There’s a lot going on in the world, so if you read the news regularly, it’s only a matter of time before you find stories that are troubling or worrisome. For some people, anxiety about world events can become overwhelming, ultimately affecting their relationships and their ability to find happiness in things they used to enjoy.
So what do you do if you find yourself in this position?
Find An Online Therapist
One of the best things you can do to manage and treat your anxiety is to find an online therapist. Online therapists are abundant and inexpensive, and because you can meet with them virtually, it’s very easy to schedule appointments with them. Your therapist will work with you to better understand how your anxiety manifests, through causes of your anxiety, and the best strategies to cope with that anxiety.
Depending on your symptoms and the severity of your anxious feelings, your therapist may recommend a specific type of therapy, medication, or new behavioral strategies. No matter what, you’ll have a neutral and trustworthy person with whom you can talk about anything bothering you.
Pay Closer Attention To Your Anxiety Triggers
Start paying closer attention to the things that trigger your anxiety. How do your feelings of anxiety change throughout the day? Do you feel worse after taking a specific action, such as visiting a certain website or talking to a specific person? One of the simplest ways to reduce anxiety in your life is to identify and ignore your biggest triggers – though of course, this isn’t always possible. For now, just try to get more context for why you’re feeling what you’re feeling.
Stop Doomscrolling
It’s hard to pull yourself away, but try to stop reading the news, at least for a while. If you can’t do that, limit yourself to only reading a few stories per day, or checking for new headlines once or twice a day. Unfortunately, our news media is optimized for negativity; bad news gets more clicks and attention than good news, so our biggest media publishers almost exclusively focus on stories meant to make you feel anxious. The dopamine hits we get from doomscrolling make it hard to stop. Not only is this an inaccurate picture of the world today, it’s also one that will almost certainly make you feel worse. Walking away from the urge to doomscroll is good for your mental health. Most stories on a national or global scale aren’t relevant to you personally anyway.
Take A Break From Social Media
Increasingly, people are practicing a temporary “digital detox,” or a period of time without using social media or other tech apps to virtually engage with the world. Commit to not using social media for at least a week so you can see how you feel at the end of that week. If you’re feeling brave, go for a longer time and cut out all forms of internet use and television. If you notice your anxiety decrease significantly, you know what the root cause is.
Optimize Your Social Media Feeds
If you can’t bring yourself to pull away from social media, or if you eventually return to social media, trying to optimize your feeds for more positive, reassuring news. Unfollow or unsubscribe from sources that are likely to peak your anxiety and fill your feed with more relevant stories worth being happy about it.
Spend More Time With Real People (Preferably in Person)
Since you’re getting away from social media, try spending more time with real people in person. Going to the park with a friend or meeting a relative for coffee and having a good conversation should make you forget all about bigger issues that may or may not be unfolding around the world.
Understand What’s Beyond Your Control
After reading the previous section, you may feel selfish for blinding yourself to atrocities or dangers around the globe. But it’s important to recognize that some things are beyond your control. It might be devastating to hear about a genocide that’s going on in a small, developing country on the other side of the world – but even if you knew about it, what could you actually do about it? You’re better off spending your energy on things that you can control, such as volunteering or making charitable donations for local organizations.
Practice Effective Anxiety Management Strategies In The Moment
There are dozens of effective anxiety management strategies you can use to comfort yourself and relieve your anxiety in the moment. Become familiar with them and use them as immediate tools for release when necessary.
Some of the best examples are:
- Deep breathing.
- Meditation.
- Counting to 10 (and other focus exercises).
Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill that can make your anxiety disappear. But if your anxiety mostly stems from concern about world events, a handful of simple strategies can eventually reduce the severity of those feelings.
