How to protect your mental health when the world feels overwhelming

Sometimes it can feel as though there is just too much happening in the world.

You open your phone and you’re met with another upsetting headline. Another video. Another conflict. Another tragedy. Another person telling you why you should be angry, frightened or paying attention.

You might find yourself constantly checking for updates, even though each update leaves you feeling worse.

You might feel anxious, angry, helpless or guilty.

You may even wonder:

How am I supposed to carry on with my normal life when all of this is happening?

If you’ve been feeling this way, you’re not alone.

Being affected by what is happening around you doesn’t mean you’re overly sensitive. But caring about the world doesn’t mean you have to consume everything happening in it.

Your nervous system doesn’t know it’s “just a video”

We now have access to events happening across the world almost instantly.

That can be incredibly powerful. It can help us stay informed, understand experiences outside our own and bring attention to important issues.

But it also means we can repeatedly expose ourselves to distressing images, videos and stories throughout the day.

You might be sitting safely at home, on the train or having lunch while watching something frightening or traumatic happening thousands of miles away.

And then another video appears.

And another.

And another.

Your body can still respond to what you’re seeing.

You may notice tension, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, irritability or an inability to switch off. You might find yourself thinking about particular images long after you’ve put your phone down.

Staying informed and constantly consuming aren’t the same thing

Sometimes we convince ourselves that looking away means we don’t care.

It doesn’t.

There is a difference between being informed and being overwhelmed.

You are allowed to decide how much news you consume.

You are allowed to stop watching graphic videos.

You are allowed to mute certain words or accounts.

You are allowed to decide that you will check the news once a day rather than every hour.

And yes — you are allowed to disconnect from social media altogether if that’s what you need.

Taking a break doesn’t make you ignorant, selfish or uncaring.

Protecting your mental health doesn’t mean you’ve stopped caring about what is happening to other people.

Pay attention to how you’re feeling after you scroll

One useful question to ask yourself is:

How do I feel after spending time consuming this content?

Not just emotionally, but physically.

Perhaps you notice that your chest feels tight.

Maybe you’re struggling to concentrate afterwards.

Perhaps you’re becoming increasingly angry or hopeless.

You might notice yourself reaching for your phone repeatedly because you feel as though you need to know whether something else has happened.

Sometimes we call this doomscrolling: repeatedly consuming negative news even though we can feel that it’s affecting us.

Becoming aware of the pattern gives you an opportunity to interrupt it.

Give yourself permission to create boundaries

You don’t have to choose between knowing everything and knowing nothing.

You could decide to:

• check reputable news sources at particular times rather than constantly refreshing social media

• avoid watching graphic footage

• turn off breaking-news notifications

• unfollow or mute accounts that repeatedly leave you distressed

• avoid checking the news immediately before bed

• put your phone down when you notice yourself becoming overwhelmed

• spend time doing something that reconnects you with the life happening around you.

  
  

These aren’t rules.

They’re boundaries you can experiment with.

Come back to what is happening around you

When the world feels enormous and frightening, it can help to bring your attention back to what is immediately around you.

Go outside.

Move your body.

Speak to somebody you trust.

Cook something.

Listen to music.

Spend time with people you care about.

Notice what you can see, hear and feel around you.

This isn’t about pretending difficult things aren’t happening.

It’s about reminding your nervous system that this moment also exists.

There can be terrible things happening in the world while you simultaneously experience connection, safety, laughter or joy.

You don’t need to feel guilty for that.

Sometimes world events touch something more personal

There may also be times when your reaction feels bigger than the news itself.

A story about violence might connect with something you’ve experienced.

Images of families being separated may bring up grief.

Discussions about discrimination, injustice or identity might connect with experiences you’ve had yourself.

Uncertainty in the world might intensify anxiety that was already there.

Sometimes we don’t immediately understand why a particular story has affected us so deeply.

That’s worth being curious about.

Rather than asking:

“Why am I reacting like this?”

you might gently ask:

“What has this brought up for me?”

You don’t have to process everything alone

Therapy can’t change what is happening in the world.

But it can provide somewhere to explore what those events are bringing up within you.

If recent events have left you feeling particularly anxious, overwhelmed, angry, helpless or emotionally exhausted — or they’ve connected with something from your own experiences — it may help to have somewhere to talk about it.

Sometimes protecting your mental health isn’t about caring less.

It’s about recognising that you are human too.

And you are allowed to care for yourself while caring about the world around you.

KHudsonTherapy

I offer individual counselling and psychotherapy in Hainault, East London and online, providing a warm, non-judgemental space to explore anxiety, difficult emotions, past experiences and patterns that may be affecting you today.

Remember

If something you’ve seen or experienced recently has brought difficult feelings to the surface, you’re welcome to get in touch to arrange an initial consultation.