4 Ways That the Media Can Kill Your Vibe

Do you ever feel like you live in a dangerous world, and you have to fight to get ahead? Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up?  Though all of us want to feel happy and fulfilled, there are a few vibrational traps in the media today that often inspire feelings of fear, anger, and insecurity within us.

It’s good to point out first that in many ways, the world we live in today is a wonderful world.  Most of us have a high degree of comfort, flexibility and freedom (as compared to people of the past).  I’d go so far to say it’s the best time in history to be alive.  There are many reasons for us to feel good about our lives and the world around us.

With that being said, we’re always evolving, and there is always room for improvement.  Here are a few ways that today’s media can kill your vibe and some advice on how to rise above it:

1. The “News:”

I stopped watching the news about five years ago, and I’ve gotta tell you-it was probably one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. 

When I happen to see a bit of a news program at someone else’s house or at a restaurant or doctor’s office, it has become abundantly clear to me that the news creates a great deal of fear in society.  In just a split second of viewing I feel immediately become fearful, upset or angry.  The nature of the “news” is simply too negative for most people to watch and maintain a high vibration at the same time.

I cannot say for certain whether this is by design or not.  However, I can say I’ve noticed the level of fear in my life has reduced dramatically, and I attribute this in part to the fact that I no longer subject myself to every homicide, suicide, traffic accident, natural disaster and political debacle on Planet Earth.

For a more detailed description of how the news propagates negativity and fear, please read this article: 6 GREAT Reasons Not to Watch the News.

2. Dramatic Television (Particularly Reality Television!):

Though I’ve done a good job with eliminating the news out of my life, I must admit I am still a slave to the idiot box (ahem, television).  However, I believe I would be much better off if I stopped watching it altogether. 

There are number of vibrational traps that exist within television programming, but the one that sticks out to me the most right now has to do with fighting and arguing.  Particularly on reality shows, backstabbing and confrontation are major themes. 

I’m not sure why we are drawn to watching people tear themselves apart, but I do know that what we focus on we attract more of with the Law of Attraction.  What we see and focus on in our television programming often ends up playing out in our own lives. So when the drama in my life is running high, I try to limit my exposure to television show that are overly dramatic.

If you’ve given up television altogether, share your story with me in the comments.  I’d love to hear the perspective of someone who has chosen to live without tv.

3. Fear-Based Advertising and Consumerism:

I’m a proponent of the Law of Attraction, so I truly believe all of your desires are valid and you can have whatever you want.  My issue with consumerism isn’t in the having of things.  Instead,  I feel that our modern day advertising and marketing techniques are designed to stir up fear and insecurity, and this can create vibrational pitfalls for many people.

A great deal of advertising is set up to make you feel as if you are lacking something that you need for your physical (or social!) survival.  Most ads start off by pointing out a problem in your life, and many times it’s a problem you didn’t even know you had!

Marketers have learned that by instilling insecurity and fear, they can more easily encourage people to purchase products and services.

Ads are great at making people feel like they have to “fit in.”  They show smiling, beautiful people wearing crisp, clean clothes, driving shiny new cars and living in modern, clean homes with the newest appliances and perfectly manicured lawns.

As most Americans are constantly viewing some form of advertising, they are repeatedly getting the message that they don’t have enough money, their possessions aren’t “new enough” and they don’t have as much stuff as they are supposed to have. 

As a result, many of us make purchasing decisions to “keep up with the Joneses.”  The funny thing is, the “Joneses” aren’t even real people! They are simply this fictional illusion we are fed daily on our televisions, computers, magazines and radios.

When we make our purchasing decisions because we want to “keep up” with this illusion, we buy into the premise that having things makes us more valuable as people.   

Sadly, when we replace our innate value with the value of cars, jewelry and homes, we lower our vibration because we tell ourselves we aren’t good enough as we are. 

This is why shopping is often addicting.  Purchasing a new item can feel momentarily good and provide that feeling of “fitting in,” but very quickly we are again reminded that we still don’t have enough, and so we repeat the process over and over, always chasing the illusion-but never really having it.

4. Subconscious Body Shaming:

In American culture, it used to be relatively normal to see actors in movies and on television who looked like “real” people.  Roseanne Barr, Steve Buscemi, Joe Pesci and Nicolas Cage are all good examples.  People who weren’t “perfect,” yet they still had leading roles.  Though beauty has been prized for a very long time, it still used to be fairly normal to see “real-looking” people on the movies or on television.

Today, whenever we open up any type of media (be it television, magazines, video games, social media, etc.) we are inundated with images of people who are young and fit society’s definition of beauty.  Unfortunately, modern society’s definition of beauty has become much more rigid than it was in the past.

For example, leading women in movies and television are generally thin and young, with white, straight teeth, perfect hair, straight noses, nice tans, and manicured nails.  They lack cellulite, and they frequently have botox, lip injections and breast augmentations.

Leading men today have also set an unrealistic standard.  They are often trim, tan, tall and muscular, they also have nice teeth along with chiseled features and all of their hair.

Unfortunately, these characteristics aren’t just for leading ladies and men.  They are also the characteristics you typically find in supporting roles and advertisements.


The reality here is that most of us see more people on a daily basis through media, rather than real life.  When such a large percentage of the people we look at throughout the day are unrealistically “perfect,” what does this do to our collective self-esteem?

I’ll admit that I get caught up in this one myself.  I whiten my teeth, dye my hair, get my nails done and do quite a few other things that indicate I am also chasing this illusion.  But I bet I’d be happier if I didn’t feel the need to change myself at all.

Avoiding These Vibrational Traps

The “news,” dramatic reality television, fear-based consumerism and subconscious body shaming are all highly engrained elements in today’s society.  Unfortunately, for many of us, they inspire lower vibrational feelings, including low self-esteem.  

So what do we do? 

Of course, turning off the television or the computer is a great idea.   Putting down the gossip magazines is also a plus.  But there are other things you can do that can help you gain a more balanced perspective and keep your vibration from being flushed down the toilet in spite of these traps.

One thing I recommend is to become more aware of what’s really going on. Take some time to do some people watching when you are out and about, and notice what real people actually look like.  Go to the park, the mall or an amusement park and get a feel for how much variety there is amongst actual people.  

You can also take a good hard look at your neighbors and friends to see what their possessions and homes look like.  Some of them will have nice things, yes, but many of them will not portray “perfection.”  Your neighbor might be driving an old, beat-up car, and your good friend might have a couch with a few tears or holes in it.  So what?


When it comes to balancing out any fear you may see or hear on the news, do a quick reality check.  Are you safe right now?  Does everything seem to be going ok?

Remember, the news picks out the scariest and most tragic stories to highlight each day, but so much more is going well in this world than is going wrong.  Remember that most days everything is perfectly safe and things generally work out pretty well for all of us.  Remind yourself that you have a great deal of safety and security in your day-to-day life.

Taking some time to look at what’s really going on can help us remember that we are doing fine just as we are.  Things are going pretty well for us, and even though we needn’t measure up to anyone, when you look at the big (real!) picture, we measure up perfectly fine nonetheless.

Alright, so what are your thoughts on this one?  Do you have any advice for avoiding these media traps that can kill your vibe?  Do you believe it’s possible that some day the media might change and become more vibrationally uplifting?  Let me know in the comments!

Love Always,

Andrea

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12 Comments

  • Babs
    Posted August 21, 2015 8:34 am 0Likes

    Totally agree!! You are spot on as usual Andrea. My mind turns to mush watching TV. Much prefer to read uplifting and informative stuff!

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted August 21, 2015 9:02 am 0Likes

    Thanks Babs! Yes, I hope someday I make the call to get rid of the television. For now, it’s one of those thing I’m on the fence about…but the “smarter” me knows I’d be better without it! 🙂 -Andrea

  • Colleen
    Posted August 21, 2015 11:34 pm 0Likes

    Oh yeah, you say it so clearly! It’s so frustrating seeing fear based news and commercials. I don’t watch the news but my husband does and he always is expecting a disaster around every corner. Now that you mention it I usually feel bad that my house isn’t perfect even though no one I know has a perfect home. I guess I’ve been absorbing media unconsciously too.

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted August 22, 2015 11:12 am 0Likes

    Hi Colleen! Hope you’re having a great weekend. Yes, I hadn’t really considered this until recently. We are all sponges for beliefs, and it makes me wonder sometimes who is making my decision making? LOL! -Andrea 🙂

  • Colleen
    Posted August 23, 2015 5:05 pm 0Likes

    Exactly. I can’t handle it when everybody sits around saying how you can’t let your kids go outside and play or they’ll be abducted or don’t buy anything on Craig’s list because you’ll be murdered. Or just how terrifying the world is. They are soaking up so much fear from the news and they think life is so scary when really it isn’t. It really happens to such a small percentage. I sometimes wonder what it’d be like without everybody feeling that fear.

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted August 24, 2015 7:05 am 0Likes

    I completely agree Colleen….I especially identify with your comment about kids going out to play. It’s one I’ve had to overcome, because I want my kids to be healthy and enjoy the outdoors, but that’s required me to let go of this commonly-held belief that they are in harm’s way when they are outside! How many kids are missing out on enjoying playtime (which, btw, raises their vibrations, making them less of a match to fearful circumstances!)? Thanks for your comment and have a great week! -Andrea 🙂

  • Kunjal
    Posted August 24, 2015 12:31 pm 0Likes

    I too stopped watching news or read newspapers. People around me who knew about it got apprehensive since its ALWAYS emphasized here in India to READ newspapers, watch tv, in short be updated on daily events.

    But still I went with my gut and stopped long time back. I stay updated with important things happening in the world through net, through which I can also avoid all the Utterly negative vibes I used to get from watching or reading news.

    This blogpost just proves how right I was to follow my instinct! Nobody understood when I explained that I get negative vibes by watching news or reading newspapers.. But this blogpost surely did! Love it!

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted August 24, 2015 12:52 pm 0Likes

    Hi Kunjal! Yes, here in U.S the news is highly emphasized too. Sometimes people react as if I am slightly crazy when I tell them I avoid the news…I wonder if this is common all around the world! Thanks for sharing your thoughts:)

    All the best,

    Andrea

  • Bryan
    Posted September 6, 2015 3:14 am 0Likes

    Hi Andrea,

    This is a great article and I wanted to mention I’m one of those people who do not watch TV at all. I gave up watching just under a year ago and have never looked back. It’s also worth mentioning I do not read newspapers either and I’m very selective as to which news websites I will look at – and when I do visit them I don’t stay long!

    As a result of this I’ve become far more productive in my actual life. I spend far less on ‘things’ and tend to only buy what I really need. I’ve become completely disconnected from “trends” or the consumer lifestyle.

    Other benefits include a huge drop in fear and anxiety, a huge boost in how accepting I am of myself and others, and a much clearer and calmer mind now that my subconscious is not being bombarded my negative messages.

    What I do seek out nowadays is information to help me raise and evolve my level of consciousness and remove habits that have slowed my progress. I’ve only just found this website and I’ll certainly enjoy reading more here.

    Thanks for putting this information out there to help others.

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted September 6, 2015 9:36 am 0Likes

    Thanks for sharing Bryan!

    Yes, I am still “on the fence” about giving up television-while I definitely believe that I would see the benefits you are experiencing, I find myself a willing victim for the time being. It’s just so easy to tune out, isn’t it?

    I do like hearing from people who have made the transition, though, it gives me pause to consider more deeply turning off the television for good. It’s good to know that there are so many benefits out there waiting for me when I decide to take the leap.

    Wishing you all the best,

    Andrea 🙂

  • Omar Becerra
    Posted October 29, 2015 10:14 am 0Likes

    Hi Andrea, hope all is well, I want to share my experience, using my poor grammar, so please forgive me, If I dont write perfect, English is not my first language…
    Tired of been ripped off by mafia cable and satellite companies, one day I cancel and turned all equipment back, gave away my huge old tv, got a great computer monitor with a great video card, installed google chrome with AdBlock extension, no ads no commercials. i started watching everything i wanted free online, educational documentaries, now I dont even like movies, most of them are like or worst than those tv shows, with damaging loud sounds
    Seven years later, my knowledge in Ancient history, Astronomy, Nature, Science,specially new discoveries in Egyptian History ,have open my eyes to the reality of who I’m, a human, not a democrat or republican, or christian or atheist, gay or straight,
    I grew up 60’s and 70’s in Communist cuba,( a monetary system) and since 1980 in the USA, I dont believe in our new democratic system or any monetary system, i’m no longer a Christian, my level of awareness has woken me up, to seek more knowledge like pages you publish, and others. Media is own by the Elite, and sponsored by companies owned by them, TV not only lower vibration, but also by fear (best way to control a slave) turn people into zombies, that live an illusion.
    So, giving up television, and substituting this way, saves me money, makes me free in my mind, more knowledge, more power, more peace, more awareness, No tv services, higher vibration, and thank you so much for your wonderful contribution to humanity

  • Andrea Schulman
    Posted October 29, 2015 12:56 pm 0Likes

    Hi Omar! I think it’s great that you’ve given up television 100%. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject. I applaud you! I think I need to do the same 🙂 -Andrea

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