The world right now is a great big scary place.

Keeping up with the news can make your anxiety and depression worse. It can make you feel overwhelmed and helpless, like there's nothing you can do. That state of mind isn't good for you.

I'll tell you what I used to tell my girls: you can't save the world.

I'm not going to talk about the ways you could try; this is about you and your mental health.

When you start to feel out of control and as though you're being attacked from all sides, the best thing you can do is narrow your focus. Make your world smaller. Only give your attention to what you can handle.

Don't just turn off the news; remove the app from your phone.

Stay away from social media, or at least put the negative people on pause.

Better yet - get rid of them altogether. You can do it gradually so they don't notice. And always have a vague excuse why you can't spend time with them.

Maybe your world needs to shrink down to just you and your loved ones.

That's OK.

Your loved ones might be feeling the strain as well and you would all benefit from some small world living. Your world can be peaceful and calm and full of love. A refuge from the outside.

You don't have to live this way forever.

How about designating one day a week as a quiet day - a day to recharge?

It's simple. Take out what stresses you. And take care of you.