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Recent years have completely redefined what we consider normal, which is seen in the national and global headlines plastered across our newspapers and screens.
Constant exposure to distressing news can feel overwhelming, particularly when it follows us everywhere through our devices. The 24/7 nature of modern media means we’re often bombarded with updates, debates, and disturbing content, whether we’re actively seeking it or not.
If this sounds familiar and you’re becoming drained by what you see, the good news is that it’s possible to stay informed about current events without letting it take over your world completely.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at why this is so important and offer eight tips to help.
Why is it important to manage our news consumption?
Our news consumption (sometimes referred to as our ‘news diet’) is the amount of news we watch, read, or listen to. And just like our nutritional diet, consuming the right things in the right quantities is important for our health – especially when it comes to negative news.
When we consume negative coverage, it triggers our fight or flight response because our subconscious perceives negativity as a threat. This, in turn, causes our bodies to release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, resulting in increased stress and anxiety.
Alongside this, in times of crisis, we’re naturally more drawn to the news. In her interview with Mind Body Green, Aditi Nerurkar, an integrative medicine physician at Harvard Medical School, explains that we feel compelled to read the news in turbulent times to gather information to protect ourselves.
However, this natural reaction can often lead people to overindulge or even seek out more negative news – known as ‘doomscrolling’ or ‘doomsurfing’ – which can be harmful to our mental health.
But, as the majority of us will agree, the solution isn’t simply to avoid negative news altogether. As citizens of the world and members of a democracy, it’s important that we stay well-informed about current events, even if they’re distressing.
The trick is to be mindful of our consumption, so we can take steps to manage our media diet and stay informed while minimising stress, anxiety, and depression.
8 ways to manage your news consumption
1. Try sticking to two reputable news sources per day
When stuck in a doomscrolling spiral, it can be easy to go from website to website, or channel to channel, absorbing the same information in slightly different ways. However, by doing this, we risk exposing ourselves to unnecessary negativity without gaining any new information.
A good way to avoid this is to limit the number of news sources you look at each day. This way, you’ll stay informed about current events without over-exposing yourself to the same negative news with a new headline.
The number of news sources you should consume per day varies for everyone. By relying on just one source, you might not get an accurate, unbiased depiction of world events, as most news sources have their own biases. And by reading more than three each day, you risk over-indulging in negative news. So it’s a good idea to limit yourself to a couple of reputable sources.
2. Sign up for a daily newsletter or bulletin
Even if you’re limiting yourself to a couple of news sources per day, there’s still a seemingly endless amount out there. Some of these might go into more detail than is needed for the average consumer.
One quick and efficient way to stay in the know is to subscribe to a daily newsletter or bulletin from a trusted source. These are daily letters, usually sent by email, that contain the day’s main headlines and news in a compact and digestible format. They’re great for preventing doomscrolling and protecting your mental health for a few reasons.
Firstly, because they become curated for you, you won’t have to actively seek out information. This means that while you’ll be getting all the most relevant news from around the world each day, you won’t waste time flicking through unnecessary content.
Also, unlike entire news sites, newsletters are a digestible size. They also ensure you’re not reading the same news over and over again. So once finished, you can put it down and be less inclined to start doomscrolling.
The easiest way to sign up for a daily newsletter is to visit the website of your favourite news provider and sign up; most popular modern news providers offer one, like The Guardian, The Times, and The Telegraph. Or, you can check out this list from Wired of some of the best newsletters.
3. Seek out positive stories
In turbulent times, when the news is packed with stories of violence, conflict, and struggle, it can be easy to become – as psychologist Steven Pinker describes in his 2018 article on negative news – ‘miscalibrated’ and overly pessimistic. When all we see in the headlines is negativity, we tend to map this onto the world around us.
For instance, it’s quite easy to start thinking, ‘If there’s no good in the news, there must be no good in the world.’ However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, so it’s worth using your news time to seek out some positive stories. These could be anything from reports of a small good deed by someone in your town to epic stories of philanthropy and kindness.
So after you’ve informed yourself of all the need-to-know stories, why not visit Positive.News – a magazine that’s “dedicated to quality, independent reporting about what’s going right in the world”? Their weekly ‘What went right this week’ series is a particularly uplifting staple to add to your media diet.
4. Be wary of sensationalist headlines
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by negative news and find yourself spending excessive amounts of time reading and even seeking it out, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Many of us are finding ourselves stuck in similar negative cycles of news consumption.
These days, many news articles and publications are designed to get people to click on them and read.
Many news providers do this through sensationalist headlines (or ‘clickbait’), which trigger an emotional reaction (our fight or flight response) and draw readers in by exaggerating or presenting worst-case scenarios.
An example of a sensationalist headline might be: ‘Neighbours Locked in Violent Turf War’, for a story about a shared fence dispute. Another would be: ‘The Prime Minister Runs for his Life’, when the story is about them taking part in a marathon.
So, to limit your doomscrolling and prevent unnecessary anxiety, it’s worth making yourself consciously aware of sensationalist headlines, how they’re used to draw in readers and the effect they can have on our news consumption and mental health.
5. If the news is upsetting you, it's okay to take a break
Although it’s important to stay informed about current events, even if they’re upsetting, it’s just as key to look after your mental wellbeing. If the constant negative news is making you particularly anxious, try turning it off and doing something mentally restorative, like exercise, activities that help you focus on the present, or connect with nature.
Some people find that limiting their news consumption to once or twice a day can help manage the constant stream of negativity while staying informed.
Most news isn’t actionable, and doesn’t change as frequently as we’re led to believe. So, in most cases, you can always catch up tomorrow or the next day when you’re in a better headspace.
6. Try to cap your news time
We’re all different, so it’s tricky to say how much news any one of us should be consuming. Some people aren’t as affected by negative news stories as others, while certain people’s personal circumstances might require them to stay particularly up-to-date; for example, if they work for the media.
However, generally, spending more than an hour a day consuming news may be detrimental to your mental health in both the short and long term, especially during a crisis.
For example, research suggests that people who are exposed to traditional media like TV following a mass traumatic event are more likely to have a higher burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who consume less.
One practical way of doing this is to disable news alerts on your phone and computer (if you have them). This will hopefully prevent you from being drawn back onto news sites and apps after you’ve had your allocated daily news. If you get most of your news from the television, it’s also best to get into the habit of turning it off as soon as you hear a repeated story.
7. Try to schedule your news time
Scheduling your news time helps make sure you don’t overindulge, and you consume news at the best time possible to protect your mental health.
The traditional daily news cycle means that many of us are in the habit of watching or reading the news at two specific times of day: in the morning when we get up, and in the evening before we go to sleep. But in reality, these are often two of the worst times to get informed about current events, especially negative news.
For example, this study found that people who read bad news in the morning were 27% more likely to report an unhappy day six to eight hours later, compared to those who read uplifting and happy stories in the morning.
And because reading negative news can cause feelings of unease and sleep problems (not to mention the effects of blue light if you’re using a screen), consuming news right before bed also isn’t a great idea.
8. Limit your social media usage
Social media gives a platform for all voices to share their opinions. And while this is what can make social media great, it can also cause stress and anxiety.
On social media sites, sensationalist headlines and out-of-context soundbites can be shared with the press of a button – so it can, at times, be a breeding ground for misinformation.
It can also be used to show anyone’s thoughts and frustrations, and the average user isn’t held to the same standards as journalists are. This means that a great deal of news you might find on social media can be difficult to verify and biased. So it’s a good idea to take what you read on social media with a pinch of salt.
Social media sites like Facebook also use algorithms that will analyse stories, predict those you might be interested in, and place them at the top of your feed. This means you might not be getting a complete and unbiased depiction of world events. To read more about social media algorithms, check out this article from Forbes.
If you’re considering taking a break from social media, you might be interested in our article on the subject.
Final thoughts...
There’s no doubt we live in uncertain times, and if you’re experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, you’re certainly not alone.
It’s never been more important to make time for self-care and remember that whatever feelings you have right now are okay. But if you find yourself feeling depressed, it’s important to reach out for help – either to friends or family or a health professional.
For more advice on looking after your mental wellbeing, you might like to visit our healthy mind section.
Additional helpful resources
Bipolar UK – a charity dedicated to helping people living with manic depression or bipolar disorder.
Cruse Bereavement Care – support for those experiencing feelings of grief or loss.
- Mental Health Foundation – information and support for anyone living with mental health issues or learning disabilities.
- Mind – a charity that promotes better mental health, and offers information and support on conditions like depression and anxiety.
- Men’s Health Forum – a 24/7 text, email and chat service for men who are going through stress.
- No Panic – a charity offering support to people who experience panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including a course where you can learn coping mechanisms.
- Samaritans – confidential support for people experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety or despair.
- Silver Line – a charity providing information, friendship and advice to older people.
Are you struggling to manage your news consumption? Or do you have any tips on how to do so? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
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