Distressed by the State of the World?

You’re not alone. Here’s how to manage existential distress

Is it just me or does it feel like your morning coffee comes with a side of ‘dread’ as you scroll through today’s news? It seems like each day brings a new crisis that makes us acutely aware of the worsening state of the world.

Look no further than a climate crisis that threatens the social, political and economic stability and well-being of our society and planet. Or wars occurring throughout the world causing immense trauma and suffering. Then there’s our increasingly divided and polarized political spectrum that comes with violence, unrest, and aggressive social discourse. Let’s not forget  the advancements of artificial technology and both the peril and possibility of where this will lead us as a species.

If you feel overwhelmed, scared, despondent, depressed, shocked, angry, numb, or grief-stricken as you witness the unfolding of these events, welcome to the club. With record-breaking access to information, we all have a front row seat to the ever-evolving state of the world. This can elicit strong emotional reactions which can be overwhelming for some and lead to a feeling of paralysis or resignation.

While there’s no quick fix for the state of the world, there are several things you can do to help ease your existential anxiety and focus on the things that are more under your control.

This feeling isn’t new

It can be tempting to conclude after the millionth time seeing the word “unprecedented” to describe our current global state, that we are in fact uniquely screwed. However, there is a tendency for each generation to conclude that the state of the world is worse than the generation before it. But it doesn’t take too much time reviewing the histories of our grandparents and great-grandparents to see how they, too, may have been saddled with their fair share of existential anxiety. They faced the Great Depression, WWII, and the threat of nuclear war, amongst other major historical events. While the threats we face may be different than our ancestors, existential anxiety isn’t new.

Not everything is terrible

The news we consume has a strong bias toward negative information because it hijacks our attention. By evolutionary design, our brains are more likely to pay attention to and remember negative information more so than neutral or positive information. Because of this, we are prone to over-emphasizing the negatives and concluding that the world is a big, terrible, scary place. It’s important to balance out our focus on the negatives with a focus on the ways in which our planet is still a pretty incredible place to be. Statistics compiled by Vox media remind us of the many reasons to be optimistic about living in 2024. Some of the highlights are: the global rates of poverty, hunger, and child labour have all decreased significantly in the past two decades. Life expectancy rates have largely increased globally since the 1700s and child mortality is down by half since 1990. More people go to school and for longer and literacy rates are at record highs world-wide. Oh, and solar energy is becoming much less expensive and more accessible.  Not bad, huh?

Don’t forget about your agency

If you’re someone who feels paralyzed by your existential anxiety or you metaphorically throw your hands up in the air with resignation, you’re not alone. Our fight-flight-freeze response is an instinctual response to perceived threats that can have us feeling paralyzed (that’s the ‘freeze’ part). The trouble with paralysis is that it divorces us from the thing that could actually help alleviate our anxiety: action. Exercising our agency has powerful potential to alleviate some of our distress. And you don’t have to think big, small actions help too. Start a compost at home, riding your bike or taking public transit more, and donating money to a humanitarian organization, are all examples of actions that could help you from staying frozen in anxiety.

Disconnect and step outside

‘Doom scrolling’ refers to the all-too-easy tendency to stay glued to our devices reading about the endless stream of crises and bad news. We all know this hurts us even if it seems like we’re being good citizens who are staying informed. Offsetting the doom-scrolling doesn’t have to mean going on a digital detox for weeks on end. Realistically speaking, why not leave your phone at home while you go for a walk outside? Or put it on airplane mode as you’re going to the beach? Digitally disconnecting AND spending time in nature is key here. Evidence suggests that time in nature is an effective means of reducing anxiety.

While none of these suggestions drastically changes the state of the world, the state of your mind is arguably just as important and instrumental in making changes to make our future one to look forward to.

 This post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered therapeutic advice or a replacement for individual therapy. For more information on locating a psychologist near you, please contact your family doctor, the Ontario Psychological Association, the Canadian Association for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Psychology Today