Self-Care Archives - Practical-Magick

How Watching News Affects Your Health

Are You a News Watcher? You Might Be Damaging Your Health

If you regularly watch the news, it’s time to reconsider the impact it’s having on your emotional and mental health. We’re all tempted to tune in when major events are unfolding, but the truth is, consuming constant news can harm our well-being. Numerous studies, like this one, have shown how it can negatively affect our mental state.

Now, I’m not suggesting you bury your head in the sand like an ostrich, ignoring everything around you. (Although this isn’t a bad choice as long as its a temporary measure!)

emotional choices equal your emotional diet — Do you like to put your head in the sand when life gets to feel like too much?

What can you do instead?

You can stay informed and make a difference without compromising your emotional health. Let’s talk about how you can create a mindful, emotional diet for mental health that doesn’t leave you feeling drained or overwhelmed. Here are four tips to help you navigate the chaos:

1) Limit Your News Consumption:

Skim through headlines once a day—preferably in a newspaper or online. If you’re a news junkie, try limiting it to twice a day. Avoid checking the news obsessively, especially when it’s overwhelming.

2) Choose One Story and Take Action:

Pick a story that resonates deeply with you. Spend a few moments researching simple actions you can take to help. Feeling like you can make a difference will boost your sense of agency and calm your emotions.

3) Use the Inner Sanctuary Tool:

Before and after engaging with the news, practice the Inner Sanctuary Tool. This will help you calm your nervous system and center your heart. Ask your Wise Self (or pray if that’s your thing) for guidance on one concrete action you can take to either have impact or find peace in the midst of chaos.

4) Build a Playlist of Joy:

Create a playlist of songs that lift your spirits. It’s okay if they’re sad songs that bring you comfort—sometimes music can be the healing balm our souls need.

Think of Your Emotions as Your “Emotional Diet”

I want you to start thinking about your emotions as your “emotional diet.”

“What is an emotional diet?” you might ask. Good question. Just as we consider the impact of what we eat on our physical health, we need to consider how our emotional intake affects our overall well-being. What you choose to “consume” emotionally has as much (if not more) influence on your health as what you eat. Here’s just one study that confirms it.

Though the term “emotional diet” isn’t quite mainstream, we’re moving in the right direction. The conversation around mental health is gaining momentum, with leaders like Simone Biles and Brené Brown opening the door to healthier emotional practices. Global conversations on well-being and the focus on mental health are growing stronger, with more people recognizing the importance of emotional balance in daily life.

What’s YOUR Emotional Diet?

In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of what we’re feeding ourselves emotionally. The constant barrage of news, political shifts, and social media pressure can leave us feeling angry, sad, anxious, or burned out. These emotional states leave us in an incoherent state, meaning our bodies and minds aren’t functioning at their best.

Common signs of incoherence include difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, heart palpitations, or fidgeting. Sound familiar?

The good news is that you can choose your emotional response. When you start thinking of your emotions as part of your emotional diet for mental health, you can make choices that support a healthier mindset and help you feel more balanced.

A Simple Action: Choose What You Consume

If you know watching the news triggers your nervous system, you have permission to simply walk away. Whether it’s leaving the room when your partner is tuned into the latest crisis or muting a news alert, you get to decide what you consume emotionally.

[My own partner is a news junkie, so I’ve become quite skilled at stepping away when the stories start to wear on my peace.]

Ready to Create Your Own Soul Care Routine?

If you’re ready to take charge of your emotional diet and start cultivating a healthier, more balanced state of being, I’ve got something for you.

Download my Soul Care Checklist to get started on building a routine that nourishes your mind, body, and soul. It’s packed with practical tips and tools that will help you thrive—no matter what the world throws your way.

Take action today and start prioritizing your well-being. You deserve it!

Your Body’s Physiological Response to Stress

by Kristin | Healing, Self-Care

Stress: You Can’t Ignore It Forever

I know you’re probably tired of hearing about stress—believe me, I get it. But here’s the thing: whether you’re sick of it or in full-on denial about its impact, stress doesn’t care. It will continue to wreak havoc on your body and mind unless you take real action.

Even if you have great tools for stress management—maybe yoga, trail running, or meditation/prayer each morning—that’s awesome! But here’s the catch: Unless you can interrupt your body’s response to stress in the moment, right when it’s happening, your system is going to keep reacting the same way it always has.

The tools I teach aren’t just for long-term stress management—they help you stop stress in its tracks, as it’s happening. That way, you can choose a different response before your body decides to do something reactive or careless.

Stress becomes a bigger issue when you get used to it.

Over the past few years, have you gotten so used to daily stress—pressures, irritations, annoyances—that it just feels normal? Here’s the kicker: This is exactly when stress is at its most dangerous. When you think you’re handling it but you’ve actually become numb to it, that’s when it messes with your clarity, decision-making, and health.

Think about your response to the most recent headlines—maybe shootings or other tragedies. Did you just flinch and mutter, “The world is a mess,” and move on?

That’s a sign you’re numb to stress. And it’s costing you more than you realize.

When stress runs unchecked, your body pays the price.

Here’s how it works: your stress response system is meant to be self-limiting. Once a threat passes, your hormone levels should return to normal. But when stress is constant, that fight-or-flight reaction stays on. And that long-term activation of stress hormones, like cortisol, disrupts your body’s systems.

This constant churn can lead to:

Anxiety & depression
Digestive problems & headaches
Muscle pain & tension
Heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke
Sleep issues, weight gain, and memory problems

It’s time to interrupt that cycle. This is why coping with stress as it happens is so important. It’s not just about surviving—it’s about thriving in the face of life’s demands.

The body’s stress response is designed to protect you, but if you’re not actively interrupting it, it can quickly start to work against you, leaving you drained, overwhelmed, and disconnected from your true self.

That’s why managing stress in the moment is so crucial. The tools I teach help you do just that—interrupt the stress response as it happens, so you can choose a different, healthier reaction before it spirals into something bigger.

But here’s the thing: sometimes, no matter how many yoga sessions or long runs you get in, you need something more when life feels like it’s hitting you from all sides.

That’s where true soul care comes in.

When life knocks you sideways and a bubble bath just won’t cut it, you need a deeper kind of self-care.

That’s why I created my Soul-Care Checklist.

It’s designed to help you:

🪄 Steady yourself even when the world feels like it’s crumbling.
🪄 Reconnect with your inner calm and reclaim your strength.
🪄 Find clarity for what’s next, even when you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed.

If you’re ready to give yourself the deep care you need, grab your Soul Care Checklist today.