Are you stuck in a bad news cycle?

As we enter the second half of 2026, many of us do so with a certain amount of trepidation. What’s happened since the almost halcyon days of December 2025 is a lot to take in. Wars, cybercrime, the manosphere, ongoing climate anxiety, rising prices, a robot called Claude – all have been front and centre of our daily news consumption, and that’s before we even begin to tackle the myriad personal challenges we’re all individually facing.

For those of us living overseas, there’s an added layer – we tend to absorb news from multiple countries at once: home, Singapore and wherever’s next. Constant negative headlines can sharpen threat-detection and pull communities closer together, but being perpetually informed about events we’re emotionally invested in, yet can do little about from a distance, creates a particular kind of helplessness. The mental load feels heavier and more fragmented.

While we can’t change a bad news cycle, acknowledging it – and being more mindful of how we’re coping – is the first step to feeling better. First up is recognising what’s happening to our bodies. “It’s likely that current global circumstances are affecting us more than we know. Many people think coping means ‘I’m still functioning’, but our nervous systems don’t measure coping that way,” explains Soolin Choi, counsellor at New Leaf Counselling and Integrative Health (newleaf.com.sg). “A constant barrage of negative news can lead to chronic anxiety or emotional exhaustion, but people adapt to it so well that they stop noticing. It shows up in subtle ways, but often at a higher physiological cost than we’re aware of.”

According to Soolin, compulsively checking phone updates, feeling uneasy in quiet moments, difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep and a dulled sense of feeling are all signs that your nervous system is under undue stress. “Many people miss these signs because they attribute them to work stress or general life demands, rather than connecting them to their media consumption and the state of the world,” she says, noting that irritability is one of the most common symptoms that often gets overlooked. “Without acknowledging the signs, over time, even low-level stress can elevate cortisol, affecting sleep, digestion, energy, immune function and how quickly we become overwhelmed.”

Creating structure

The good news (there is some!) is that engaging with world events more intentionally can significantly ease symptoms. “For people who need to stay informed, whether for work or personal reasons, the goal isn’t to switch off completely, but to create structure around media intake,” Soolin says.

A healthy relationship with the news means choosing when and how you consume it, rather than being pulled in throughout the day. Practically, this means setting clear time limits, choosing a few reliable outlets and resisting scrolling across multiple sources. It also means developing a critical lens; not absorbing everything that sounds urgent and staying alert to how easily a clickbait headline can trigger an emotional response before you’ve had a chance to think. “Guilt often comes from the belief that being constantly updated means being responsible,” Soolin continues. “But more exposure doesn’t lead to better understanding, it leads to overload and confusion.”

Sleep, meanwhile, is foundational. “It’s what allows the nervous system to reset,” Soolin says. In addition, physical movement helps to release accumulated tension, while social connection provides perspective and emotional regulation, reminding us we’re not dealing with things alone.

For those with children, it’s important to be mindful of your own response to the news. Kids don’t just absorb information; they also pick up on mood and tone. The goal isn’t to shield them from every difficult reality, but to help them make sense of what’s happening in a way that feels safe and manageable. “Keep explanations simple, age-appropriate and grounded in what they can understand,” Soolin suggests. “Emphasise what’s being done to keep people safe, rather than focusing only on what’s going wrong.”

Stay attuned to their reactions. More often than not, a child’s questions are less about the facts than they are about seeking reassurance – something that, in different ways, applies to all of us.

BAD NEWS BE GONE

• Be aware of changes in mood, appetite, sleep or social engagement. These are often the first signs that news consumption is becoming too much
• The body needs periods of safety to recalibrate. Constant exposure to distressing information interrupts that process, so set aside time to do something away from a screen that occupies your mind in healthier ways
• Establish a “news curfew.” Avoid the news late at night. Distressing content tends to stay with you, making it harder to wind down. Reading headlines earlier in the day is better
• Choose reliable, calm news sources. Opt for news outlets that provide comprehensive, fact-based reporting rather than sensationalist stories
• Sleep, movement and social connection all buffer news anxiety. “If I had to prioritise, I’d say sleep sets the baseline,” says Soolin. “But without movement and connection, it’s harder to maintain it.” ANZA Casual Coffee (anza.org.sg/activities/casual-coffee) and ANZA Social Night (anza.org.sg/events) offer great starting points for meetups
• When the big picture feels overwhelming, zoom in. Focus on your immediate environment, your community and positive actions within reach that make you feel good – that’s where your energy is best spent

News fatigue research: PlayersTime/MarketsChain survey, April 2026