How to keep up on the news without falling apart

Becoming a trauma-informed news consumer

If you’re like me, you cannot stop thinking about, reading, and watching the news about the horrific fires in Los Angeles, California. It’s incredulous to think of fire taking over an urban city with seemingly little recourse other than praying and hoping for less wind and more water.

And while the world is literally on fire it feels like it’s been metaphorically on fire for quite some time. The news is hard to stomach whether it’s the Middle East, the US election, war in Ukraine, or the news of how the climate is changing at a more alarming rate than ever.

Most days, it feels like too much quite honestly. And that’s because it is. It is traumatic at times and even more so if you have gone through trauma of your own that puts your nervous system on higher alert. So, is there any recourse other than completely checking out? And let’s face it, you have to be highly privileged to do such a thing.

You may feel like you don’t want to or can’t just “shut the news off.” You want to stay informed, or you are literally worried for your own safety or that of your loved ones in some form (either because of an acute threat like the California fires or a more pervasive threat like legislation that could limit rights) and need to know what is happening day to day.

But I think you can be a trauma-informed consumer of the news. And frankly, I this is a practice we all need to be intentional about or our nervous system will literally be on fire each day for so many hours that it will lead to other health consequences, too numerous to list here.

It’s literally a preventative health practice to learn this skill and as your integrative physician here on Substack, I feel compelled to talk about how to do this. (I think I also want to do a deeper workshop on this topic, let me know later in the comments if you are interested in that.)

Before we talk about the daily practice of trauma-informed news consumption (or at least that’s what I’m calling it!), let’s do a short dive into why it’s so very important.

If you aren’t familiar with the term trauma-informed, it’s an important one. It’s an approach to health that acknowledges the impact of past and present trauma on the mind and body and strives to mitigate re-traumatization.

If you are someone who has managed any trauma in your life (which at this point, I have yet to meet patients who have not), the news can be a source that activates that trauma response in your body. It feels non-stop and that ingestion of fear-based thoughts and information have an impact on your mental and physical health. I think of it as being subjected to a trauma diet you did not elect to order on your plate. That being said, there are ways you CAN elect to mitigate this consumption.

And let’s cover a disclaimer to be clear…it’s not your fault that you are drawn to this consumption. The mind is biologically primed to look for danger and threat. It’s how you survive. You are not trying to inflict harm on yourself. You are not broken or abnormal. The brain is exponentially more primed to focus on the negative. It’s biology. It’s survival. But it’s not a useful long-term practice. It won’t serve you day in and day out. So let’s talk now about a practice that will.

1. Minimize visual images (and maximize others)

The simple brain science is that visual images resonate deeper in our brain than the written word. It’s why so many people have made a ‘vision’ board for the new year to visualize their goals or desires. Seeing images takes hold stronger in our brain than words and what you see primes your brain to tell you what is important. And then your brain will notice that more easily. (This happens in the brain through some very fascinating processes like selective attention and value tagging that we can go deeper into in the workshop.)

For now, let’s keep it simple. Images imprint deeper than words.

Right now, there are countless pictures and videos of Los Angeles in the news. Understandably. The images do a much better job of conveying the destruction and horror. So, I am not saying don’t look at or don’t watch them. But if you feel yourself getting more anxious, irritable or on edge doing so, it’s time to limit how much you do that.

When it’s possible, turn your internet browser on reader mode and keep to the information you want without so many visual tags that will activate your nervous system further. Decide to read or listen to the news updates instead of watching them on TV. This goes as well for ongoing world news. I know that seeing Donald Trump makes me more activated but I want to stay informed of what is happening in this country. So I try to limit images of him when I read news about the upcoming presidency. And very rarely watch him speak on a video. I know that doing so will reactivate the constant stress I felt during his first presidency.

And the more you focus on certain images, the more you look for images of the same kind. So if you are constantly looking at frightening images, your brain is primed to look for more frightening information.

You get to decide what to prioritize in your brain. It doesn’t mean you bypass what is happening in the world. It is real and important. And yet, you can limit how much your brain then looks for similar demoralizing news or truths.

So, start by noticing. Often, if you are not used to using interoception (a process that can be as simple as sensing your inner body landscape by noticing sensations and emotions periodically), you may not even realize your sympathetic nervous system is on fire right now or with any particular news topic. You may instead just notice you are more short with family or co-workers, more impatient in line, or more irritated with other cars on the road, for example. All of these can be smaller signs of your activated nervous system and can be an entry point for you to understand what is happening in your body at a deeper level.

2. Give yourself a news break before sleep—Draw a boundary

Your brain is more impressionable in the phases just before sleeping and when awakening. These are called hypnagogic states. The images and thoughts you have before this states are more likely to seep into your subconscious. And possibly even contribute to nightmares or disturbing dreams.

Remember, visual images are more powerful. They are linked to emotion more strongly than words that are processed by rational, logical parts of the brain. So this second practice is even more important with the visual images.

You can stay up on the world each and every day but still create a boundary to protect yourself as well. You do not need to consume news in the hours before sleep. This is your time to prime your nervous system to be in the best position for the highest quality sleep. And remember that sleep is when you are using that wondrous glymphatic system to detoxify and recycle the toxins you accumulate during the day. This includes the toxic thoughts. (Read more about that glymphatic process in last week’s article on sleep!)

If you feel you have the duty to stay informed as a citizen of this world, also know you have the task to tend to yourself through this receiving of information as well. Drawing a boundary, call it an evening circle between you and the news, of how you consume the news is your capacity to tend to yourself despite the ways the world weighs on you.

For that matter, you can draw boundaries for any part of the day that you need. Maybe you take all news app off your phone. Maybe you designate meals as a no fly zone for challenging news. I am not saying any of this is a necessity or right/wrong. I am saying trauma-informed means being informed and aware of how your trauma shows up for you. You get to draw these boundaries of protection. You have an inner world that you have the right to protect.

3. Seek balance in your consumption

Again, you want to stay informed so you can stay safe, know what is occurring in the world and how you can support or help others—for so many good reasons. But you can do this while also consuming information that makes you feel good or moments of awe and wonder.

THIS is the time to seek out beauty, love and hope each and every day. In this time of war, destruction, fear, and devastation. This is the time.

This is not bypassing the hard. You acknowledge the hard. Acknowledge and feel all the hard emotions that come with all the challenges this world presents. Feel all of it.

This is a BOTH-AND.

Feel the hard and ALSO soak your brain and body in indestructible goodness.

Find the givers, the first repsonders, the tender moments, all the stories that remind you why this life is not just brutal, it is beautiful as well.

Find the art. The paintings, the writing, the poetry. Find all of it.

Seek it. Ask your community to soak you in it. Start a circle of indestructible goodness amidst the destruction. Commit with one or two good friends (or more!) to share with each other the most hopeful story you saw each day, no matter how small. Mark my words. After Los Angeles is done just trying to survive (And how I hope and pray that is a moment that comes soon❣️), and the very hard aftermath of physical and emotional repair starts, you will see so many stories of people who rescued, helped, offered food and shelter. For no reason other than that is the human instinct when other humans are hurting. Because Los Angeles could be any of us.

Use the first two practices in your favor. Use visual images if you have them of this beauty and hope. If it’s too hard to find these in the present world, think back to a time in life that was joyous and hopeful. Find pictures or mementos of that time. And look at those before you sleep. Like a meditation. No outcome in mind. Just hold them, look at them and notice.

You can stay up on this world without it breaking you down repeatedly. I feel like the current destruction in Los Angeles has been breaking me down to be honest. I have so many loved ones there and it’s utterly frightening to see the wildfires take down a large urban area. It makes me feel even more vulnerable to climate change than before (and believe me, I already feel vulnerable.) So, I have been grounding back into these practices for myself this week and thought you all might need them as well. The world is hard, I cannot change that. What I can help you with is how to hold the weight of the world with a bit more ease. Because it matters for your health, for your heart and for humanity.

Let me know your reflections, thoughts and questions in the comments. Let’s have a community circle of both sharing your best practices and asking for support where you need it. So that we can be a healthy collective here right now, tending to each other as we need to do in the world whenever disaster strikes. Or maybe you want to share some fear/sadness/joy about the world. This circle will receive it. I would love to hear from you. I need community now more than ever and am ever grateful to be here with all of you.