I quit the news in 2025
Regardless of which side of the political aisle you side with, the one thing we can all agree on is that the world is a chaotic mess.
Politically, I’m left of center so I don’t agree with the vast majority of what the Trump administration is doing. During Trump’s first term, I felt it was my civic duty to keep up with every step he took so I could be an informed, educated citizen.
In 2025, I chucked that ideal into the trash. I decided to stop consuming the news for the sake of staying “informed” because it negatively impacted my daily life and well-being, and didn’t solve anything. I found that reading about what’s happening in the world has a much more negative impact on my individual existence than what’s actually happening in the world.
But let me back up.
Without going into detail, I had accumulated a high volume of unresolved pain and trauma, coupled with untreated generalized anxiety, by the end of 2023. So in 2024, I started therapy and began to grieve, heal, and learn how to move forward.
By the time 2025 rolled around and the Trump administration took office, I had a whole new look on life: I decided to prioritize health and happiness with this one short, scary, beautiful life. It’s not worth sacrificing my mental and physical wellness to pay attention to the garbage that is the news and social media when there’s so much beauty everywhere.
I just can’t do both—I can’t practice gratitude, take care of myself, show up for my local community, have energy to volunteer, be a good friend, or be a good neighbor AND doom scroll, brain rot, be constantly angry at the “other side,” or drive around my community labeling people with an extreme political identity based on the car they drive.
I only get one life and I’m not going to spend it drowning in the world’s problems. Hell, I’m not even going to spend it drowning in my own problems (hence the therapy, journaling, self-care, etc). I’m choosing to be a positive impact in the community I live in and with the people I interact with rather than be upset about what’s happening to other people somewhere I have no personal impact on.
What’s happened since quitting the news in February 2025?
- I deleted most of my social media accounts except for Facebook and Instagram, which I culled down to only following local organizations that I support in my community
- I realized I don’t need a smartphone and switched to a brick phone, giving me hours of my life, energy, and attention back, which I’ve then poured back into my own mental and physical health, my loved ones, and local organizations
- I don’t constantly feel angry, sad, or hopeless throughout the day as I scroll through terrible story after terrible story
- Since I no longer have a smartphone to distract me, I now have meaningful interactions with people at the grocery store, local nursery, animal rescue, park, waiting room, or library. And because I’m not emotionally drained from the news, I show up better to those interactions.
My community gets a healthier version of me. If we all become healthier versions of ourselves, the world might just start healing.
We have to be the change we want to see in the world. I personally want to see the world become less angry, less judgmental, and more connected in meaningful ways. So I’m on a journey to become less angry, less judgmental, and more connected in meaningful ways. My first step was healing within myself, and my second step was setting a boundary that my brain and body won’t be held captive to the toxic, addicting, for-profit American news machine.
So, I quit the news to be change I want to see in the world. Maybe you should too.
Amended to add a list of actionable steps
- I hate the fact that ICE is rounding people up and deporting them. Instead of being mad at the news, I've been going out and supporting locally-owned Hispanic and Latinx organizations. For instance, just a few weeks ago I found an amazing new authentic Mexican restaurant across town. I went for 3 weekends in a row, and the same server recognized me. I started talking to her, asking how long the restaurant has been in business. She said they just opened in August, and the community has really shown up for them. I told her that I live 30-45 minutes away but I'm happy to make the drive out since the food is spectacular, it's family-owned, and I just generally want to show my support during this time. She was very thankful, sent me home with tons of extra food (score!), and welcomed me back anytime. A positive experience in every sense.
- I live in a city where animal cruelty laws are lax, there are tons of backyard breeders and animal abusers crawling around the city, and we don't have many reputable no-kill rescue organizations. The ones we do have are understandably overwhelmed, not having enough space or staff to handle the entirety of the problem. Instead of be mad at the corrupt politicians who allow the problem to continue, I volunteer with one of the rescue organizations, taking dogs out on hikes with me to get them out of their kennel and advertise that they're available for adoption, and cleaning kennels during close-up.
I don't say any of this to brag (although I am proud to overcome my introvertedness and get out there). But volunteering with organizations or frequenting local businesses that share your values goes a long way in people's lives, and makes you feel like you're actually doing something to help solve the problem, rather than simply learning more and more about the problem on social media. It's important and healthy for us to support something instead of be against something else.
Consider showing up and showing out to support your local community this holiday season. Then consider making it a regular habit in 2026.