Stressed by current events? Instead of unplugging, a Pittsburgh psychology researcher says lean in

With economic uncertainty, a blitzkrieg of action in Washington D.C., wildfires in California and flooding in Appalachia, keeping up with the news lately can be stressful. And whether someone is glued to the radio or television newscast all day long or keeping up with the world via push notifications on their phone, the pace and alarming nature of the news cycle can feel overwhelming.

News overload and anxiety are not a new phenomenon: rapid headlines filled with fear and uncertainty pinged their way into our minds during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychology experts often advise unplugging to escape from the weight of current events and regulate the nervous system.

But a veteran social psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University is championing another approach: He wants people to lean into the discomfort of the current moment. He compares it to a workout for your brain; and managing stressful information as a strength to build.

“Learning this capacity to manage more distress could be really helpful,” said David Creswell, a professor of psychology at CMU where he runs the Health and Human Performance lab.

Creswell has been studying what makes people resilient under stress for two decades. He pointed to a growing body of research that suggests people who can handle discomfort and distress for longer periods of time typically have better mental health outcomes.

But what about those who feel overwhelmed more quickly? He suggests those people get their mind to the gym.

“If you look at strategies like exercise, journaling, [or] mindfulness meditation, these are all strategies for teaching people how to start to work with uncomfortable body sensations or emotions that they might be dealing with,” he said.

Each example puts someone in an uncomfortable position: persisting through a tough physical workout at the gym; keeping the mind and body still to meditate; or writing about deep, complicated feelings.

“You’re going to have some strong emotional responses to that,” he said. “But you’re sort of working through those emotions and turning toward that distress [so] you can start to build those distress tolerance muscles.”

Creswell says the more one ‘exercises’ their mind while doing these tasks, the stronger their distress tolerance — the capacity to endure and cope with uncomfortable or negative emotional states — becomes. Mental health studies about distress tolerance have shown a link between low distress tolerance and symptoms of depression and anxiety. A 2024 study found that depressive symptoms ease as distress tolerance is improved.

He said he’s not advocating for people to put themselves in painful or dangerous situations, but to grow, one may benefit from intentionally experiencing more discomfort.

“There's this idea that when you're dealing with something really uncomfortable in your life, you want to distract yourself, you want to avoid [it], you want to suppress that type of experience,” Creswell said. “Each time, that's an opportunity to really lean in and start to sort of flex these distress tolerance muscles.”

Creswell put this theory to the test in a 2017 clinical trial designed to test how acceptance could reduce stress during mindfulness meditation. Participants were instructed to say “Yes” each time they noticed an unpleasant thought or body sensation while meditating, which reframed their mind to lean in and accept the unpleasant moment instead of avoiding it.

After 14 sessions, participants showed reduced cortisol and blood pressure response as well as a more positive attitude toward new stressors. And a positive outlook can also help cut down on stress, Creswell noted.

“Even just simple mindset strategies … to say ‘Hey, I’m going to feel uncomfortable [and that] means I’m really engaged and learning new things,” could help someone create emotional distance from the news rather than experiencing an immediate emotional response.

Many Americans stand to benefit from finding new ways to reduce stress: The American Psychological Association found in a recent survey that 77% of American adults cited the future of the country as a “significant source of stress.” More than half of respondents cited housing costs, mass shootings and social divisiveness as other sources of stress.

When asked about how distress tolerance building applies to people who may feel positively about current events or who aren’t as negatively impacted by alarming headlines every day, Creswell said the advice still applies.

“A lot of times, one of our dominant reactions when there’s really positive things happening is to want more of it and to sort of cling to it,” he said. “I think this type of leaning in can also help liberate us from getting caught in those cycles of craving and wanting more… these are strategies that we can use no matter how we’re showing up to these news cycles.”

But strengthening distress tolerance by continuing to consume news media might not be the best course for everyone, Creswell acknowledged. In that case, he said it’s important to take a break, whether it’s turning off your phone or binging a new television show.

“I think there's a whole buffet of choices out there from distracting yourself with a good Netflix binge; to cross-training these muscles and doing exercise and journaling; … to leaning into the new cycle in a new way, perhaps inviting in the discomfort that might be coming with that new cycle; and then taking meaningful actions to try to really mobilize your values into the world,” he said.

For those who can’t pry themselves away from the latest updates, he advises finding a sustainable pace for each individual.

“I think it can be really hard to try to unplug right now when we sort of feel like we might be missing out if we turn stuff off,” he said. “But at the same time, [people need] to figure out strategies for taking in doses that are going to be manageable.”