When you’re drowning in news alerts, this can help
9 minutes Some days, it feels like we’re stuck in the movie Groundhog Day—but this time, it’s a horror remake.
Just when you catch your breath from one (heart)breaking news alert about the hostile takeover of our government, another news alert knocks you down. 💔
No wonder we’re all overwhelmed.
Many of us feel like we need to keep up with everything that’s happening. We need to stay informed. We need to bear witness. Because if we don’t know what’s going on, how can we fight it?
And yet, keeping up with every single thing that’s happening every day is impossible. Because the news doesn’t have an endpoint. No matter how many news alerts or articles you read, you’ll never be caught up. More news is always coming.
Meanwhile, we’re stuck in a paradox…
- The more news you consume for the purpose of staying informed so you can fight back, the more overwhelmed and powerless you’re likely to feel.
- The more overwhelmed you feel, the less likely you’ll be to fight back…which is the reason you were consuming all that news in the first place. 😬
Since January 21, I’ve noticed that every breaking news alert lands like another 50-pound sandbag on my shoulders. And often by the end of the day, I can’t think straight, let alone take even a tiny step to help protect our democracy.
So I went searching for words of wisdom from long-time community organizers.
Three gold nuggets came up again and again…
- You as a single individual do not have to keep up with every single thing that’s happening every day.
- Setting boundaries around your news intake doesn’t make you a bad person. It’s not a moral failing.
- In fact, because news overwhelm can kill our motivation to act, setting news boundaries can be incredibly empowering.
Some people recommend that you go on a news diet. But because diet culture is problematic and going on a “news diet” implies the problem is you rather than the news, I find it helpful to look at it a different way.
👉 Put the news in a box.
This mental image came to me because when I once tried reading The Shining, I had to hide the book in the freezer when I wasn’t actively reading it so that I could protect my fragile mental state.
Replace The Shining with the daily news cycle and my freezer with a metaphorical cardboard box in the back of your closet, and you get the idea.
You’re not denying yourself the news. You’re just keeping it in a safe place for when you’re mentally ready for it. ✅
But how do you do that, exactly?
See #1 under Do this + feel better below for the news hacks that are working for me and other Molly’s Army members.
Try one or two of those hacks, and soon, you’ll no longer feel like Bill Murray trapped in an endless (news) loop. 💪
Get this in your inbox: When you join Molly’s Army here, every week, you’ll get simple, doable steps we can take to save our democracy even when we’re busy and overwhelmed by the firehose of bad news.
What’s inside
Inside our latest update, you’ll find these sections:
- Do this + feel better: 3 things you can do right now. Taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm.
- Keep growing: 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen—something to listen to, something to watch, and something to read.
- Get a shot of motivation: A quote that resonated this week.
- Hey, look! We did this: A quick run-down of what folks in our little group of rabble-rousers have been doing to help.
- Your turn: What small actions have you taken lately? Let me know so we can celebrate with you!
Do this + feel better
Here are 3 things you can do right now. As a bonus, taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm…
1. Put the news in a box
The bad news is relentless and overwhelming, which is the point. This regime wants us overwhelmed. They want us to feel powerless. They want us to feel disconnected from community.
Because that’s how bullies win.
👉 Help your future self by setting a boundary around your news intake. Here are a few ideas that have worked for me and for some of your fellow Molly’s Army members:
- Cull your pings—Do a quick 2-minute audit of your notification settings. In your phone’s settings (iPhone and Android), go to Notifications, look for the app notifications you have configured, and turn off the notifications that aren’t serving you.
- For example, if you’re getting breaking news alerts from The New York Times 17 times a day, ask yourself: Is this inspiring me to take action, or is it adding to my feelings of overwhelm? If the latter, disable the notification.
- Set a timer—Instead of checking the news off and on all day long, decide on 1-2 times a day that you’ll check the news and set a timer before you do.
- For example, you might decide: I’ll check the news once in the morning before work and one more time after dinner. I’ll set a timer for 15 minutes each time and when it dings, I’ll celebrate my healthy boundaries by watching a funny cat video/reading a book for fun/baking a dozen chocolate chip cookies and eating them all in one sitting.
- Curate your own—Instead of letting an algorithm like TikTok or Twitter decide what you see, go directly to news sources you trust, like ProPublica, PBS, or a local news outlet. (See section #2 after this!)
- Add a chaser—Even if you’re getting the news in smaller doses, it can still leave you feeling blah. Try chasing your news update with stories of people doing good work to remind you that We the People have power. You can read the Hey, look! We did this section of our weekly Molly’s Army updates, flip through photos you saved from previous rallies, or scroll the #TinyJoys feed on Bluesky.
🎯 Is there something else that’s worked well for you to put the news in a metaphorical box? Drop a comment below (or email me) to let me know, and I’ll share your tip with our whole crew in a future update!
2. Throw a lifeline to journalists
This tiny step comes from Molly’s Army member Jamie: Experts who study fascism say that protecting the freedom of the press is essential to fighting off an authoritarian power grab like what we’re witnessing in the U.S.
But to be clear, freedom of the press isn’t some pie-in-the-sky ideal. This is about protecting people’s freedoms and livelihoods. 💜
In this 5-minute clip from a recent Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Rachel Maddow shares a powerful example of the role our local journalists can play in this moment. Rachel explains:
“The most important stories don’t necessarily happen in Washington. They happen where the rubber meets the road, where you’ve got an out-of-control federal government abusing people and thinking they’ll never have to pay for it. You need local news organizations and reporters who are able to go there and tell those stories so we know about it and so we can respond.”
But tracking down sources, fact-checking, and corralling all that research into a cohesive piece of journalism that will inform and inspire action? It takes time and resources.
And in the current political climate, local journalism is struggling most of all.
👉 Please consider sponsoring the hard work of journalists in your area.
If you aren’t sure what’s in your area, try searching for “local independent news.” On local news websites, check for a “donate” or “support” option, or look for an option to become a paid subscriber. Whether you can do a one-time gift or a monthly donation of a few bucks, your support will help them do important, democracy-saving work.
Alternative: If that’s not in the cards for you at the moment, sign up for your local news outlet’s email newsletter and make it a goal to share their stories with friends, family, and co-workers to help spread the facts. 🫡
3. Make a plan for June 14
On June 14—Flag Day—Trump wants to spend tens of millions on a military parade for his birthday, complete with tanks in the street and helicopters overhead. A parade worthy of a king.
But in America, we don’t do kings.
So on June 14, we’ll join together for No Kings, a nationwide day of defiance. 🇺🇸
We’ll reject authoritarianism by showing the world what democracy really looks like, from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks.
👉 Find your closest event here, then make a plan so you’re ready to go:
- Will you drive or take mass transit? If you drive, where will you park?
- Are you up for making a sign? If not, it’s all good! But if so, start thinking about what you want to write on it.
- Who will you invite to go with you? (Hint: Suggest grabbing lunch/dinner/drinks afterwards, and that’ll add to the fun!)
Community orgs helping to make this happen include Common Cause, Indivisible, the Interfaith Alliance, Public Citizen, Stand Up for Science, Third Act, Vote Save America, 50501, and lots more. This is all hands on deck!
Keep growing
Learning about what’s happening and how we dig ourselves out of this hole is an ongoing process. Here are 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen who wants to protect this democracy:
- 🎧 Listen: Molly’s Army member Wendy recommends Assembly Required, a weekly podcast from Stacey Abrams. Wendy says it’s “positive, inspiring, super informative, and very motivating. Even in this dark time for our country. She ends every episode with a very do-able call to action.” Here’s a recent episode: Rachel Maddow on Winning America’s Fight Against Fascism.
- 📺 Watch (6 minutes): In this short video, three professors who study fascism explain why they’ve made the difficult decision to leave the U.S. This is an excellent summary of what’s happening and the high stakes involved, but mostly I wanted to share this because of what they say starting around the 5:35 mark.
- 📖 Read (5 minutes): This online comic explains why the attacks on public media like NPR and PBS cannot stand—but with funny illustrations, including a rendition of Cookie Monster that’s probably not suitable for children. (Don’t miss the “on a personal note” section at the bottom!)
Get a shot of motivation
A quote that resonated this week:
“Your power is relative, but it is real. And if you do not learn to use it, it will be used, against you, and me, and our children. Change did not begin with you, and it will not end with you, but what you do with your life is an absolutely vital piece of that chain. The testimony of your daily living is the missing remnant in the fabric of our future.”
— Author and civil rights activist Audre Lorde, in a commencement speech at Oberlin College in 1989
Hey, look! We did this
Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:
- Austin and Gena showed up for a banner drop at an overpass for the first time. Austin said: “Great to have the big banners and American flags and to hear all the cars honking in support. Appreciate Indivisible Rosedale Huddle and ResistTrump organizing it!” 🤸
- Dana used sidewalk chalk to write democracy-promoting messages outside, then this happened: “This older lady walked by and said she really liked my chalk messages and that it means a lot to a lot of people.” 🥹
- Rebecca spread the word about Molly’s Army to a few friends. 👭
- A few of our members showed up for Tesla Takedown events last week. Find the next event in your area here. 🌟
- Jamie has been sharing clear, concise calls to action with friends in a Signal group chat to inspire folks to step up. 🎯
- Cathy and Jamie distributed door hangers to call out U.S. Representative Michael McCaul for not standing up to this fascist regime. ✅
- Melanie took her teenager to a local production of the play What the Constitution Means to Me and said they were both really moved by it. Bruce added: “I also recommend What the Constitution Means to Me. Now I can’t stop thinking about the constitution! It worked!” 🇺🇸
- Several folks showed up to the Texas State Capitol to testify and demand the legislature fund Texas public schools. 👏
- Wendy became a sustaining member of Molly’s Army. We’re now about halfway to covering our current costs! 💃🏼
Your turn
What small actions have you taken lately? Please drop a comment below (or email me) and let me know what you’ve been up to so we can celebrate with you. 🥳
