I think it probably has had a massive effect. I know it really affected my mental health at the beginning of lockdown.
I found it really difficult for a job where you have to be plugged into the news constantly. The fact that I was plugged into the news so much was having a really adverse effect on my mental health, especially through the sort of the early beginnings of lockdown.
Obviously, everything that's going on with Coronavirus. and the advice I suppose I'd give is, when it comes to social media - separate it out.
A lot of people might already follow my PR Twitter, but I actually have a personal Twitter account that I go on and I always try and make a point of flipping over to that in an evening, where I can just look at stupid memes and see what my friends have been up to.
I think it's really important to have that separation, and to also limit your time when you're immersed in that kind of negative news is really difficult, especially if your campaigns and the work you're doing is tied into it.
Set yourself aside a way to digest the news that works for you. So, for example...
Now I'm sort of half commuting back to the office. I was listening to the radio in the morning because it gives me a really nice balance of news and music and lifestyle. Whereas I know people will wake up and flick on the TV and listen to Good Morning Britain.
A really good thing is, I used to use my Google and Alexa to get headlines of the day which is a really good way to sort of get short, snappy news without a lot of the commentary behind it, which I think can sort of really bog you down.
It is difficult and I think it is especially difficult in the times that we're in, but I think taking a step back and trying to be a little bit self aware and understanding what works for your mental health and the way you digest news and sort of digest social media.
Answered by: Alex Hickson