It’s been shown that watching the news leads to depression. And it’s also a truism that virtually everything reported in the first 24 hours after a catastrophe/tragedy will turn out to be wrong, because it’s so important to be FIRST, no one bothers to be RIGHT.

But ignoring the news isn’t the same as ignoring everything outside of your bubble. It gives you the time and mental clarity to do deep dives into issues that matter to you.

Set up Google alerts to notify you about new developments in areas of interest, such as treatments for diseases family members are wrestling with. Subscribe to people who curate the most well-researched and thoughtful commentaries on endemic situations, such as poverty or race relations. And ask your friends and family to explain the latest news that has them riled up -- they’ll enjoy being the expert, and you get to learn the key facts (athlete claimed he was vaccinated and safe to play then got Covid; new law was passed causing outrage; new strain of Covid caused stock market plunge…) without subjecting yourself to the emotional manipulation of the media.

One of the main reasons news consumption causes depression is because you feel like there’s nothing you can do besides be outraged. Consciously seeking out news to consume automatically puts you in the position of doing something. So even if you read/see/hear the same news as someone else, you won’t be as negatively affected by it.