The Current State of the World:
If you’re paying attention to the news at all (on TV, social media, or anywhere else), you’ll know that there is a lot that’s gone wrong since the beginning of 2026. Noone can agree on anything, everyone hates everyone, and people are getting hurt.
Your Brain on Bad News
It is very important for all of us to be aware of what is happening in the world. At the same time, however, getting trapped in the constant swirl of negativity that is our news cycle and social media feeds can take a serious toll on mental health. Studies have shown that heavy exposure to negative news can increase anxiety, stress, and feelings of hopelessness (Strasser et al., 2022).
As humans, we are hard-wired to be social and empathetic. It makes sense, then, that constantly hearing about all the terrible things happening to our fellow humans would wear on our emotional well-being.
This Isn’t New
This is not a new idea. Marcus Aurelius, a second-century Stoic philosopher, wrote in Meditations: “The soul is dyed by the thoughts” (Book 5, Section 16). Translation: “what we dwell on repeatedly shapes our mindset and emotional life.” It makes sense, then, that when our news cycle and social media feeds are filled with negativity, our experience of life would start to feel negative as well.
“The soul is dyed by the thoughts”
Everyone is Feeling This
Constant negativity doesn’t discriminate. SZA’s Grammy acceptance speech inspired this week’s newsletter, during which she pleads with viewers: “please don’t fall into despair. I know that right now is a scary time. I know the algorithms tell us that it’s so scary and all is lost. There’s been world wars. There’s been plagues and we have gone on. We can go on.”
What To Do?
So, what can we do about this? I’ve started doing a few small things to counteract the flood of negativity, and I encourage you to give one (or all) of them a try this week:
Do a quick audit of your social media feeds and ask yourself if you feel better or worse after scrolling for a few minutes.
Consider deleting social media apps. I still use social media, but I restrict myself to logging in from my laptop. Now I can detach from the algorithm when I’m out of the house.
Talk to some strangers. If you do, you will realize that most of the people around you are actually very kind.
A negative environment can have a negative impact on all of us. If you are struggling with negative thoughts, please reach out to someone (I am always here to chat).
The world isn’t perfect and it never has been, but we’re still here. It’s important to put effort towards fixing whats wrong, but sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is choose to focus on the good.
See you all next week,
Nate