Healthy Ways to Stay Engaged and Informed

When things are terrible , it is natural for people to pull away and disengage in an act of self- preservation. But there are many healthy ways we can stay engaged So we don't reach that point. The majority of what is reported in the news is reflective of the state of the world which is, frankly, not positive. This is the reality that we collectively live in. And while so many of us do our best to stay engaged and continue to take action where we can, there is only so much capacity that human beings have for the constant, overwhelming stream of negative news. Thankfully, there are healthy ways to consume the news, stay informed, take action, and fight to make change that will not lead us into a state of burnout or disengagement. Here are a few ways you can do that...

Limit your news intake.

There is nothing healthy about consuming the news 24/7. Set limits for yourself! For example: do not consume the news until you have been awake for at least an hour - allow yourself an hour of peace in the morning and adapt the same routine to your nights by not consuming any news an hour before going to bed. Notice how you feel when you've allowed yourself that mental space.

Stop doom- scrolling.

When a major event occurs somewhere in the world, do you find yourself continuously scrolling through your social media feeds or refreshing the news in an effort to consume all possible information about what's happening? - That's doomscrolling.

And it's really terrible for your mental health. If you catch yourself in a doomscrolling spiral, step away from whatever device you're consuming the content on. (Yes, physically distance yourself from it.) Set some boundaries with yourself, for yourself. This can look like setting the morning and evening times to consume news, or perhaps choosing just one or two outlets from which you're consuming the news. Either way, doing what you can to limit doomscrolling is important for your mental health.

Consider how you’re feeling before you check the news.

A really helpful way to gauge our limits for bad news is to consider how we're feeling before we even take it in. Ask yourself how you're feeling mentally before you turn the news on or begin reading the news online. One of the quickest and easiest ways that people get burnt out in the space of trying to stay informed and engaged all of the time is by not honoring their own mental health. It can be easy to forget, but it is worth reminding ourselves: we must take care of ourselves if we want to take care of others.

Take intentional, meaningful action where you can.

When we are intentional with the actions we take - when those actions are meaningful both to us and to the overall cause we care about - it makes a huge difference in the way we are able to stay engaged in the long run. especially Even if the action you take is small, and feels insignificant, remember: single drops fill a bucket eventually.