When the News Feels Like Too Much

How to Recognize Doomscrolling, Protect Your Peace, and Reclaim Hope

It starts the same way most nights do. You’re in bed, phone in hand, telling yourself you’ll just skim the headlines before sleep. One scroll turns into ten. One “just to stay informed” click becomes an hour in the pit. Before you know it, your chest is tight, your jaw clenched, and the weight of every climate disaster, political rollback, and conservation loss sits squarely on your ribcage.

Sound familiar? That spiral has a name: doomscrolling. And while it feels like a way to regain control, research tells us it does the opposite. Our brains are wired to prefer certainty, even if the information is negative. That’s why, when we’re anxious, we’ll choose the bad news over no news at all. The result? More stress, less sleep, and a deeper sense of helplessness.

The Red Flags of Too Much News

The signs sneak up on you. Maybe you realize you’ve been reading long past the point of fatigue. Maybe your anger feels sharper, or your motivation is gone. Maybe you wake up tired because your brain never powered down, or you find yourself unable to close the app even when you want to. These are red flags of what psychologists call problematic media use. It’s the point where information stops being helpful and starts being harmful.

Reclaiming Rhythm Over Randomness

So what do you do when you’ve hit that threshold? The first move is to build limits that hold. Studies show that capping news or social media use significantly reduces anxiety and boosts mood. Tools like One Sec or Freedom can force a pause. A low-tech solution works too: literally put your phone in another room.

But cutting back isn’t enough. You need to replace the randomness of the feed with rhythm. Your brain thrives on patterns, not chaos. Read a chapter of a book. Call a friend. Step outside for ten minutes. Even a short walk or a burst of birdsong resets your nervous system.

From Helplessness to Agency

The second move is to channel the energy somewhere real. Pair information with action. If a headline rattles you, sign a petition, donate, or share a hopeful story. It doesn’t have to be big. The smallest action restores agency, and agency is the antidote to despair.

And finally, don’t forget joy. It’s easy to underestimate, but science shows regular micro-joys buffer against stress. Make a “joy list”—tiny things that spark delight—and actually use it. Dogs count. So do favorite songs, sea air, or the smell of morning coffee.

Hope Isn't Naive. It's Necessary.

The world is a lot right now, and none of us are meant to carry it all alone. But hope isn’t denial; it’s defiance. It’s choosing to stay informed while refusing to be crushed. It’s learning that protecting your peace isn’t apathy; it’s strategy.

Because if we want to keep building a better ocean future, and a better world, we need stamina. We need to guard the spark that keeps us showing up, even when the headlines feel like too much.

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