Tips for Staying Informed as a Highly Sensitive with Anxiety

You’ve tried to find a balance — by silencing notifications from that group chat, only checking the news in the mornings, not talking politics with your partner(s) past 7pm — and yet you still feel guilty for not being able to handle things differently. Before you sentence yourself to another guilt-trip though, here’s the part most people miss when it comes to staying informed as a highly sensitive person with anxiety: It’s not all or nothing. 

By the way, I’m Halle, a licensed anxiety therapist who works with high-achieving (and often highly sensitive!) adults virtually in the states of Colorado and Oregon. 

As a highly sensitive person with anxiety (who also happens to be deeply caring and empathetic), you might feel like it’s your responsibility to stay informed about current events. At the same time, you don’t want to get stuck in a cycle of compassion fatigue and burn out all together. 

“But I feel bad for needing to take breaks from learning about current events!”

Pretend I’m saying this to you while we’re having a cup of herbal tea together: Feeling bad is understandable and you are not a bad person for taking breaks from taking in content about current events.

This is especially true if you are someone who’s directly affected by what’s happening. Gentle reader, I am literally a highly sensitive, chronically ill, biracial, queer person (to name a few of my own identity markers and lived experiences). 

You can feel bad about needing to take the break and still take the break. But I promised you tips, so here they are. Take what makes sense, modify as needed, and leave the rest. 

How To Find the Balance Between Being Aware, While Also Caring for Yourself As a Highly Sensitive Person

Tip 1: Identify which media formats are less-activating for you to engage with.

For instance, you might find that podcasts are easier for you to digest compared to videos. Or that you actually prefer long form written content over anything with an audiovisual element.

I also recommend that you pay attention to which color schemes are more or less activating for you. Sites like NPR make use of mostly blue and white, which tends to be less stimulating compared to sites that use mostly red.  

Tip 2: Make use of built-in settings on social media platforms.

If you’re anything like me, you love a little pre-bedtime scroll on Instagram. But what you probably don’t love is seeing a political post that spikes your blood pressure up to the sky right before you’re trying to sleep. So consider trying out the following: 

Mute the stories and posts of accounts you still want to follow, but don’t want to be caught off-guard by. 

This way you can check these accounts on your terms. In my case, this looks like making an informed-choice to check certain accounts during my allotted news-checking time. 

Snooze suggested content in your Instagram feed. 

Because one minute you’re scrolling through your friends’ updates and the next you’re seeing content from accounts you don’t even follow. And sometimes that content derails your mood for the rest of the day. This article will walk you through how to do it. 

Tip 3: Decide when you’ll check the news (and how long you’ll spend doing so). 

Maybe you don’t need to check on things multiple times a day. Maybe you need to check once per day, and only in the early evening. Let yourself experiment to see what kind of schedule might work for you.

TL;DR

Staying informed as a highly sensitive person with anxiety doesn’t have to be impossible. Pick your content formats with care, use built-in app settings to support your needs, and give yourself flexibility with how often you scroll through news sites or catch up on podcasts about current events.

And if you want more tips like this directly in your inbox, consider signing up for my newsletter, The Chicory Root. You’ll get anxiety tips, meme drops, and so much more. The best part? Everything is curated with the highly sensitive in mind. 

Hi! I’m Halle, an anxiety therapist based in Boulder, Colorado.

I work with adults who are ready for anxiety to stop running (and ruining!) their lives. You can work with me in either 1:1 weekly therapy, or in a therapy intensive.

If you live in either Colorado or Oregon, I’d love to work with you. Book your free intro call to get started!