Regardless of what network you watch, you can’t turn on the news without feeling like you’re being bombarded with negativity.

And there’s always that one story that seems to linger on your mind long after you’ve turned off the television.

So, how do you remain positive throughout the day with all this heavy stuff on your mind?

Fortunately, there are a few ways to get a handle on your emotions while staying abreast of the conversation.

Here are some tips you can follow to stay positive in light of negative daily news.

Control Your Intake

Television news is notoriously negative. And if that’s all you watch, it’ll be difficult to maintain a positive outlook. So, it’s important to control where your news is coming from and how much you consume.

If you enjoy watching the news on television, consider sticking with a local news program. You’ll still get all the basic news coverage, but they’re more likely to deliver feel-good stories from your local area. And that can inspire hope instead of gloom.

If you’re okay with turning off the television, try getting your news headlines from a newsfeed. You can setup an RSS feed to deliver the type of news you want to see. And you won’t see the other stuff. Trust that if there’s something big going on, you’re going to find out about it one way or another.

But the benefit of creating your own newsfeed is that you can look at it when you’re prepared. You’re not going to be hit in the face with stories of murder, theft and white-collar crime. Well, not as much, anyway.

Search out Positive News Networks

For every terrible thing that happens in the world, there might be five heart-warming stories – but you’d never know. That is, unless you subscribe to a positive news network like Positive News or the Good News Network. These are the stories that will make you cry happy tears instead of wanting to crawl under the covers and hide from the world.

Get involved

If there’s a particular type of news story that’s particularly alarming to you, you may want to get involved in the fight.

Find a cause that’s close to your heart and volunteer. If gang violence seems to be a growing issue, maybe you can get involved in an inner-city Boys and Girls Club. Or maybe a group that fights human trafficking is more aligned with your beliefs.

Whatever type of story “gets” you, you can probably find a cause to support the fight against it. Naturally, this won’t eliminate the problem, but it will help you from feeling completely powerless. Making a difference in other people’s lives can really increase your own sense of hopefulness.

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Understand Duality

All of our lives are speckled with moments of pain and pleasure. And it’s the duality of these polar opposites that help us appreciate the goodness in our own lives.

But this is why it’s important to feel both positive and negative emotions. Without pain, would we really appreciate pleasure?

When you’re feeling bad, understand that it’s perfectly normal. It just means that you’re a human with a healthy sense of emotional empathy. Just be sure to move on from the negative emotions when it’s time. If you’re having trouble, you may want to talk to a counselor. It’s important that you’re able to enjoy life – with all its ups and downs.

Talk About Your Feelings

We all need a bit of emotional support every now and again. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the negativity in the world, talk to someone who seems to have a good system for handling it.

When you talk about your feelings, you can get things off your chest and even the act of talking may help you feel better. We’re all in this together – especially when it comes to national and global news. Take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.

Practice relaxation

Anyone can tell you to relax. You can even tell yourself to relax. But it’s one of those things that’s a lot easier said than done.

If you really want to relax, you have to practice at it. Try meditation to help with relaxation and massage to help with depression. You can exercise to release endorphins and promote relaxation.

Find your relaxation routine and dedicate yourself to it. It may feel like a chore at first, but over time, you’ll naturally feel more relaxed at all times. You’ll be better equipped to handle the daily stresses, including the negativity you’ll find on the news every day.

Laugh often

Find things that make you truly happy – and do them often. If you’re having trouble finding something, try watching a funny movie or going to see a stand-up comedian. It’s impossible to feel sad or depressed when you’re laughing. So, whenever you’re struggling to turn your mood around, turn on something that always makes you laugh.

And if that doesn’t work, try music. Put on some songs that are lively and energetic. Music therapy is a legitimate method for enhancing mood and fighting depression.

Remember that your ultimate goal is to feel good, so that should be your focus. When you learn to gravitate towards things that make you feel good, it’ll become more natural over time. Before long, feeling good will be your default and it’ll be much easier to get back to feeling good when something brings you down.

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We can’t hide from the negativity of the world, and we’re probably not meant to. But it’s important for us to find ways to handle the negativity.

But, ultimately, when the negative news stories are getting you down, it’s probably a good time to take a break and focus on something that makes you feel good.

Unfortunately, we can’t control what goes on in the world around us, but we can have some control over the way we react to it.

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