How to cope with anxiety over world news

This is what I googled the other night around 10 p.m., just before bed—how to cope with anxiety over the Ukraine crisis. I was desperate. Thankfully, a whole page of results popped up. And all the articles, whether from a major news or self-help website, gave essentially the same advice. I’m going to share that advice with you, because I found it super helpful.

But first, one of the points every article made (and yes, I read every single one of them) is that this situation comes at an especially tough time for us, from a mental health perspective. The negative news is piling up. We’re closing in on two years of the pandemic and all the worry and fear that came with it. Now this. When we’re exposed to stressors over a long period of time, anxiety gets worse.

So what do we do? Here's what the experts say:

Stop doomscrolling

I had never heard this term, but apparently I’ve been doing it since the 2016 election—although never as compulsively as over the last couple of weeks. Last weekend I realized my obsession with news checking had become unhealthy, so I decided to make Sunday a media-free day. And it was such a relief. I felt like myself again. Present in my life. Able to relax and enjoy being with my family.

Then Monday came. I managed to stay off the internet for most of the day. But a little after 5 o’clock, I tuned into a news podcast while working out, and that was the beginning of the end. I was pretty much glued to the news for the rest of the night. By bedtime I was about to fall apart. There’s always that one line, that one quote in a story that knocks the breath out of me and sends me spiraling. I’m left feeling desperately sad, terrified, and powerless to do anything about the situation.

That’s what doomscrolling is: not just catching up on the news but immersing yourself in it.

In the articles I’ve read, reining in doomscrolling is listed as the number one way to decrease stress and anxiety over current events. The experts suggest setting aside specific times during the day, with a set beginning and end, to read the news, and then put it away. It’s not helpful to know what’s happening on an hour-by-hour basis. They also say to stick with written news as opposed to video, which can be graphic.

Everyone has a different capacity level for how much news they can take. I think mine is fairly low. A sign that it’s too much for you? You can’t stop or pull yourself away from it.

Don’t jump to the worse-case scenario

I don’t know anyone who’s as good at catastrophizing as I am. I’ve been doing it my entire life. The internet is a dangerous place for people like me with this tendency. As a writer and marketer, I understand the power of language to impact human emotion and behavior. I have been known to spend almost as much time writing a headline as the article itself. After all, the right headline determines whether someone does or doesn’t read what you wrote. The difference between print and digital media is that online you have about a half second to get a reader’s attention. They either click on your story or move on to something more enticing. So more and more, headlines are written to create an emotional response so that you can’t help but click. This has created a phenomenon known as “headline hysteria,” aka, anxiety and fear due to an overstatement of danger.

This is yet another reason to limit internet exposure during emotionally charged times like this. Even though I’ve been making a point to stay off news sites during the day, my default home page on my laptop was a news site. Just checking my email or visiting work-related websites had become a race to see how quickly I could get to where I was going without being drawn into a headline that popped up on the default home page. It was ridiculous. Today I finally took five minutes and changed my home page to something more inspirational--- Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life (berkeley.edu).

Get some fresh air and exercise

It's still winter where we live. When I’m outside in the cold, I’m usually moving. But the other night, when I was feeling overwhelmed by the news, I made a fire in the outdoor fire pit. I just sat there, staring at the flames, breathing, and soaking up the stillness. It was very calming.

Time in the outdoors has always been therapy for me. But the trick is not to allow my brain to keep churning through the day’s stress and worries while I’m outside trying to relax. When my mind starts to wander, I try to focus on my breathing, the cold air on my face, the sounds of the birds chirping. I’m not great at it. But when I can manage to be fully present in my body and aware of the beauty around me, I experience a sense of peace that I really can’t get anywhere else.

Make space for others

I’ve been feeling the need to reach out. During Covid lockdowns, I did just the opposite. Back then, it felt good to indulge my inner introvert and hunker down at home. But this week I went on two walks with friends, and I was amazed at how much better I felt afterwards. After two years of pandemic life, I had forgotten how much I need these weekly check-ins with friends. It’s time to make these connection points a priority again. I’m out of practice—over the course of the pandemic, I got used to filling in that time with more solitary things. So reaching out to friends is something that I’m going to have to be very intentional about.

A couple of days ago I was outside when the neighbor walked by with her dog. Usually I would have pulled a quick wave and kept moving. But on that day I did just the opposite. I walked over to her and started up a conversation; I even opened up a little and said that it felt good to be outside because the news was so hard to bear. The next day I noticed another neighbor out feeding his horses. Instead of going about my business, as I normally do, I felt compelled to walk over and strike up a conversation. As we chatted about the weather, my mind cleared; I felt lighter and happier.

Focus on the good

Our brains are hardwired to fixate on the bad; scientists call this our “negativity bias.” To rein in my anxiety, I have to find ways to limit the negative information coming in so that I don’t overlook the positive.

Because amidst all the terrible things that are happening in the world, there is also a lot of good. People are stepping outside of their lives to do what they can to help others in need. Our world leaders are working together in ways we haven’t seen in decades to find the best way forward. That’s inspiring. I’m trying to find rays of hope instead of focusing on the darkness.

I got a call yesterday from a dear friend who this comes easily to. He’s 95 this year, and is hands down one of the happiest, most grateful people I know. We’ve been friends for over two decades. During that time he has lost his wife to cancer and had other health difficulties himself. But even during challenging times, he somehow remains bright and cheerful. He has a natural tendency to focus on what’s going right instead of what’s going wrong. And he’s always pointing out reasons to be thankful.

Researchers have found that gratitude overrides negative thoughts. A good friend of mine keeps a “three good things” gratitude journal, where she writes down three things she’s thankful for every day. Over the past couple of weeks, as my heart breaks for those who are losing so much, I’ve been increasingly aware of all I have to be grateful for.

Is it possible to stay present in my life while not closing my eyes to what’s happening in the world? I’m hoping these steps will help. Because the alternative—a distracted, chronically anxious version of me—isn’t doing anybody any good.