Your Mental Health: How To Not Over-Consume The News
The devices in our hands allow us an endless cycle of news, notifications, and happenings. Here’s how you can avoid overconsumption.
Good morning!
Welcome to new subscribers, and thank you for being here if you opened up today’s letter. I won’t take it personal if many elect not to today.
The reason I wouldn’t mind is because my e-mail is just one of hundreds of notifications that will hit phones today. The average smartphone user receives roughly 46 push notifications a day, according to recent data. That can be overwhelming for some.
In a world where much of the news is bad news, I hope it’s clear why I make it a point to occasionally deliver quirky, good stories to your inbox — depression from too much information is a real thing. The American Press Institute, a journalism think tank, conducted research last year that found younger Americans have intense news fatigue, and feel worse the longer they’re online.
Some people still care about being “in the know,” but probably don’t want to feel worse about themselves after consuming news. Which begs the question:
How do I follow current events without bearing the burden of the stress it can cause?
The answer is multifaceted.
How To Not Over-Consume The News
First, you have to reflect on your current consumption habits.
How often are you on your phone?
What newsletters are you subscribed to? What social media accounts throw current events in your face? How well-informed are your social circles?
After you’ve done this audit, it’s time to decide what your boundaries are.
(The reason I don’t suggest just muting notifications altogether is because the social pressure of knowing the world around you might begin to force you to relapse into the news cycle. This study from The Pew Research Center showed back in 2020 that even some moderately disengaged news consumers felt stressed out by the news).
Pick the times of day you’ll spend scrolling and the time you’ll spend away from your phone. Pick what kind of news you want to be in the know about, and which kind you’d prefer to stay away from.

As someone who attended journalism school during the 2016 election and saw the tribalism we’re currently experiencing happening in real-time, let me advise on a third point:
Be firm in your detachment from certain news, and don’t let anyone guilt you.
Your mental health is more important than getting caught up in the current shitstorm of events that we’re dealing with, and no one should tell you otherwise. A perfectly reasonable thing to say amongst friends who are engaging too frequently in current events is, “Hey everyone, let’s not talk about the news right now.”
Next, find a hobby that involves detaching from technology for a bit, whether it’s hiking (in a place without service, if you can), playing with your kids, engaging in recreational sports, or even just deep-breathing.
Apple’s “Focus” settings are a valuable tool for redirecting attention. The “Work” and “Sleep” focuses for me have helped me limit mid-day and evening browsing so that I’m totally focused on the clients I’m training, the newsletters I’m writing, or enjoying time with my partner at night. Setting time limits for browsing certain apps can also mitigate phone use.
Sometimes, it can be better to just delete certain apps altogether for a period of time. Studies have shown smartphone use and FOMO, or fear of missing out, are correlated with higher stress in college students, supporting the idea that too much engagement with social apps means more anxiety.

Changing Your News Diet
I’ve always found that changing and substituting your means of consumption can make for a healthy media diet. Sounds a lot like eating actual food, right? Here’s a thought, inspired by one of Dr. Spencer Nadolsky’s Instagram posts on our ability to maintain a new diet:
(Note: His posts are purely diet and fitness, but Dr. Nadolsky is an A-1 Instagram follow).
When trying a new media diet — be it reading new publications, no more socials and just newsletters (or vice versa), or simply getting the good old-fashion newspaper or magazine delivered to you — be aware that this change will probably get boring after 3-6 months.
Even if after a while you return to old media consumption habits, always try to be vigilant about the amount of stories you read.
Ask yourself this question:
“How much more nuance could I read about this news event, and will it make me happier?”
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