Navigating the news cycle: Staying sane while staying informed

How do we handle this constant barrage of bad news and the emotional roller coaster it brings on, without becoming completely overwhelmed or simply putting blinders on?

Nowadays listening to current events can be overwhelming; even a brief exposure can leave us feeling shocked, disbelieving, terrified, saddened and confused. It’s a lot to take in and to take on, in addition to the regular ups and downs of daily life.  We may feel the urge to simply put our heads in the sand and act like it's not happening. But we may also feel the urge to be informed to issues that matter to us; or feel drawn in by the headlines and insatiable curiosity. We may find ourselves doom scrolling without an ability to stop even as we feel increasingly depressed or burdened by what we are reading. The impacts of consuming the news about everything that is going on in the world ultimately trickles down directly and indirectly into all aspects of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. So how do we handle this constant barrage of bad news and the emotional roller coaster it brings on, without becoming completely overwhelmed or simply putting blinders on?

When working with clients in my daily practice as a psychotherapy provider, the state of the world comes up often – sometimes as a background stressor that adds to the challenges people face day-to-day, while other times it is front and center when people are directly impacted by the economic, social or environmental consequences of world events. How to support someone through this depends a lot on the specific issues facing an individual and how they are moving through them. However, there some general approaches that can be helpful in navigating these overwhelming global times.

BALANCE BETWEEN ACCEPTANCE AND CHANGE

As a therapist I find myself personally and professionally often coming back to the theme of balance:  when things feel in balance we tend to be more content with our lives, our wellbeing is supported and we function better in daily life. But life is a balancing act – its dynamic, not static, and when life is in upheaval or we are going through a period of change or growth, balance can be very hard to find. One therapy that I draw on where the concept of balance is central is called DBT (short for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). DBT is a third-wave CBT therapy (meaning third generation) created by psychologist Dr. Marsha Linehan, who originally designed DBT for individuals with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), although the skills of DBT have been found very useful to people with many other diagnoses and mental health conditions, as well as for mentally healthy people who are managing increasingly stressful life situations. 

...life is a balancing act – its dynamic, not static, and when life is in upheaval or we are going through a period of change or growth, balance can be very hard to find.

“Dialectics” is a concept that is central to and woven throughout the therapy and can be explained as looking for the truth in opposites, often for the purposes of seeking a “middle path” or synthesis between them. The central dialectic in DBT is balancing acceptance and change, which at face value appear to be strategies that exist in opposition to one another.  But in DBT we acknowledge that we need both acceptance and change, and that living skillfully and building a good life involves a constant dance of acceptance and change. As part of becoming a DBT trained therapist I embrace the concept that DBT skills are not just for my clients. They can benefit everyone and that includes me.  I use my skills often, and at times will share my personal experiences with clients about navigating challenges and managing the very human experience of having intense emotions. 

...we acknowledge that we need both acceptance and change, and that living skillfully and building a good life involves a constant dance of acceptance and change.

How do I try to balance acceptance and change when faced with the relentless bad news globally? Here are some of the ways that I work on navigating the complexities of global and even local events and my own emotional responses to them.

WHAT IS RADICAL ACCEPTANCE?

DBT teaches a skill called radical acceptance. In radical acceptance we are working on accepting reality as it is in this moment, regardless of how we feel about it. This does not mean liking it or approving of it. Neither does it mean forgiving someone for it or being against change. Radical acceptance starts by admitting that denial, mentally fighting reality, or acting like it's not happening, do not change the painful reality. Saying things shouldn’t be the way they are doesn’t change them. In fact, in DBT we say that to change, acceptance is often the first and sometimes the most important (and most painful) step. Non-acceptance can lead to suffering and feeling profoundly stuck, while precious energy is spent fighting the facts. It is very painful emotionally for me to acknowledge that terrible things are happening globally over which I have very limited personal power to effect change. 

In radical acceptance we are working on accepting reality as it is in this moment, regardless of how we feel about it. This does not mean liking it or approving of it. Neither does it mean forgiving someone for it or being against change.

In DBT, acceptance is a choice. It is an active choice made to reduce our own suffering – it is not giving up or giving in, it is simply deciding to face the facts squarely as they are. 

PROCESS YOUR EMOTIONS

Unlike what often happens in our culture when we are told to “face the facts”, which also comes with the underlying message to “get over it” or bury our feelings, radical acceptance does not involve denying our feelings about difficult and painful realities. It does quite the opposite and asks us to also face our own valid emotional responses. Humans have many ways to process emotions. One way is by creating. Making things is a form of expression. We don’t have to be good at it, because it is the process of creating something that is helpful, whether that is writing a poem, drawing or painting, knitting or woodworking. Taking in or consuming art, theatre, music or fiction can all also be great ways to unlock our emotions. 

Radical acceptance does not involve denying our feelings about the thing we are working to accept. It does quite the opposite and asks us to also face our own valid emotional responses.

MANAGING HELPLESSNESS

If I ask myself: what is within my power? It turns out there are many things I can do to effect change or at the very least to not feel entirely helpless.

The scale of events in the news is so large that we often feel helpless in the face of them. We may feel like there is nothing we can do. Or we may feel that practicing radical acceptance leads to passivity or like giving up. Radical acceptance would lead to passivity if it were not also balanced with the opposite side of the dialectic--change. We need both acceptance and change to tackle life’s challenges, both big and small. When it comes to trying to problem-solve issues, in my own life, I come back to what is within my power or agency. If I ask myself: “what is within my power?”, it turns out there are many things I can do to effect change or at the very least to not feel entirely helpless. It is important here to constrain the scale of our responsibility to what we can control. When I make changes that are in line with my values around global issues, no matter how apparently small they are, I feel empowered and motivated, I feel aligned within myself, I have a tool to manage the despair and overwhelm, and I also set an example for others. 

SMALL CHANGE IS BIG CHANGE

In therapy I often say that small change is big change and that getting started is usually the hardest part. Small changes have a way of adding up and building motivation while avoiding the overwhelm of looking at the big picture. Personally, I tend to tackle change in small steps, chipping away at manageable bite-sized pieces of an issue in my life. For example, I have many fears about climate change which can easily become overwhelming, but I have pushed myself to take numerous small steps to improve my own impact on the climate and this helps me feel empowered and motivated. One person and cumulative small acts can make a big difference; just look at history, which is filled with examples of this.

Small changes have a way of adding up and building motivation while avoiding the overwhelm of looking at the big picture.

MANAGING GUILT 

In considering what is in my power to do, I may confront feelings of guilt about not having acted before now, or I may put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything possibly within my power. This is where acceptance comes in once again. I also need to accept that there are many ways I fall short and fail to act in line with values. This may bring up self-criticism as well as feelings of shame and guilt. This is an important time to try to remind ourselves that that we are not perfect and to practice acceptance of ourselves in this moment. When I face these feelings, I tell myself that I am not aiming for perfection, but that I do want to be someone who grows, changes and evolves. Accepting areas where I fall short with compassion, and without giving up, helps me move past my self-doubt and judgement and get unstuck. 

When I face these feelings, I tell myself that I am not aiming for perfection, but that I do want to be someone who grows, changes and evolves.

MONITOR YOUR EXPOSURE TIME

Another important step is to limit exposure to bad news, as having constant reminders of just how bad things are can quickly leave us feeling helpless and hopeless. The amount of exposure that any person can safely manage before experiencing negative impacts on their mental health varies from person to person. It is important to be tuned in and do some experiments with taking bad news breaks to determine what our own level of tolerance might be. Tolerance levels will vary from time to time within individuals depending on the level of other stressors in one’s life. Personally, I read the news online once a day for a brief overview – receiving news in this format feels more manageable and is less upsetting to me than video content, but I still feel reasonably well informed. 

It is important to be tuned in and do some experiments with taking bad news breaks to determine what our own level of tolerance might be.

WIDEN YOUR WORLD MODEL

Statistically speaking, there are more neutral or good things happening right now than bad things. I like to remind myself that good news rarely gets reported and so by its very nature I’m receiving a very biased sample of what is happening in the world. Another strategy may be to go out of your way to find ways to tap into good things that are happening. Read the stuff that is neutral, good or feels like it is unimportant. It may be easier to find that from local news or alternative “good news” media feeds. Though these things may seem to not matter, it will help to calibrate reality in your brain so that you don’t stay locked into a threat-saturated story about the world.  For example, while the news about the ICE murders in Minneapolis may be troubling, there are also lots of stories of kindness, such as people in Minneapolis singing to their trapped neighbours, or organizing food deliveries.  

SEEK COLLECTIVE SUPPORT

Many of us are experiencing the challenge of this, and it is also important to seek out others for mutual support. There is strength in community. Rather than just share bad news with each other and talk about it in ways that increase our distress, how about reaching out to friends who share our concerns, and ask each other how we are coping with the bad news of the day, what keeps us sane amid it all, and how we can support each other?

Many of us are experiencing the challenge of this, and it is also important to seek out others for mutual support. There is strength in community.

The balancing act continues as we navigate our daily lives against the backdrop of a tumultuous world. We will continue to get stuck and when we do, we can ask ourselves: “is there something here I need to work on accepting to reduce my suffering, while I keep taking small steps to tackle the issues I come across, both big and small?”

Linnaea Chapman, O.T. Reg (N.S.) has been practicing psychotherapy since (2017).  She is certified by the Canadian Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists (CACBT) and practices in many modalities, including CBT, DBT and ACT. When she is not helping people to thrive and make their lives more worth living, she enjoys all things nature and out of doors.