Available for Interviews: Dr. Pete Loper
Dr. Pete Loper, MD, MSEd, FAAP, is a triple board-certified physician in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry. He is also a professor and executive coach and is dedicated to mental health and wellness advocacy.
What Dr. Loper could say on
Healthier Ways to Stay Informed:
Self-care is more important than ever, especially with all the distractions that divert our attention from behaviors and practices that support our wellbeing. One potential distractor is the news. While it is important to stay informed of current events, watching the news excessively can result in feelings of helplessness, loss of control, and anxiety. If the news is impacting your mental health, it’s okay to turn it off.
Watching the news is not an act of selflessness or altruism.
Many news stories are about events that are outside of our spheres of influence, or our ability to control. Therefore, excess news watching reinforces an external locus of control, and thereby often renders compassionate and otherwise selfless people much less motivated and effective at implementing meaningful change within their respective areas of influence.
A few tips to try if you are struggling with watching the news:
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- Read your news, don’t watch it. Removing the visual and auditory aspects allows us to acquire the key data without over-activating our limbic system in the brain, which is responsible for emotions to include anxiety.
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- Stick to the headlines. Stay informed by reading the headlines without becoming consumed by the content.
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- Stick to local news. Local news stories may provide individuals with more opportunities to contribute within their scope of influence and thereby retain their locus of control.
Just like in an airplane, putting your own oxygen mask on first is the key to being effective in helping others.
Limiting news watching, particularly if you are experiencing feelings of helplessness, loss of control, or anxiety, is key to retaining an internal locus of control and thereby remaining engaged and motivated in helping others within your sphere of influence.
Interview: Dr. Pete Loper
Dr. Pete Loper began his undergraduate studies in English at Kenyon College prior to completing his premedical coursework and Bachelor of Arts at the University of South Carolina (U of SC). He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and his Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Following medical school, Dr. Loper completed a residency in pediatrics. He then worked as a pediatrician in a private practice setting while completing a second residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. He has also completed the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Psychoanalytic Fellowship Program and the Teleos Leadership Institute’s Coach Development Program.
Dr. Loper has been featured in numerous academic publications and media outlets and it is through these channels that he can dedicate his time to being an advocate for mental health and wellness.
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