There’s a quiet ache I feel some mornings before my feet touch the floor. Still, I feel the imperative to get out of bed, fumble with the few pills I’m supposed to take each day and try to move forward.
I turn on the aging coffee maker, and while waiting for the supposedly robust brew I found on sale last week to drip through, I open one of my smart devices. I check the weather, scan my daily commitments, read summaries of the various mailing list newsletters and punch through a mini-crossword or two. I end up cycling through the array of devices: phone, tablet, and computer. I do it all to stay informed – because we’re told good citizens must.
Instead of finding satisfaction in reading, as I do in a well-brewed cup of coffee, I find myself gasping in a sea of urgency.
Each post, each article, each newsletter, and each email offers no solution, just more evidence that the world is unraveling faster than we can stitch it back together.
The cascade of despair starts with a headline: “Conflict escalates in…”
Then another: “Record temperatures sweep through…”
Then: “A new study warns of…”
Followed up with: “Guess what he said now…”
The details change daily, almost hourly, but the weight doesn’t.
Somewhere along the way, being informed stopped empowering me. It started unraveling me.
It becomes a slippery slope. As much as I want to stop and find some joy somewhere, I keep reading.
There’s a term for it: doomscrolling. But I think it’s bigger than that. It’s not just scrolling—it’s absorbing. Taking on pain that isn’t ours to fix, but feels wrong to ignore.
📚 The Psychology of Overload
Studies show that exposure to a constant stream of negative news can lead to increased anxiety, sleep disruption, and even physical symptoms. And yet, stepping away from it can feel like turning your back on those who are suffering.
That’s the trap: informed or indifferent. There’s no middle lane offered.
💔 The Emotional Toll
I’ve noticed subtle changes in myself. A shorter fuse. A general sense of futility. The bitter irony is that in an effort to stay connected to the world, I’ve never felt more disconnected from myself.
And for someone who’s already walked through significant illness and recovery, my nervous system was already recalibrated to “survival mode.” This new layer of chaos feels like a regression, a trigger, a cruel trick played by an ever-refreshing news cycle.
🔦 Searching for Light
How do I work through this like I did with the cancer and the stroke. Those challenges seemed to be finite. They weren’t. I did find points where I could close it down. Can I close down the input from an imperfect media reporting on an imperfect world?
But maybe the answer isn’t total retreat—it’s curation. It’s not ignorance to limit the intake of pain; it’s self-preservation.
cu·ra·tion /kyo͝oˈrāSHən/ noun
- the action or process of selecting, organizing, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibition
So now, I give myself permission to:
- Set time limits on when I check the news.
- Balance each heavy, ugly story with something light, meaningful, or beautiful.
- Talk to real people about real things that affect my community directly.
I’m not going to be much good to anybody if I can’t functionally process the information I’m presented with.
And when that edge of despair looms again, I remind myself: if the world truly needs healing, it can’t come from a burnt-out, numbed-out heart. It starts with people who still know how to feel… and how to hope.
🧠 “Studies show that exposure to a constant stream of negative news can lead to increased anxiety, sleep disruption, and even physical symptoms.”
- A 2023 research review in Applied Research in Quality of Life found that doomscrolling is linked to worse mental well-being and life satisfaction, based on three studies involving ~1,200 adults (Harvard Health).
- Psychology Today also reports that doomscrolling can worsen pre-existing depression and anxiety, and lead to fatigue, irritability, and reduced productivity.
💡 “That’s the trap: informed or indifferent. There’s no middle lane offered.”
- This reflects what psychologists call “headline stress disorder”, a term coined by Dr. Steven Stosny to describe the emotional toll of relentless negative news. The American Psychological Association has documented that more than half of U.S. adults report news-related stress, especially when they feel powerless to act.
🔄 “It’s not ignorance to limit the intake of pain; it’s self-preservation.”
- Experts from Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic recommend setting boundaries around news consumption, such as limiting screen time, avoiding news before bed, and focusing on local or solution-oriented stories to protect mental health.
📖 Further Reading
- “Doomscrolling Dangers” – Harvard Health Publishing
A helpful summary of studies on how consuming negative news affects mental well-being.
health.harvard.edu - “Headline Stress Disorder: The Toll of Constant News” – Psychology Today
Coined by Dr. Steven Stosny, this concept explores how nonstop news exposure rewires emotional response.
psychologytoday.com - “News and Mental Health: When to Step Away” – Mayo Clinic Health System
Tips for reducing the mental health impact of current events.
mayoclinichealthsystem.org - “The Emotional Effects of Watching the News” – Cleveland Clinic
A look at how news intake can affect anxiety and what healthy boundaries might look like.
clevelandclinic.org