By Leo Babauta

Lots of people these days are feeling upset, distracted, exhausted by the news. It’s the state our world is in, and it’s not easy to deal with.

But not following the news doesn’t feel like a good option. I did that for a few years — I just wouldn’t read or watch the news, except once every month or two, when I’d try to catch up. For most people, that doesn’t seem responsible.

I feel lucky in that I’m now able to follow the news but stay relatively grounded. I get upset by things, of course, and I’m not happy with the state of our world. But it doesn’t throw me into a spin or drain me excessively. I’m able to focus, on most days (though I’m far from unaffected).

So how do you manage that balance, between being able to follow the news and not getting so upset you can’t function during the day?

I’m going to share how I do it, but first I’ll share a couple of mindset shifts that can be helpful.

First, the Mindset Shifts

There are two mindset changes that have helped me a lot. The first was taught to me by Pema Chodron, one of our best living Buddhist teachers. The second, by the Stoics and Zen alike.

1: Let the news connect you to humanity. When I see some terrible news, instead of letting it make me think of how terrible things are (a valid way to look at it) … I let it be a moment of practicing compassion for others.

Pema, in her book “Welcoming the Unwelcome,” talks about how falling into gloom and anxiety when we read the news can lead to a defeativist attitude.

“Why try to do anything to improve the future if it’s hopeless anyway? But according to the teachings on karma, the future is unwritten. What we do now does matter, not just to ourselves but to everyone who is part of this interconnection that we call Mother Earth. Even smiling at someone once can have tremendous ripple effect that goes out and out—who knows how far? If this is the case, then think of how much we can affect the world by enthusiastically training in opening our hearts and minds, day after day.”
— Pema Chodron, Welcoming the Unwelcome

So this is how I practice. If there’s a shooting, or a war, or people losing their jobs … I let my heart open for a minute to feel for the people affected. I feel a little heartbreak. I send them a compassionate wish. I might feel some anger sometimes, and let myself feel that, but I don’t focus on hatred or judgment. I focus on the hearts of the people involved, and opening my heart to them. I think this matters.

2: Focus on what you can control. A lot of the times, news can be stressful because we feel powerless. It helps to remember the idea that we can’t control everything — but we can choose to focus on what we control.

So I like to focus on the things I can do something about. It could be writing to a legislator, or signing a petition, or supporting a non-profit organization that’s helping, or spreading important information, or just educating myself about an issue so I’m less ignorant, or connecting with people. I don’t do it every day, to be clear, but I ask myself, “What can I do about this?” If nothing, I focus on something else in my life that is more actionable.

Now, a Method for Following the News

With those in mind, here’s what I do to follow the news in a grounded way:

1. Find balanced sources. I pick a couple sources that feel balanced, that aren’t ill-informed or screaming like the world is going to end. Then I focus on just following those on a (mostly) daily basis, while exploring wider sources beyond that. For me, that’s the New York Times and Vox. I subscribe to both. You might not agree, and that’s fine — pick ones that work for you. On a weekly (or so) basis, I also look at more international sources, and magazines that take deeper looks at things, or that have more alternative perspectives, just for some balance.

2. Set limits. I look at my daily news sources about twice a day, just for about minutes. I know I could be more informed, but that feels about right for me. The rest of the time, I allow myself to be in a crazy-free zone.

3. Breathe & connect. When I read the sources, I’m just trying to get an idea of what’s happening, and sometimes a bit of the why. That might mean I don’t read too deeply most of the time. As I scroll down, I breathe. I feel for the humans who are affected, and connect to them with an open heart.

4. Ask myself: what can I control here? Is there an action I can take to help in some way? If so, I might make a note of it so I can take action or at least reflect on that action. If not, I just am more informed, and that can be enough.

5. Sometimes, go deeper. When an issue is important enough, I’ll read pieces that go into it more deeply. I don’t have time for that most days, but when I do, I am aiming for understanding.

6. Let go. When I’m done with one of my sessions of perusing the news, I breathe and let go of anything I’m holding onto. Maybe I’m a bit upset or pained — that’s allowed! I process the emotion for a moment or two, then take on the next thing in my day by being fully present with that. Sometimes it takes a bit of a walk around to settle myself, or a short meditation. But I try not to carry it all with me into everything I’m doing.

This all takes practice! It doesn’t come naturally to me. But for me, it’s important not only to stay informed, and to feel for people and care about what’s going on … but it’s also important to be resourced and able to take on what’s important to me and within my control.

I hope this helps! My wish is for you to have peace in your life.