Avoiding news overload: a healthier way to stay informed

Why the news can feel overwhelming

• Volume. There is always another update, and feeds are designed to keep you scrolling.
• Negativity. Conflict, disaster and crime are newsworthy precisely because they are unusual, which can make the world seem worse than the overall picture suggests.
• Repetition. Rolling coverage often repeats the same few facts while waiting for new ones.
• Helplessness. Reading about large problems you cannot personally fix is draining.

Decide what you actually want to know

• Local matters such as transport, schools, weather and council decisions often affect your day more directly than distant headlines.
• Your work or studies may require you to follow particular subjects closely.
• Big national and world stories are worth understanding, but rarely need minute-by-minute attention.

Change how the news reaches you

• Turn off most push notifications. Keep only those you would genuinely act on, such as severe weather warnings or local emergencies.
• Choose set times. Checking once or twice a day, for example with a morning briefing and an evening summary, gives you the main developments without the churn.
• Prefer summaries and roundups over live blogs for stories that are still unfolding. Developments usually make more sense a few hours later.
• Use longer formats such as weekly reviews, explainers and documentaries for depth. They are often more informative than many short updates.
• Curate your feeds. Mute or unfollow accounts that mainly provoke rather than inform.

Protect your evenings and sleep

• Avoid news in bed. Distressing stories late at night can affect sleep, and very little breaks overnight that cannot wait until morning.
• Keep devices out of the bedroom if you find yourself reaching for them automatically.
• Notice how you feel after reading. If you are tense or low, that is a cue to step away.

Be careful with graphic content

Balance the picture

• Look for solutions and follow-up reporting, which explains how problems are being addressed as well as what went wrong.
• Seek out longer-term data where it exists. Trends over years can be very different from the impression given by a single day's headlines.
• Remember what you can influence. Volunteering, contacting a representative, donating or simply helping a neighbour can turn concern into something useful.

When to seek more support