Written by Lewis Donaldson
War, death and tension.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it seems like nothing is going well, especially when all
that news is fed straight to our phones and littered throughout our feeds.
While it’s good to stay informed and have an idea of what’s happening around the world,
being constantly plugged in can actually be unhealthy.
If all you’re consuming is bad news, you forget about all the good in the world.
One of the biggest contributors to this stressful feeling is doomscrolling.
We all love a cheeky scroll, but I’m sure we can all agree that we’d prefer to spend less time
on our phones.
So what can you do?
Set boundaries
Rather than jumping on your phone whenever, give yourself restrictions to what times of day
you look at social media.
This might look like no doomscrolling before breakfast or no phone after 8pm.
Notifications
Turn them off.
Limit the times you’re prompted to check out what’s happening. It doesn’t mean ignoring
what’s happening, but just being more mindful about how many times you engage.
Shift your focus
Bring your focus back to local issues.
Global problems can feel distant and you feel helpless. If you pay more attention to what is
happening in your community, it will serve as a reminder that not everything is chaos.
Appreciate the little things
You can’t take on all the world’s problems and expect your mind to win.
Tune back into the small moments of joy in your day-to-day life.
This might be grabbing a coffee, spending time with friends, a quiet walk, listening to music
or your pets greeting you when you return home.
These things can bring you back to the present and help balance your emotional state.
Taking action
For some, stress comes from feeling powerless.
You could channel your energy into something practical: donating, volunteering, raising
awareness or supporting the causes you care about.
You can care about what’s happening globally and protect your mental health at the same
time.
There’s always places of support you can reach out to. A friend, a counsellor or some of the
services Charles Sturt offers. Click here to learn more.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
