Sending hugs to you! You're definitely not alone.
I like to stay informed, but it can easily become overwhelming for me as well. It's a very fine line for me.
Like others have said - distraction helps! So I'm going to share a list of some things that have been helpful for me.
-crocheting! I volunteer for an organization called Comfort for Critters. Blankets are made for shelter animals and sent home with them when adopted to help them adjust to their forever home. I don't want to go on about that too much but there's more info on the website,
writemypaperbro.com
We always need more people if that's something anyone wants to do! It brings me joy and I've found crochet to be a great anxiety reliever.
-soothing videos/sounds. My favorite is a YouTube channel called Calmed By Nature. The rainy coffee shop videos are amazing! I wind down with those at night sometimes while crocheting or having tea.
-guided imagery/meditation. I actually looked into this recently when nervous about getting my Covid shot. There are YouTube videos that walk you through it, it's all about imagining a place where you feel calm and relaxed. It's my favorite waterfall/state park for me as it brings a lot of good childhood memories up. It's helped me fall asleep a few nights already.
-houseplants! I started with a spider plant cutting a friend sent me. Now I have a few more plants that are beautiful but low maintenance. The greenery makes me happy and I love seeing them grow.
I actually deactivated my personal social media account/FB back in January as well and it's been such a good thing for me. That has become quite a stressful place to me personally throughout the pandemic.
Those are the main things that have helped me. So much of this is out of our control and that takes a heavy toll if we let it. Try to bring the focus back to what you can do to protect yourself/your family. And finding small ways to add some joy and peace into your life. It won't change the circumstances of what we're living through but it has made it a little more bearable for me. Hope that helps <3