Media Fatigue and Staying Balanced for Yourself and Young People
Media fatigue is becoming common in the youth work field. It’s important to stay informed but constant media exposure can cause burnout. For youth workers, this exhaustion affects both personal well-being and the ability to support young people effectively. Recognizing and managing media fatigue helps sustain your impact.
What is media fatigue?
As youth workers, we dedicate our energy to supporting and guiding young people. But with constant news updates, social media alerts, and the pressure to stay informed, we can find ourselves overwhelmed. This feeling of exhaustion from too much media is called media fatigue. It can lead to heightened anxiety, stress, and even burnout, especially with our fast-paced and often heavy news cycle.
Recognizing media fatigue in ourselves is one step to staying healthy and continuing to show up for the youth we serve.
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Recognizing the signs of media fatigue
First, it's important to notice the signs in ourselves. Are you feeling constantly anxious or emotionally drained? Do you catch yourself doom-scrolling or struggling to step away from your phone? Maybe you’ve noticed trouble concentrating or feeling less motivated in your work.
Knowing the signs can help you take proactive steps to protect your well-being. Look out for these common symptoms:
- Emotional Exhaustion: Feeling drained, irritable, or overly sensitive.
- Difficulty Focusing: Struggling to complete tasks or stay present.
- Increased Anxiety: Feeling on edge due to constant news cycles.
- Sleep Disruptions: Trouble falling or staying asleep after screen time.
- Loss of Interest: No longer enjoying activities you used to love.
These are signs that your brain needs a break. By identifying these feelings, we can take steps to care for our mental health before burnout takes hold.
Creating healthy media habits
Here are a few ways to build healthier media habits:
- Set boundaries: Limit news checks to once or twice a day, and mute notifications during personal time.
- Take breaks: Step away from screens regularly, short breaks can help reset your mind.
- Try calming activities: Engage in screen-free activities like walking, deep breathing, or journaling to create space for mental rest.
- Curate your feed: Follow uplifting or educational accounts that inspire you, and don’t hesitate to unfollow sources that cause unnecessary stress.
- Model the behavior: encourage team members to unplug from devices during the workday.
Remember, staying informed is important, but so is protecting your well-being.
Be a role model and prioritize self-care
Finally, modeling balance and self-care is powerful. When youth see us prioritizing mental health, they learn the value of doing the same. Share with them how you manage media fatigue and talk openly about the importance of stepping back when needed.
Let’s commit to supporting one another. Start by recognizing your own media fatigue. Next, build realistic habits to move towards showing up as a mindful role model. Most importantly, focus on making a positive impact for yourself and the young people served.
Take five minutes today to check in with yourself. How is your media intake affecting your mood? Choose one small action to support your well-being this week. Every step towards balance helps you show up stronger for yourself and your community!
To learn more about how to manage stressors check out our training for youth workers, Meditative Movements to Self-Regulate and De-escalate.
About the author
Gaonu Yang is the grantee member advocate of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA), a non-profit association of youth-serving organizations. We're your source for exceptional, affordable, personal and professional online learning via The Professional Youth Worker. Join us!
To ask Gaonu a question or share your feedback about this blog, email gaonu@yipa.org.
