I was watching this amazing video from ‘Struthless’ called ‘The Hidden Cost of Doomscrolling’, and it got me thinking about all the times in my own life when I ended up in the internet spiral, reading about all the awful things happening in the world.

It was devastating, and utterly crushing. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who gets caught in these spirals where I end up in a state of paralysis. I want to do all sorts of things to help the world, but I feel so small and the problems seem so big.

Recently, I have been growing more mindful of the times when I am getting caught in the doom-scrolling trap, and stop it sooner. It sometimes means shutting down the tab or app I’m reading from and taking a few minutes to look outside and reconnect with the world. Other times it means consciously choosing to look on the flip side, such as seeking out what people are already doing to solve the issue. There are always people out there helping, we just have to look for it.

Unfortunately the ‘negativity bias’ is real, and negativity sells. In our late-stage capitalist society, this means that we’re constantly bombarded with negative news to spark outrage that will invite more viewers to get their eyes onto their websites, TV channels, or podcasts (oh, and the latest set of advertisements of course!)

Bad news sells, and positive news is boring – it’s even been proven.

As far as advice goes, the best I can give you is this:

• remember that you are in control of what you let affect your life (link to budget article)
• seek out the good too – don’t just look at what is going wrong, but find what people are doing right to counter the bad things
• turn off your phone – remember that you are not a bad person for doing this. Remember how in emergency situations you are always told to take care of your own safety first? This is like that, put on your oxygen mask and your life jacket so you can keep going and help others too.
• stay critical of everything you read – I don’t mean criticise everything! But learn how to think about what you are reading:
  • Ask about what the purpose of the post/article is – are they educating effectively with solutions and rounded opinions, or are they posting for outrage?
  • Consider how you have responded to it – are you enraged, excited, saddened, made hopeful? How did they do this? Did they use sensationalised language? Emotive photographs? Was it just a topic that is close to your heart?
• find something that you can do to help! Donate a few extra dollars each week/fortnight/month that you can. Volunteer your time at a local movement. Follow a cause that is planting trees or cleaning up the ocean or saving girls from trafficking, saving the bees while helping refugees or whatever it is you’re passionate about!

Ultimately, I think it’s important to remember that we’re all just people. Collectively, we can make a difference, and it is my hope for the world that we can come together to do that. In the meantime however, we all have to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves.

Be careful what you give your attention to, and give your energy to the positive causes and projects that inspire and improve your life.

When the time does come to take action though, I’ll be seeing you there! We’ll build a new world together!