Dec. 15, 2025

🌴350. Protecting your sanity in a 24-hour news cycle

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Show Notes

I woke up to the news out of Bondi. A targeted shooting. Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah. It’s horrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling. Like many Australians, I’m angry, sad, and shocked that this happened here.

I talk about what it’s been like trying to function creatively in the middle of that. And the very real tension between staying informed and protecting your sanity.

I share why I made the call to switch the news off, physically leave the room, and create some distance. Not out of disrespect.

I also reflect on a moment from Nepal, meeting someone who had completely opted out of the news cycle altogether. At first, I judged it. Then I understood it. And that’s where this episode really sits.

This isn’t about ignorance or avoidance. It’s about asking what constant exposure actually does to us. A 24-hour news cycle. Clickbait headlines. Endless updates that pull you back into grief, outrage, and helplessness.

There’s no solution offered here. No tidy takeaway. Just an honest conversation about compartmentalising, protecting your energy, and doing the best you can on days when the world feels overwhelming.

If you’re feeling flat, distracted, or emotionally flooded right now, you’re not broken. You’re human.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

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