Why the News Overwhelms Us: The Information/Empathy Mismatch

By Rebecca Bacon Ehlers

News burnout is a common issue these days, and that’s no surprise: our information environments operate on a scale that dwarfs our human emotional and mental capacity.

Our nervous systems are designed to empathize and connect when people in our community suffer so that we will be motivated to help them. The system functions beautifully at that level. For example, say I hear that my friend is ill. My natural empathetic response is to feel a range of emotions including sadness, worry, and compassion, which motivate me to make them a batch of soup. When I leave that soup container on their doorstep, I feel a sense of relief as the worry and sadness ease. Emotional loop closed. 

By contrast, in the span of thirty seconds scrolling through a news app, I can read seven headlines about atrocities occurring in different places around the world. This triggers all kinds of emotions for me, but I can’t act on all seven of those problems. There’s no way to close the loop. The feelings linger and can accumulate over time to cause burnout and other mental health consequences.

Reframe the Guilt

Often the desire to check the news comes from a moral calling to be an informed citizen or to bear witness to what’s happening in the world. When you’re living abroad, it can also be a way to stay connected to your country of origin. These are important and admirable goals, but an overly moralistic, guilt-involved approach can become counterproductive. Motivated by guilt, many well intentioned people overload themselves with upsetting content, and then swing to the other extreme of disengagement, which makes them feel even guiltier. 

Creating information filters for yourself is nothing to feel bad about. It is an essential task of managing modern life’s information/empathy mismatch. Try asking yourself these questions to separate unhelpful guilt from a healthy impulse to connect and learn:

• What am I hoping this information will empower me to do?

• What does it mean to be “informed enough” about an issue? 

• When can I allow myself to take a step back from content that is upsetting me?

Remember: reading about an issue and empathizing from afar does not in itself create change.  Consuming so much news that you become exhausted and overwhelmed actually weakens your ability to make a positive impact on the world.

Step One: Observe Your Patterns

While watching or reading the news we often become so focused on the content that we lose our bodily awareness. Mindful observation can yield important data about how to make your habits work for you. Take time to consider these questions: 

• Are there times of the day when I’m more likely to fall into a negative spiral after checking the news (e.g. right after waking up, at night, etc.)? 

• Am I tensing or holding my breath as I read? 

• Am I opening my news app because I truly want to look, or because I’m searching for a distraction? 

• How can I tell when I’m educating myself versus when I’m just doomscrolling?

Find the right sources

Consider choosing sources of news that are curated by other humans, like newspapers (physical or online), podcasts, and newsletters. These platforms consider your human experience in terms of how they present their content, and they have a clear endpoint rather than an infinite scroll format. They are also less likely than algorithmic platforms to rely on emotionally jolting their audience to keep them engaged.

Enforce a routine

Once you’ve observed your patterns, use that information to set limits for yourself. This will vary greatly from person to person, but 

-establishing ONE designated time in the day when you check the news (pre-internet, this was the norm)

-actively limit news consumption during your vulnerable times 

-read ONE news source per day (not necessarily the same one each day)

Because content platforms and the devices we look at them on are precisely calibrated to maximize our engagement, most people will need external tools to create this structure for themselves. Apps like Freedom and StayFree (two examples among many) can help you make your device safer.

The most effective cure: Get out into the world!

In my therapy practice, I have consistently seen that for many people, the most effective way to cope with distressing events in the world is to find actions that close that emotional loop we talked about above. Living abroad can heighten feelings of helplessness because there are often fewer clear avenues to get involved. 

The first step is to identify one cause that you feel strongly about. You probably care about a lot of things, but you will be more effective if you narrow your focus, so choose something especially close to your heart. Then, find and reach out to existing organizations working on that issue–no need to reinvent the wheel.

Volunteer opportunities do exist in Mexico, if you know where to look. Foreigner and expat groups can be a great channel for recommendations. Also, remember that just because you’re not in your country of origin doesn’t mean you can’t volunteer there. Many organizations are already well-structured to accommodate remote volunteers. If you don’t have time to volunteer, consider setting up a recurring donation that fits your budget and helps you feel personally connected to your cause.

Final Thoughts: Connect to Your Power

We are living in a challenging historical moment, and it’s normal and healthy to feel upset in reaction to the big problems facing our world. Living abroad can intensify some of those feelings. Still, overwhelm and disengagement are not our only two choices. If we can learn to channel our emotions, they can strengthen our capacity to support our communities and align with our values. In the end, that’s how we make our world and the news in our feeds better.