Today, I listened to the following episode from the 10% Happier podcast with Dan Harris:

In the episode, Harris talks with Claudia Hammond, an award-winning writer and broadcaster. She is Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind. Her latest book is Overwhelmed: Ways to Take the Pressure Off.

Here’s another link to the website of Dan Harris with the podcast, including a transcript of the conversation.

To me, the most relevant part of the conversation between them was about how to not let the news overwhelm you. That part of the conversation begins at 30:44 and ends at 40:56.

For me, the key takeaways were these:

• No news alerts on phone unless it’s for your job.
• When does news affect you? Morning or evening? What’s best time for you to get or seek updates?
• Choose one site or source reliable for you and fixed times.
• Include a longer read. That way, you won’t be left with “panicked headlines” as Hammond calls them.

Myself, I absolutely do not have alerts. In fact, I have limited notifications and use an app called minimalist phone that assists greatly with that. As for when news affects me, it’s moreso the late afternoon and evening where I get especially stressed by the news. So, I think Harris’s idea to put the phone away after dinner or at night might work for me.

How do you not get overwhelmed by the news? What strategies work for you?