, I’ll be informed and less worried about my impending doom. Coming out of this life-changing experience, I’ll know how to monitor my news intake and handle my stress about these issues a little better. Instead of always picking up that television remote, I’ll grab a Wii remote instead.