Why I Stopped Watching the News (and How It’s Raising My Vibration)

Turner Powers
May 5
7 min read

There was a time when I loved watching the Today Show every morning. It felt like a warm hug—some light-hearted stories, a little fashion, some health tips. It helped me ease into the day. But something’s changed. Lately, I can’t even turn it on. My nervous system says “No, thank you.”

Part of it is that I’ve got someone in my life who constantly sends me the worst headlines. Toddlers choking. Children dying. Tragedy after tragedy. And I get it—some people feel connected through pain, through sharing the darkness. Misery loves company. But I can’t do it anymore. I won’t.

No, You’re Not “Too Sensitive.” Your Brain Is Wired for Protection

Here’s the thing: your brain is literally wired to pay attention to negative news. It’s called the negativity bias, and it’s a deeply embedded survival mechanism. Back in the day, it kept us alive by scanning for danger—was that a lion in the bushes or just the wind? Today, it does the same thing, but now it’s through headlines, social media scrolls, and those awful “breaking news” pings.

When your brain detects something negative—like a story about tragedy, violence, or grief—your amygdala lights up like a Christmas tree. That’s the part of the brain that processes fear. And here’s the kicker: even if it’s just something you watch or hear, your brain doesn’t know the difference between “that happened to someone else” and “this is happening to me.”

Every time you absorb a dark, disturbing story, your body floods with cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart rate rises. Your muscles tense. Your energy sinks. You shift into fight-or-flight, even if you’re just sitting on your couch. And you may not even realize it, but your vibration just tanked.

And for me, that’s no longer an option.

When I Got Sober, I Had to Rewire My Brain for Calm

When I got sober, I realized something I never expected: calm felt overwhelming. I had been so used to chaos. So used to the highs and lows—the rollercoaster of hormones, emotions, and the chemical whiplash from pouring poison into my body and calling it “relaxation”—that peace actually gave me anxiety.

Isn’t that wild?

I remember sitting in silence one evening early in sobriety and thinking, Why does this feel so uncomfortable? The answer: because my nervous system was addicted to the spike. The drama. The constant flood of stimulation. Without it, I felt like I was missing something. But what I was missing wasn’t danger—it was dysfunction.

I had to retrain my brain. Literally. Neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to rewire itself—became my best friend. I had to teach my nervous system that safety doesn’t mean boredom. That calm isn’t a threat. That peace isn’t weakness. It’s power.

Now that I’ve found that peace? Now that I’ve fought tooth and nail for emotional sobriety, not just physical sobriety? You better believe I’m not screwing it up with the morning news.

Quantum Physics, Energy, and the Stories We Consume

Let’s talk about the unseen—but deeply felt—realm of energy.

From a quantum physics perspective, everything in the universe is made of energy. That includes you. Not just your body, but your thoughts, your emotions, your intentions. All of it vibrates at specific frequencies. Joy, love, peace? High frequency. Fear, shame, anger? Lower frequency.

So when you start your day watching stories of heartbreak, violence, or fear—even if it’s “just the news”—you’re not passively observing. You’re entraining. You’re syncing your vibration to the frequency of what you’re watching. And that frequency doesn’t just live on the screen—it starts living in you.

Here’s the quantum kicker: what you focus on, you amplify. That’s not just woo-woo—it’s physics. The observer effect in quantum mechanics proves that the very act of observing something influences its outcome. So when you direct your attention toward fear, chaos, or suffering—yes, even just to “stay informed”—you're also feeding it. Energetically reinforcing it. Making it more of your reality.

And then there’s quantum entanglement—the idea that once two particles become linked, their states remain connected no matter how far apart they are. The same principle applies emotionally, energetically, spiritually. You don’t have to be in the same room as someone suffering to feel entangled with their pain. You don’t have to witness trauma firsthand for it to leave an imprint on your nervous system.

When you “plug in” to fear-based stories, you’re not being neutral. You’re becoming a vibrational match for more of the same. According to the law of resonance, like attracts like. You don’t attract what you want—you attract what you are. So if you’re constantly swimming in low-vibration energy, your nervous system, your thoughts, and your external experiences will begin to reflect that same frequency.

Let that sink in.

This is why protecting your peace isn’t just a preference—it’s energetic hygiene.

So no, you’re not crazy. You’re not being too sensitive. You’re not ignoring the world.

You’re just getting clearer. More aligned. More intentional about the energetic contracts you sign with your attention.

Because if energy is the currency of the universe, your attention is the payment method. Be careful what you’re buying into.

So How Do You Raise Your Vibration in a World Obsessed with Bad News?

We’re living in an age where fear sells, trauma trends, and staying “informed” often means being emotionally wrecked before 9 a.m. But here’s the truth: you are not powerless in this. You can raise your vibration, even when the world around you is vibrating in chaos.

Here’s what’s working for me—and what can work for you too:

1. Curate Your Inputs & Adjust Your Algorithm

You don’t have to consume every headline or viral post to be “in the know.” Choose your news sources intentionally. Pick a single, balanced outlet. Check it once a day or even a few times a week—not every time you pick up your phone.

Also? Your algorithm is programmable. If you constantly engage with sad or triggering content, social media will feed you more of it. Start interacting with uplifting, empowering, educational accounts instead. You’ll notice your feed—and your energy—shift fast.

🧠 Neuroscience tie-in: Your brain is shaped by repeated exposure. This is called neuroplasticity. The more you engage with calming, life-affirming content, the more your brain rewires toward peace instead of panic.

2. Give Yourself Full Permission to Disengage

You are under zero obligation to engage with fear-based stories, forwarded articles, or doom-scrolling. Yes, even if it comes from family. Yes, even if someone says you’re being “too sensitive” or “ignorant.”

You are allowed to say, “That doesn’t feel good for me right now.” You are allowed to delete, mute, unfollow, or lovingly ignore.

🧬 Quantum physics tie-in: Disengaging from low-frequency energy breaks resonance. You’re no longer matching the frequency of fear, which means you stop attracting more of it.

3. Flood Your Field With High-Vibe Inputs

Nature. Laughter. Music that makes you feel like you could take over the damn world. Dance. Sunshine. Meditation. Books that speak to your soul. Conversations that light you up.

Your emotional environment is like a garden. You don’t just pull weeds (aka, avoid the bad stuff)—you have to plant flowers too. Fill your space, your schedule, and your soul with things that elevate you.

🧠 Science bonus: Dopamine and oxytocin—“feel good” neurotransmitters—are released when you experience joy, connection, or awe. They don’t just make you feel better—they strengthen your immune system and enhance brain function.

4. Start Your Morning With Intention, Not Interruption

The first 30 minutes of your day are prime time for your subconscious mind. This is when your brain is in theta waves—a deeply programmable, receptive state. So if the first thing you consume is chaos (a notification, a headline, an email)... you’re encoding stress into your nervous system before you even brush your teeth.

Instead, start with breathwork. Gratitude. Journaling. Prayer. Movement. A playlist that raises your vibe. Or just sit in silence with your coffee and own your morning.

☕ Game-changer tip: Put your phone in another room overnight. Give yourself space to tune into yourself before the world has a chance to tune you.

5. Speak, Think, and Feel What You Want to Experience

Words are spells. Emotions are energy in motion. You can use both to literally recalibrate your reality. Use affirmations that feel alive and powerful. Practice mental rehearsal—imagine the version of you who already feels peace, power, and purpose. Speak life. Think possibility. Feel the future now.

🌌 Quantum tie-in: According to the Law of Assumption (and supported by the observer effect in quantum mechanics), when you consistently focus your thoughts and feelings on a desired state, you collapse infinite possibilities into the one you’re aligned with. You don’t wait for your reality to shift—you become the shift.

Bottom Line?

Your vibration is not something that just “happens” to you—it’s something you choose. And in a world that’s addicted to bad news, choosing peace is the most radical, revolutionary thing you can do.

Your Peace is a Revolution

In a world that profits off your fear, choosing joy is a radical act. Protecting your energy isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. You’re not avoiding the world; you’re choosing not to be swallowed by it.

So the next time someone sends you a horror story over breakfast, remember: you are not required to carry it. You are allowed to say no thank you to low vibrations, and yes please to peace, presence, and power.

Because when you raise your vibration, you don’t just change your world—you ripple out and elevate the world around you.

turner

🔗 Related Posts

📚 Sources

🧠 Neuroscience: Understanding Negativity Bias & News Consumption

Negativity Drives Online News ConsumptionA study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that negative words in news headlines significantly increase consumption rates, highlighting our brain's inherent negativity bias. Reddit+4Nature+4Psychology Today+4
The Scary World Syndrome: News Orientations and Negativity BiasThis research discusses how consistent exposure to negative news can foster anxiety and skew our perception of reality.
Doomscrolling and Its Impact on Mental HealthAn article from The Times explores the compulsive habit of consuming endless negative news online, its psychological underpinnings, and strategies to mitigate its effects. Latest news & breaking headlines

🧬 Quantum Physics & Energy: The Science of Vibration

How the Physics of Resonance Shapes RealityQuanta Magazine delves into how resonance, a fundamental concept in quantum physics, influences the structure of atoms and, by extension, our reality. Quanta Magazine
The Law of Vibration: Raise Your VibrationThis article explains the Law of Vibration, stating that everything in the universe, including our thoughts and emotions, is in constant motion, vibrating at specific frequencies. Mistikist

🧘‍♀️ Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain for Calm

Neuroplasticity: How to Rewire Your BrainAn informative piece from BodyBio discusses how calming the limbic system can help rewire thought patterns and trigger reactions, promoting a state of calm. BodyBio
Neuroplasticity - How to Rewire Your Brain For CalmnessMindSpa's article highlights the brain's capacity to change in response to experiences, emphasizing that we can train our brains to respond calmly to life's challenges.