The Serenity Prayer pretty much sums it up. There are things we can't do anything about....like the actions of others. Then there are things we can do something about...how we react to the things that bother us, which in turn causes us to change. I have found the easiest thing to do in my personal relationships is to focus more on what "I" can do, than what he/she can do for me.
It also takes wisdom to realize you can't change everything you would like to. Frustration usually occurs when people feel they have no control over things going on around them, and that's the time to put your faith in something else bigger than you. It is different for everyone.
I don't like watching the news much because like you said, it's always doom and gloom. If an environment gets too chaotic, I simply fade slowly from it. Some run to meds, alcohol, drugs, friends, and I run to ONE thing...I will refrain from saying.
I do on purpose to do nice things for others at the worst times in my life, and it makes my own problems seem so insignificant seeing what others have to deal with. I am not one to feel sorry for myself because I know that I am the only one who can change the things that I don't like. Spend a few days a week at a cancer research hospital for children, and you won't feel so bad about anything going on in your own life...I can promise you that.