If you’re like me, you’re feeling the onslaught of bad news very keenly right now. Being overcome by events makes us unable to focus on our jobs, our job-search, and out personal lives. So how can you navigate saying informed, offering what help you can, and not getting overwhelmed?
Step 1 is to curate what you consume. Don’t endlessly scroll through updates of the LA fires unless you’re directly impacted and seeking a particular piece of information. Limit the amount of time you spend watching or reading the news, and have options for when you just need a break. (I am especially fond of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for a dose of happiness.)
Step 2 is to limit your social media time and to be sure not to click on stories that are sure to be depressing, particularly those you can’t do anything about. This isn’t selfish behavior, it’s just self-care. We can’t undo the acts of violence like the random stabbings we had in downtown Denver this past weekend, for instance, so reading the updates is only going to make you worried and depressed.
Step 3 is to find an action you can take. These actions don’t need to be grandiose, or even to be in troubled places. You can’t give to every family whose house has been destroyed, but you can give to organizations like World Central Kitchen, the California Fire Foundation, or even Best Friends Animal Society. You can’t all the shelter unhoused people in your city, but you can volunteer at a shelter a couple of times a month. Find a cause that resonates with you and take whatever actions you can.
And finally, don’t read the comments! We can all get sucked into people’s reactions to news, but it isn’t helpful or productive. Trolls are trying to get a reaction out of you by being hateful and cruel in ways that they would presumably (though who knows?) not be in real life. If you react, they win. You will not educate them, you will not change their minds, and you will feel worse simply because you read the comments. In fact, if you have a local paper, now might be the time to subscribe because you can’t doomscroll, there are no minute-by-minute updates, and there are no comments.
Times are turbulent. Breathe. Find safety where you can. Take good care of yourself and your loved ones, and please don’t feel guilty when you have moments of joy even in hard times.
