Self-Care for Negative News Cycles

The news lately has been horrifying. From the war in Ukraine to yet another senseless mass shooting, it is impacting a lot of people’s mental health, including my own.

Because when you already live with anxiety or depression or some other mental health challenge, these oppressively negative news cycles can be a breaking point sending you into a downward spiral of depression, or it can bury you in an avalanche of anxiety. So what are we to do?

Our best.

So many of us want to take action to stop these senseless crimes, whether it is donating to a cause that you believe is working towards a solution, whether it is contacting your elected officials, whatever it is that you think can make a difference in a sea of senseless violence.

But doing our best means taking care of ourselves first and foremost. And that means unplugging from the news when it gets to be too much. Trust me, in our world of 24-hour news cycles, it will still be there when you get back.

Because just as you are instructed to put your own mask on first when you are on an airplane, trying to do your part starts with taking care of yourself. You are so much less effective when you let the news burn you out.

So in the face of such negative news cycles, connect with those that you love, find reasons to be grateful. Remind yourself there is good in the world. Go for a walk unplugged from news and social media. And hold on to the hope that the world and the news will be better someday.