The current technological climate ensures that we are constantly flooded with news articles from an abundance of sources, and a substantial portion of these articles are stress inducing.

According to a recent survey published by the American Psychological Association, 56 percent of American citizens say reading the news stresses them out, and “72 percent believe the media blows things out of proportion.”

News is more encompassing than it was, say, thirty years ago, when the internet was not available and we relied on actual newspapers and sources to stay informed. Today, news sprout from a vast array of sources, and not all of them are reputable.

It is not uncommon for sources of news to exaggerate or stretch the truth in order to catch the attention of the public’s roving eye.

Pair this with the tumultuous climate (pun intended) of the world today and the plethora of shocking discoveries and occurrences this age brings, and you are left with a barrage of primarily negative headlines.

News is important. It enables us to be active, aware and educated about the world around us, but when we are consistently met with stress-inducing, often-exaggerated headlines, it begins to tire us out.

There should be a comfortable balance in the news we hear. Pressing discoveries about climate change, the growing rate of substance abuse in college students, and current political scandals and issues should be reported, read and discussed. But not all of the news has to be so hopelessly entrenched in conflict and negativity.

For example, did you know that last year global suicide rates are reported via the Economist to have dropped by 38 percent?

Or that, according to findings of the World Data Lab (which is part of an American research institution called Brookings), a little more than 50 percent of the world population are considered middle class or richer for the first time in history?

These are only two global, extremely good, headlines that were swept away in the tumult of 2018.

Not all good news has to be so global. Here’s a roundup of some good, local news:

1. This past summer, the Carolina coast saw record-breaking turtle hatching and nesting, especially of rare sea turtles.
2. The Student Government Association of UNC Wilmington plans to clean-up our campus wildflower preserve, Bluethenthal.

And last but not least, it is finally socially acceptable to consume pumpkin spiced flavored everything for the next three months. Happy fall, folks.