The modern news cycle isn’t built to gently keep you updated. It’s built to capture your attention, and that often means leading with the worst-case scenarios, dramatic visuals, and emotionally charged language.
Studies show that negative news activates the amygdala—the part of your brain that processes fear and danger. And if you’ve been through trauma, your amygdala may already be more sensitive than most. This can lead to hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, and a sense that danger is always around the corner.
So while others might feel “concerned” by the latest headline, you might feel personally unsafe, even if the event is happening halfway across the world. That’s not because you’re weak or dramatic—it’s because your brain and nervous system is trying to protect you.
In this blog we’ll explore the link between the news cycle, trauma and overthinking, plus, what you can do about it.
Trauma and the Trap of Overthinking
One of trauma’s lasting effects is a tendency to overthink. Your brain learns to scan for threats, replay conversations, and anticipate the worst, all because it wants to prevent danger and keep us safe.
For example, if you had a chaotic or unpredictable upbringing, your nervous system may have learned that peace never lasts and something bad was always around the corner. Even now, years later, your brain might be constantly on alert: watching, bracing, expecting something bad. When a breaking news alert flashes across your phone, it can validate that part of your mind that says, “See? I knew something terrible was coming.”
This is your brain’s protective mechanism formed in response to instability. But it means that for people with a history of trauma, the news doesn’t just inform, it confirms their deepest fears.
Layered on top of this is negativity bias—a hardwired tendency for the brain to give more attention and weight to negative information. We evolved this way to survive threats in the wild, but in today’s world, it means we’re more likely to remember disturbing headlines than balanced or positive ones, and more likely to feel distressed by one terrifying story than reassured by five hopeful ones.
This creates fertile ground for cognitive distortions like catastrophising: imagining the worst possible outcome and believing it’s likely to happen. For example:
- “If this is happening there, it could happen here any day now.”
- “What if society collapses?”
- “I’m not safe. No one is.”
Even if part of you knows cognitively that these thoughts might be exaggerated, they can still feel true at an emotional level. This can cause anxiety, insomnia, or emotional burnout/shut down.
Social Media: A Constant Feed of Fear
For those of us who use social media, we might find it’s not just the news anymore, it’s everyone’s reactions to the news. Scrolling can quickly turn into a carousel of fear, outrage, judgment, and misinformation.
Every post you see, every comment, every video, can act like a mini-trigger. And when you’re already in a fragile headspace, even a few minutes online can leave you feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
The worst part? You might not even notice it happening. So many of us are disconnected to our bodies and don’t even notice the creeping sense of heaviness, anxiety, or hopelessness until we’ve been scrolling for hours.
What You Can Do to Reclaim Your Peace
You don’t have to swear off the news forever. In fact, it can be perfectly healthy to be up to date on current affairs, but only if it is done in a balanced way. You can create a more intentional relationship with information, and protect your mental health in the process.
1. Check In With Your Body. Before you open the news or start scrolling, pause and notice how you’re feeling. Are you already stressed? Tired? Dissociated? If so, this might not be the time to dive in.
2. Curate Your Feeds. Mute, unfollow, or block sources that consistently trigger fear, anger, or helplessness. Seek out accounts that offer calm, clarity, and constructive action instead of constant crisis.
3. Limit Exposure. Give yourself permission to check the news once or twice a day, maybe just a few times a week, or you could even do a news “detox” for a few weeks. Set time limits on apps if you need to. Your body and mind will thank you.
4. Reality-Check Your Thoughts. When you notice yourself catastrophising, pause and ask:
- Is this a thought or a fact?
- What else might be true?
- What would I say to a friend who felt this way?
This kind of gentle questioning can help interrupt the spiral without invalidating your emotions.
5. Ground in the Present. Catastrophising pulls you into a future that hasn’t happened. Grounding practices such as breathwork, noticing your surroundings, or gentle movement, can help bring you back into the now, where you’re actually safe.
6. Get Support if You Need It. A history of trauma can make everyday stressors like the news cycle hit harder. A trauma-informed therapist can help you understand why your brain reacts the way it does, help you process your past, and discover tools to help calm your mind.
Final Thoughts
We weren’t designed to absorb the world’s pain 24/7. And yet, that’s what modern media often asks of us. If the news leaves you anxious, overwhelmed, or spiraling into worst-case scenarios, it might be time to hit pause and do something that recharges you instead.
You can care deeply about the world and take care of your mental health. You’re allowed to take breaks. You’re allowed to turn off the noise. And most of all, you’re allowed to protect your peace.
