Your Nervous System and the News: Staying Informed Without Staying Dysregulated
Episode 117: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
View transcript on Buzzsprout
The world feels heavy—and staying informed can feel like its own form of harm. If you’ve ever scrolled the headlines only to spiral into panic, helplessness, or shutdown, you’re not alone.
In this episode, Amanda unpacks the real physiological toll of media overload, explains how modern news is designed to trigger your survival system, and shares a nervous system-informed approach to consuming information with more intention, compassion, and regulation.
As mentioned in the episode, websites to find local ways to serve:
- JustServe (justserve.org)
- What it is: A community service platform that connects volunteers with projects from non-profits, faith-based groups, and community organizations. It’s very project-oriented, making it easy to find one-time events or short-term needs.
- VolunteerMatch (volunteermatch.org)
- What it is: One of the largest and most popular volunteer search engines. You can filter opportunities by location, cause (e.g., Animals, Arts & Culture, Seniors), and skills you want to use. They also list virtual and remote opportunities.
- Idealist (idealist.org)
- What it is: While also a major hub for nonprofit jobs and internships, Idealist also has a powerful search function for volunteer opportunities. It’s excellent for finding roles that might involve more specific skills or leadership, like serving on a board.
- Points of Light (pointsoflight.org/volunteer)
- What it is: A global organization that promotes volunteering. Their website has a search function that aggregates opportunities from various partners, allowing you to find projects in your local area.
- Meetup (meetup.com)
- What it is: While not exclusively for volunteering, Meetup is an excellent tool for community involvement. You can find groups dedicated to local clean-ups, community gardening, social advocacy, or simply connecting with neighbors who share your interests.
What We Cover in This Episode
- Why modern media is designed to activate your nervous system
- The difference between informed engagement vs. dysregulated spiraling
- How to match information intake to your capacity for meaningful action
- Concrete tools for staying grounded while staying aware
Media Consumption and the Survival System
Modern news doesn’t just inform—it activates, on purpose. Amanda breaks down how today’s 24/7 media cycle exploits your attention by triggering your brain’s threat response system. Think: catastrophizing headlines, crisis loops, and emotionally charged narratives.
Your nervous system can’t tell the difference between a real, local threat and a global headline. Without a clear outlet for action or repair, this creates a cycle of chronic dysregulation—especially for folks already navigating anxiety or depression.
Understanding the Attention Economy
Modern media doesn’t profit from subscriptions—it profits from your panic. The more activated you are, the longer you scroll. This isn’t a conspiracy, it’s behavioral psychology.
Amanda contrasts traditional journalism (information-first) with today’s media model (emotion-first) and explains how this shift has physiological consequences for your mental health.
Your nervous system wasn’t meant to carry the weight of the world.
From Doomscrolling to Discernment
Amanda shares a practical framework: only consume the amount of news that’s proportionate to your capacity or ability to take meaningful action. This lens helps reorient media consumption as a values-aligned choice—not a compulsive spiral.
She walks through what meaningful action might look like (from voting to volunteering to community connection) and why dysregulation doesn’t make you a better ally, advocate, or citizen—it makes you less effective and more reactive.
Inside the Regulated Living Membership, members explore how to stay grounded while engaging with the world in ways that match their values, not just their fear.
Contributing Without Burning Out
Personal regulation isn’t selfish—it’s foundational. Amanda offers examples from her own life (and her sisters!) to illustrate how different people with different causes, skills, and capacities can contribute meaningfully without falling apart.
From baking cakes for foster kids to refugee resettlement support to simply picking up trash on a walk—these acts matter. They reconnect you to agency and reinforce the belief: “I’m not powerless.”
Balance your exposure to disaster with your experience of delight.
Four Questions to Ask Before Consuming News
- What’s my current nervous system state?
- Why am I seeking information right now?
- What do I hope to do with this information?
- Do I have the capacity for this right now—or would later serve me better?
Amanda also suggests tangible habits:
- Curate your social media to support your nervous system
- Set time boundaries for news (especially before bed)
- Follow outlets that center solutions, not just crisis
- Focus on local news you can actually engage with
Three Tangible Takeaways
- Modern news is built to dysregulate. Understanding this can help you choose more conscious consumption habits and protect your physiology.
- Match media intake to action capacity. If you can’t take meaningful action, more information often fuels helplessness—not helpfulness.
- Regulating your nervous system is a form of activism. You show up more clearly, compassionately, and effectively when you’re resourced.
Looking for more personalized support?
- Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
- Join me inside the Regulated Living Membership, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
- Join my Release Class – Monthly guided nervous system regulation class
- Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!
*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
