Dealing with Bad News

Yesterday, I heard some news about the new Health Care website which made me disappointed and infuriated. Apparently the government has hired six companies including a lead Canadian Company to build the Affordable Care Act web site for a total cost of $45,000,000! That’s a lot money but unfortunately they have spent over $300,000,000 of our tax money so far and it still has many issues. Ouch!

I think they should have asked an American company like Amazon to set it up as a store on their website which could have been a lot cheaper and faster. :)

But kidding aside, we get a lot of news every day that is upsetting and can diminish our positive outlook in life. I also got some terrible news today about the health of a close relative that is saddening since I can’t help him very much.

In today’s environment, it’s very easy to find discouraging news which will cause negativity and anxiety in our reactions. Just look at the disagreements and disputes in countries around the world, our own government, the media, markets, corporations, unions, and even in our personal lives. I actually have stopped watching our 10:00 o’clock news (which I liked) as it’s mostly about various murders around the Bay Area.

This is plenty to raise our pessimism and want us to give up hope. So how are we supposed to deal with all of this bad news? Maybe these ideas would help.

Understand what is going on. When you hear bad news, ensure you don't jump to conclusions. Get all of the information surrounding the problem and then you will know how to feel and cope with the news.

Try to stay composed. Don't overreact to bad news, and know that simply worrying about it won’t help either. Understand that one cannot change what has already happened, but only how one responds to it.

Work on solutions. Finding answers and solutions not only will help to correct the problem, but it will also calms you down, which will lower the anxiety level in the long run.

Look for the positives. This may be difficult to do, but with every terrible situation, there may be some positives. When you focus on understanding what’s going on, you will be able to see the positives and the negatives, and know how to deal with the situation.

Don't feel guilty. If the bad news is something that happens to a person, you may feel guilty about it. You want to help but you can't. You should try not to feel like this. Sometimes life is unfair and very surprising. So don't start feeling guilty; instead support the other person, know that it is not your fault, and try to find solutions.

Talk it through. Talking about it with people close to you is one of the best ways to cope with bad news. Share your thoughts with your spouse, friends and co-workers. When you talk about your fears, your hopes, your feelings and your worries with someone, you will feel a lot better. Just make sure you are not complaining and just dumping bad news onto them.

Remember, no matter how terrible you feel about the bad news, there is nothing you can do to change the past. There is no “undo” button on the remote or the people that created the bad news or the people that told you about it. However, by feeling inspired, grateful, positive, supportive, and creating solutions we have the opportunity to convert these low energies into higher ones. That is the best service we can provide for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities.

As Zig Ziglar said: “You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.”