One of the first things I do every morning when I wake up is check the latest news on my smartphone. In the last few weeks alone, that means — like so many other people — I’ve started the day with some of the most horrific news imaginable: a mass shooting, devastating storms, terrible wildfires. It’s taken a toll on my overall well-being — and very likely yours, too.

“We’re seeing more ‘disaster fatigue,’” says Dr. Mary McNaughton-Cassill, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio who has studied the connection between media consumption and stress. “In the digital age where studies show some three out of four people check their smartphone before going to bed and shortly after waking up in the morning, it’s getting harder not to feel overwhelmed.”

I’ve been calling it “the bad news blues,” which is just a general feeling of “how much more of this can we all take” whenever I see a stream of tragic news alerts hit my smartphone or social media feeds. Sure, it makes me want to help, but it also makes me sad. And overwhelmed. Dr. McNaughton-Cassill says that’s a normal reaction when bad things are happening away from our own community, where we can do little to aid those in need. She said people might also experience an increase in stress, depression, exhaustion, sleep problems, anger and growing cynicism.

For some people already prone to anxiety or clinical depression the toll can be even worse. “There are clear increases in anxiety disorders, including cutting and self-harm, and suicide rates,” says Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. “The barrage of ever-present ‘bad news’ — and, for young people, the barrage of social-media-related permanent records of negative social interchanges — is a factor.”