Overwhelmed by the News? Grounding Techniques for Depression and Emotional Burnout

If the world feels heavy right now — you're not imagining it. In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Rubin, we explore how to cope with depression and anxiety during overwhelming times. From constant news cycles to collective trauma, many of us are operating in survival mode. Dr. Rubin offers practical strategies to protect your mental health without disengaging from reality: How to “titrate” your exposure to news Why empathy becomes overwhelming when we try to fix everything Somatic reset techniques to physically release tension How to stop fighting your own emotions Why building in self-care is more effective than “fitting it in” The difference between helping and fixing How to change channels when rumination becomes self-attack Why flourishing matters more than chasing happiness Terry and Carly also share candid reflections about closing “sense doors,” taking breaks before burnout, and learning to honor early warning signs. This episode is about staying informed, without losing yourself. About compassion, without drowning in it. About surviving hard seasons, and even flourishing through them. Primary Topics Covered: Coping with depression during crisis Anxiety and media overwhelm Grounding exercises and breathwork Somatic resets (tighten and release technique) Emotional boundaries and self-protection Empathy vs. over-responsibility Rumination and how to “change channels” Grief processing and giving yourself permission to feel Flourishing vs. happiness Gratitude as emotional anchor Closing “sense doors” to prevent overload Timestamps: 00:00 – The weight of living in a “polycrisis” 03:24 – Titrating your news exposure 04:47 – Guided breathing reset (nose breathing) 06:06 – Build it in vs. fit it in 07:25 – Why habits fail without structure 09:03 – Mini resets to prevent emotional overload 11:43 – Empathy without drowning 13:13 – Grief, boundaries, and “coming back to the land of the living” 14:29 – Stop fighting your own emotions 15:00 – Flourishing vs. chasing happiness 16:39 – How to stop rumination (“change channels”) 18:01 – Consuming news differently 19:35 – Gratitude instead of forced happiness 21:36 – Helping vs. fixing 22:01 – Honoring early warning signs 23:42 – Closing your “sense doors” Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com Facebook Community: Terry's LinkedIn:

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Overwhelmed by the News? Grounding Techniques for Depression and Emotional Burnout is an episode from Giving Voice to Depression by Recovery.com - Depression Help & Support.

This episode is 25:59 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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