(NaturalHealth365)  It’s everywhere you look these days, doom and gloom, and the world is falling apart.  It’s on the television, social media, newspapers, magazines, and on the lips of just about everyone you meet, from your best friend to the gentlemen in the checkout line at the grocery store.   They’re all talking about how the economy is tanking, out-of-control immigration, scary pandemics, rising homelessness, increasing government overreach, and people hating each other for the political party they support, the religion they choose,  and the car they drive.

Sometimes it seems like all this drama sucks the air right out of the room, and if you’re like many people, you probably wish you could just turn it off and breathe for a while.  But you can’t.  It is relentless and pervasive, and you feel so overwhelmed and anxious.  You need a break.

What you need a break from is “doom fatigue.”

“Doom fatigue” leads to sleep issues, anxiety, and more  

A person with doom fatigue feels overwhelmed because they are bombarded with one negative or stressful event after another within a short window.  Because it is constantly put before them in one form or another, they may perceive that the issue is bigger or worse than it really is.  The main reason is that they are constantly receiving input about it, hearing reports and discussions about it from a number of sources.

This can result in obsessive thoughts that can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and increased stress that can affect blood pressure, heart conditions, and other stress-related health issues.  The human body was not meant to be in a permanent fight, flight, or freeze status; that is too taxing on the organs.

To escape or avoid all of that, some people will shut it all down completely, refusing to look at any news outlets or listen to any reports.  Unfortunately, this complete avoidance can also be detrimental because they could miss vital information that they need to know.

It is a delicate balance, but there are ways to manage it all without suffering from information overload and succumbing to doom fatigue.

Discover 10 simple strategies for managing doom fatigue

There are ways you can manage doom fatigue and stop feeling like you have a little black cloud hovering over you.  Some of these tips may be hard at first, but it’s important to stick to them.  You will be healthier and happier as a result.

Narrow your pool of sources.  Bombardment starts because the information is coming from everywhere.  Control the bombardment and choose only a few sources that you trust and only get your information from there.

Find other ways to occupy your mind.  Read a book, do crafts, play a video game, paint, work in the yard – do something that will occupy your mind so you aren’t contemplating the issues that overwhelm you.

Get your head out of the game.  Shut it down and walk away for a while.  Stop engaging with the topic, watching every YouTube video, and reading every social media post about it.  Give your mind and your body a break.  Walk away from it for a while.

Schedule your news check-ins.  Resolve to only reading the news or viewing news videos at certain times of the day.  Avoid when you first wake up and right before you go to bed.  Instead, opt for mid-morning and early evening or some schedule like that.

Get social in person.  Get off social media.  Get off your devices.  Go out and talk to real live human beings.  Hang out with friends, join a club, or take a class.  Just do something to get you in the presence of other human beings in real time.

Stay away from the comments!  When you are reading articles or watching videos online, do yourself a huge favor and stay away from the comments.  That is where facts really get tangled, and emotions run high.  It isn’t worth it, and most of the time, there is no profit in it at all.

Assess your assumptions.  Take some time to reflect on your assumptions and beliefs.  Challenge them and examine them to see if they hold water or if they have just become a habit.  Then, it may be time to let them go.

Put down the device.  Do yourself and your family a favor and put down your device.  Don’t use it while eating, right before bed, or as soon as you wake up.  Give your brain a break.  There are more than enough hours in a day to be able to spend time on your device, but it should not be all day.  Put it down and engage with the real people in your life.

Focus on the things you can control.  If you can’t control it, then worrying is wasted energy.  Instead of looking at where you are powerless, look at the areas that you can control and focus on them.

Take care of yourself.  Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, and practice stress management strategies.  Taking care of yourself will make it easier for you to manage your doom fatigue until it isn’t even an issue any longer.

Sources for this article include:

ActivistPost.com
HBR.org