CNN – With every news alert or breaking story, our world seems to be pushed further and further into crisis. It is taking a serious toll on our environment but also on our mental health.

In the past year, hurricanes battered communities around the globe, a monster earthquake wreaked havoc in Mexico, the American West erupted in flames and continues to burn, there have been more school shootings, and the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea is pouring lava into the Pacific Ocean, threatening the lives and homes of residents.

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the United States experienced 16 weather and climate disasters last year, with losses exceeding $1 billion and total costs of approximately $306 billion — a national record.

The United Nations’ disaster-monitoring system says that since 1970, the number of disasters worldwide has more than quadrupled, rising to about 400 per year. With the surge of technology, social media and a 24-hour news cycle, exposure to traumatic events has rapidly increased over the past few decades, as well. According to a survey conducted by Pew in 2015, “65% of adults now use social networking sites — a nearly tenfold jump in the past decade.” Much of the public’s news consumption occurs on these digital platforms.