Susan protects herself when she has to. 
Generally it's in response to a heightened feeling of anxiety left behind by some ancient panic attacks. She'll stop reading the papers, limit her TV watching, avoid phone calls and withdraw till she feels better.

Periodically something happens in the world that's so awful she has to shut herself off from it. She won't be able to avoid it entirely, but she'll try. 

Like many people, Susan has to work to maintain her buoyant mental health, one way she does that it by not taking her brain where it doesn't want to go. She's pretty firm about that.

She'll be skipping the newspapers this week.