How do I deal with feeling overwhelmed by world events and news?

Feeling overwhelmed by world events and news is increasingly common in our hyperconnected world where distressing information is constantly available. This overwhelm often reflects your empathy and care for others, but it can become paralyzing and detrimental to your mental health when it's constant. The 24/7 news cycle is designed to capture attention through urgency and emotional intensity, often emphasizing negative events because they generate stronger reactions. Your nervous system wasn't designed to process global suffering and crisis on a daily basis, so feeling overwhelmed is a natural response to unnatural levels of information. This overwhelm can lead to Anxiety disorder, Major depressive disorder, helplessness, or what's sometimes called 'compassion fatigue.' You might feel guilty for limiting news consumption, believing that staying informed is a moral obligation. However, being constantly overwhelmed by information you can't directly impact often reduces your capacity to help in meaningful ways. Managing news overwhelm requires intentional Personal boundaries and strategies. Consider limiting news consumption to specific times and sources, avoiding social media news feeds that can be particularly triggering, and focusing on local issues where you can take concrete action. Practice distinguishing between staying informed and staying overwhelmed. You can care about global issues without consuming every piece of distressing information. Channel your concern into specific actions: volunteering, donating, voting, or supporting causes you care about. This transforms helpless worry into purposeful engagement. Remember that taking care of your mental health isn't selfish - it preserves your capacity to contribute positively to the world. You can't help others effectively if you're constantly overwhelmed or burned out.