Environmental threat and anxiety

As mentioned in a previous posting, anxiety may be related to environmental threat. The environmental threat does not have to be real, though. The news and entertainment media find new threats for us all the time. If the full threat and its implications haven’t occurred to us, the media will bring it to our attention. After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the news media showed the same pictures of the attacks over and over again. The media seemed to be more intent on how strong the terrorists were and how much more damage they could do to us than how such a heinous and cruel act would turn the full power of the United States and other countries against the terrorists. It seems that the news media were asking questions such as, “Will we ever be safe again? Will America suffer worse attacks?” The media went on to outline all of the opportunities that the terrorists or the public may have overlooked for causing damage to the American people. Bad news sells. Heart warming stories are popular, but the threats to your daily life will drive people to tune in again and again.

But if the media had reacted by emphasizing the strength of America, and called upon the resolve of Americans not to play into the hands of terrorists, perhaps it would have been healthier. After the attacks, the proportion of the general population with stress disorders increased. The approach of the media tends to inflate the risk of rare events. Americans have a far greater risk of dying in a motor vehicle accident, of cancer, of innumerable other risks to which we are exposed daily than being attacked by terrorists. In our daily lives, the news media show us the disasters, the destruction, the corruption, the crimes, the deaths, and all manner of threats to our health and life as we know it. This is also true not only of the news media, but of the movie industry. Examples of how things could go wrong abound. If these threats are major part of experience and thought in everyday life, why wouldn’t people be anxious? I think that it was Dr. Andrew Weil, the alternative medicine expert, who advocated for taking a news holiday. Perhaps that could be a way to lower stress and anxiety. Although, the media have been singled out here, others, especially politicians and some of those who are out to make a quick buck have also added fuel to the fear for their own purposes.

The purpose is this posting is not to add to the fear and distrust. The message is that we can do something about it. We can look at how real any given threat actually is. If it is a threat, is this more risky than traveling in a car? I think most people are just trying to do a reasonable job and lead honest lives. Is that not how you approach your own life? Perceived threat can be more important than actual threat. Social action can be taken to encourage others to think of the real level of threats. We can call into account the individuals, media, businesses and politicians and other leaders as to how they exaggerate and disseminate threats. We can look for ways to increase social connectedness in our daily lives. We can seek ways to build trust between individuals, neighborhoods, institutions, and nations.

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