“I used to have the news on the TV every morning for an hour or so as I got the children ready for school and completed my household tasks,” he said. “Now it has literally been switched off and unplugged. I can’t cope with it any more. It’s just too much and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Though he dips into his favourite news apps occasionally in the evening, he now strictly limits his news consumption. He’s not alone. The Guardian has been contacted by a series of one-time news junkies who are now seeking to restrict their news intake after suffering from disturbed sleep or a downturn in their mood.
You have to help yourself before you can help someone else. Yes, being intentionally uninformed is bad, but reading/listening to nothing but doom and gloom will do nothing for anyone. Plus, by and large, you probably can’t do a whole lot about those situations you mentioned.
Become more engaged in local politics, watch/attend your town hall meetings, get to know your neighbors, give a dollar to the beggar on the street, volunteer in your community, go out in nature.
Modern activism demands that everyone is knowledgeable and actively fighting everything wrong in the entire world all of the time. And that’s just not sustainable. Take a step back, catch your breath, and trust that others will keep up the yelling until you get back.