Managing Anxiety in an Anxious World: Therapy While Surviving the News Cycle
Wildfires. Wars. Political division. Protests. AI. Social media culture. The looming feeling of, “what comes next?”
The emotional toll of the years since 2020 can be felt by most. For many, 2020 felt like the world began unraveling, and it hasn’t stopped since. Every day it feels like there is a new breaking news alert. We can barely catch our breath from one crisis to the next, and hearing of all these events while not being able to fix it can feel like emotional whiplash.
Even if you’re not directly impacted by some of these events, knowing about all of the suffering happening across the globe can weigh heavily on one’s soul. It can be so easy to lose hours of our lives to doomscrolling, consuming the endless loop of news cycles specifically designed to make us afraid. Current events can take up so much mental real estate so quickly.
And then there’s the guilt of being safe when others aren’t, for not doing more, or for stepping away when it’s just too much. It can leave us wondering, are me and my loved ones next?
You might notice yourself holding your breath, your mind racing, or a pit in your stomach. Or, you might be numb to it and feel nothing at all; not because you don’t care, but because what do you even do with this information?
In a world with so much rapid change and uncertainty, managing anxiety can feel impossible. But it’s not. You don’t have to look away to find peace, and you don’t have to carry these emotions on your own.
Coping > Shutting Down
Protecting your peace doesn’t mean ignoring reality, and it’s okay to step back sometimes. Creating balance between staying informed and staying well can actually help you show up more intentionally and effectively for things you believe in.
Some ways to accomplish balance are:
Limit social media time. Dedicating time to check in and deciding when you will take some space can help you avoid letting your feed dictate your mood.
Practice gratitude. Notice and appreciate what is real and right in front of you, like your cup of coffee, a text from a friend, or your cat curled up beside you.
Make space for joy without guilt. Laughter, joy, creativity, and playfulness are the best medicine for resilience.
Practice “enoughness.” Remind yourself that you don’t have to know everything or fix everything to be a caring and responsible person.
Therapy During Uncertain Times
When we are faced with such uncertainty, and fed information at such a rapid pace, it is natural to feel anxious and unsettled, even if things in our lives are OK. Often the issues happening in the external world can stir up deeper internal questions, like “what are my values? What does it mean to feel safe? How do we hold onto joy when we’re aware of so much suffering? How do we choose the life we want to live when so much feels out of our control?”
Therapy gives you space to sit with these questions without judgment. It’s a place to explore your values, clarify what matters most, and discover how you want to respond to the challenges of this time. Instead of pushing anxiety away, you learn how to face it with honesty and compassion, and use it as a guide toward deeper self-understanding.
If you’ve noticed your anxiety growing in recent years, you’re not alone. Reaching out for therapy is not about ignoring what’s happening in the world, but about finding ways to live with openness, resilience, and a deeper sense of purpose, even in uncertain times.
If you live in Pennsylvania and are interested in engaging in therapy, I would be happy to support you. Feel free to send me an email at cassidy@keystonearttherapy.com or give me a call at 267-507-1692.
