I feel quite traumatised after reading the news, (dont laugh at me lol), so I stopped reading it for awhile. I was so much more happier. But started reading it again.

What do you do?
Consume the news with an open mind or shut it all out by not reading it?

Can't help but notice you still do social media? If somebody doesn't like coffee you shouldn't force them to drink it. So I don't see not watching the news a big deal. What would you be missing out on that you really need to get out of it. I go thru periods where I do not watch the news, and often times when I do some of the things upset me, while other things I have no interest in at all. Is it an anxiety issue like if you do not watch it you feel like you are missing something? And when you do watch it your anxiety goes way up? That could make things a little more complicated. For the most part humans are very selfish, it's all about them. The news wants to feed into you to make you become apart of the events to keep you coming back. Kind of like being in a group known as society. They make you want to care about things that really do not or shouldn't affect you.

A building collapsed and probably killed 150 people. If my house collapsed and killed me it may, or may not make the local news. Does this mean I am less important then those 150 people? There are many reasons I do not live in a high rise apartment on the ocean in Miami, but should I feel the families loss? I did not build the building, or have anything to do with the collapse. I am not religious so I will not be praying to God that they find some people alive. At what point is the media supporting ambulance chasers? At what point do they show compassion? At what point do they just report cold, hard, facts? And how different people respond to things can be a big factor too. In many ways people should learn to MYOB, while in others the story may touch someone who can change something so this doesn't happen again, or they may be able to help in some way with the current situation. It reminded me of when a major bridge fell in the the river locally a number of years ago. It places a time stamp in our lives so maybe it really does affect us in ways we are not aware of?

Some say ignorance is bliss.

I stop reading about politics and the Covid virus.

The news can certainly impact on mental health and perception but there are many variables that come into play affecting how an individual internalises or responds .. especially to traumatic events . Stress , anxiety and negativity bias for some can be overwhelming and reading the news can act as a detrimental catalyst .

Personally , i am interested in the global humanitarian environment (good and bad ) and how reflection/awareness can contribute to positive change. I prefer not to filter that exposure ... i am confident I have well developed coping and risk assessment skills , especially when it comes to processing and responding to the impact of stress and traumatic events . That does not mean I am not affected by what I see and read , or do not feel . In the contrary . how I analyse/rationalise /process information acknowledges a holistic worldview , rather than just an emotive one .

Ignoring news, REAL fact based news, can be equated to the idiom "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil" which is portrayed by three monkeys.

I'm not going let my actions or inactions be determined by the depiction of any monkey.

I always stay on track, because I am interested in politics and do a bit of activism for a political movement.

But I switch off when it comes to celebrity gossip

I realised in 2015 by all I was doing and learning it'd be better to stop listening to the news. It had annoyed me greatly for a long time to hear the news 2x an hour on the radio. I decided to stop. Meaning no more radio or turning down the sound 2x an hour.

So I haven't really followed any news since autumn 2015, and my sense of well-being has improved tremendously.
I remember my last partner asked about it, thinking you cannot talk to people about things anymore. I understood he did with colleagues at times.
My reasoning.... does my knowing of the wars, atrocities and bad stuff in the world make it less? Does it make it easier? Does it add to my life to know about it?
Answer were no, no, no.
So why bother?
To be able to talk about it with others? Not a reason for me. I wonder why people feel this need to discuss it.

I know what's going on, as it's always the same. Maybe just a different country, different person etc. but it's always the same chit.
Why should I take that in about 16 times a day?
Occasionally I pick up something is going on that I do want to know about. Then I Google it and am up to speed again. No need to have that lavished upon you 16x a day though.

I avoid all negativity and news stuff on social media, occasionally have gotten involved in discussions here, but then I do my homework.
I always withdraw too as I do not wish to get back into an endless loop of negativity.

So... no news here. And if I'd get a partner he can go sit in another room if he wants to watch news. I am not going to expose myself to that crap anymore.

Some say ... the best news is no news !!!!

Naw, I don't turn my head away. I'm more willing to face the reality than the reality catching me unawares.

That shows that you are very human. Reading a traumatic news and not being affected by it can make a good robot!