For many highly sensitive people (HSPs), staying responsibly informed feels like walking a tightrope. You care deeply about what’s happening in the world, and to some extent, you really want to know! But the constant flood of distressing news headlines, graphic images and videos, and endless hot takes can quickly lead to emotional overwhelm, hopelessness, and burnout.

If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling after reading the news, or avoiding it entirely because it just feels like too much, you’re not alone. Being sensitive doesn’t mean you’re fragile. It means your nervous system is more responsive to input, especially emotionally-charged content.

This world needs more people like you. More people who deeply care. But caring sustainably requires boundaries, intention, and rest.

In this post, I’ll walk you through five gentle but powerful ways to engage with news in a healthier way, so you can stay informed and stay sane.

1. Know Your Limits (and Honor Them)

First, let’s normalize that we all have limits. And that’s not a flaw. It’s part of being human (and especially a part of being a Highly Sensitive one). Think of them not as obstacles, but as messages from your nervous system, asking for your attention and letting you know what it needs.

Signs you may be nearing your media limit:

• Feeling emotionally flooded or frozen
• A sense of helplessness or hopelessness
• Obsessive checking or compulsively refreshing headlines
• Guilt for not doing "anything" or "enough"
• Trouble sleeping or relaxing after consuming news

Instead of pushing through, try acknowledging those signs as your system’s way of saying, "Hey, I need a break."

👉 Try this:

Create a simple “stoplight” system for yourself. If you're in the yellow or red zone, it's time to pause. 

🟢 Green: I'm clear-headed and calm

🟡 Yellow: I feel tense or emotionally activated

🔴 Red: I’m spiraling or shut-down

Stepping back from the news doesn't mean you're ignoring reality; it just means you're resourcing yourself to keep showing up over time.

2. Curate Your Media Sources

Not all news is created equal. Some outlets profit mightily from sensationalized stories that spark panic and outrage, while others aim to inform with more balance and clarity.

Choosing trustworthy sources can help reduce your anxiety. It also prevents you from accidentally absorbing misinformation (we're all at risk for that) or doom-heavy speculation.

👉 Try this:

• Pick 2-3 reliable sources you trust (variety is healthy), and skip the rest.
• Consider podcasts instead of visual media to limit sensory input. (Doing this helped me immensely!)
• Subscribe to a once-daily or weekly news digest (I like News Not Noise on Substack).
• Turn off push notifications for news apps and social media.
• Avoid sensationalized headlines or clickbait.

Curation is not denial; it’s discernment.

3. Consume Consciously

How you consume media (and when) matters. Passively scrolling through headlines while half-distracted or while you're trying to fall asleep can obviously be more damaging than helpful. Instead, choose to consume consciously, with care and intention. Not every headline deserves your attention. 

👉 Try this:

• Don’t read the news first thing in the morning or right before bed.
• Pair it with grounding rituals, like a cup of tea, deep breathing, or walking (proceed with caution for this last one).
• Ask yourself before reading: "Why am I reaching for this now? Am I curious? Bored? How do I want to feel afterward?

Give your energy, clicks, likes, and shares to what aligns with your values, not what hijacks your nervous system.

4. Take Compassionate Action

One of the hardest parts of being an informed Highly Sensitive Person is feeling powerless. We care deeply, and it hurts when we can’t fix things. Compassion without action can lead to despair, so it's important that we take action.

Having a difficult conversation, making a small donation, sending a message to your representatives, and taking care of yourself are some ways to create powerful ripples.

👉 Try this:

• Choose one cause or issue to support this month.
• Set a recurring reminder to take one action step (however small).
• Talk to others about what you care about

None of us can do everything. But we can all do something.

5. Balance It With Beauty

When you’re Highly Sensitive, joy and beauty aren’t distractions from the “real world” - they’re survival tools. Your system needs reminders that there is still good in the world.

You can grieve and enjoy laughter. You can be angry and hold hope. You can stay informed and protect your energy.

👉 Try this:

• Create a “nourishment menu” of uplifting activities. Think favorite poems, uplifting playlists, feel-good friends, comfort TV shows, and places in nature.
• After your conscious-media-time, deliberately do something gentle or beautiful to rebalance.

Celebrating life is not ignoring suffering. It's resisting despair.

We're All In This Together

If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the state of the world recently, you’re not broken or too sensitive. And you're certainly not the only one.

Let's face it, things feel particularly chaotic right now. It's far too easy to pull the blanket over our heads and stop paying attention. Doing just that is completely okay sometimes. But we must realize the privilege in that.

The truth is, this world needs you. Your compassion, your drive for good, your empathy, and your discernment are all gifts in these frightening times. Your sensitivity is not the problem. It’s the reason you care so deeply. And when you care with boundaries, you don’t just survive the world—you help heal it.

Staying responsibly informed doesn’t mean staying overwhelmed. Healthy news habits help you care in ways that are real, empowering, and sustainable. Do it for you, do it for the world.

🌎 ❤️‍🩹

✨ Josie Munroe, LMFT is a licensed therapist and owner of JosieMunroe.com and Your Sensitive Recovery.  As a recovered clinician and Highly Sensitive Person, she loves supporting others on their journeys to form new, empowered relationships with food, their bodies, and their sensitivity. Join the newsletter for a weekly boost of hope and inspiration. You deserve a recovery that works for you! ✨