Hi Sam2.
There is a saying that someone went to their doctor telling them they were depressed. The doctor asked the patient to tell them what was on their mind. When the patient discussed what was on his mind, the doctor responded that of course you are depressed if those things are on your mind.
We dont eat everything we see. We use discretion about what we take into our body.
Certainly, there is a lot in life that is unpleasant, and there is a reason for that. But we can also use discretion in what we allow ourselves to absorb in life.
For me, there are new stories that I no longer want to read. It is too heartbreaking to read about what happens to people from criminal demons.
One time I read that Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zatzal, said to use discretion about what you read about in the news, because once you expose yourself to something, it is in you.
Others also talk about distracting yourself from negative thoughts, even if they are valid, and put effort into more of the positive things.
It takes effort to put effort into overseeing what we think about and how it makes us feel, and to cultivate a new habit of focusing on the positive and enjoyable, but it also takes effort to endure unpleasantness.
Life is an active participation sport, and if we are on auto-pilot, who knows where we can end up?
: D