There’s a specific kind of "damage" that comes from doomscrolling, which I'm sure many of you wouldn't even be aware of. It's when your thumb moves faster than your heart can process.

One minute you're sipping coffee, and the next, you're knee-deep in tragic news. A plane crash. A collapsed building. A flood. 

Before you can even catch your breath, your feed has turned into a digital graveyard, littered with hashtags, shaky phone footage, and overly-filtered “RIP” reels.

Somewhere along the way, tragedy stopped being just reported — it became curated. Packaged. Optimised for engagement. And that, my dear, is Compassion Fatigue — a psychological burnout from caring too much, too often, for too long.

What used to be breaking news now feels like it's breaking us.

This constant loop of grief content isn't just about becoming heartless — it’s about our systems being on constant emotional overdrive. We’re absorbing shock, horror, and sorrow at a pace that evolution never signed us up for.

And the wild part? 

Half of it isn’t even from traditional news outlets anymore — it’s influencers, social media pages, and random people turning pain into performative engagement.

But how do we respond without shutting off completely or sinking into despair?

Here’s a real-talk survival kit from your Coach for the compassion fatigue era:

1. Curate, don't consume blindly – You can mute accounts. You can step away. Boundaries aren't cold, they’re a form of self-respect. Your heart isn’t an infinite resource.

2. Feel, but filter – It's okay to feel deeply. Cry, rage, talk about it, but filter out the noise masquerading as awareness.

3. Engage with purpose – Don’t just share. Support. Donate. Volunteer. Talk about systems, not just symptoms.

4. Check yourself before you wreck yourself – Are you sharing to help...or to be seen helping? It’s a question we all need to ask more often — especially when empathy starts looking like a branding exercise.

Though I cannot stress enough about how such compassion fatigue can become a deadly epidemic...

Here's my C.A.L.M system, which should work wonders for you.

C – Curate your intake. Don't consume every headline. Choose credible sources. Mute the melodrama.

A – Acknowledge your emotions: guilt, anger, fatigue — they’re valid.

L – Limit exposure. Be ruthless with boundaries. You're not a crisis sponge.

M – Move into mindful action: Use your compassion constructively, not compulsively.

This system isn’t about running away from pain. It’s about holding space for it — without letting it eat you alive. At the end of the day, we’re human. We care. We hurt, but we also scroll.

The goal isn’t to shut off emotions — it’s to honour them without burning out.

As I sign off...remember, staying emotionally functional is not selfish. It’s strategic. So the next time your feed floods with another horror headline, pause. Choose how, when, and how much you want to feel, because protecting your peace isn’t heartless.

It’s human.

Sending emotional clarity,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj,
Your Coach, crafting C.A.L.M. from the chaos