5 Ways to Cope when Feeling Hopeless or Overwhelmed by the State of the World
Takeway: If current events have you feeling heavy, you’re not alone. In this post, I share practical tips to cope with feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm about the state of the world so that you can feel empowerment, connection, and even joy.
Are you feeling hopeless, overwhelmed, and maybe even infuriated by the injustice, pain, and uncertainty in the world right now?
You’ve found this post today because you’re already aware of how heavy the world feels. Chances are, you’re feeling it in your body right now. It’s a strange feeling to be on a path of wanting to cope with life and nurture the best version of yourself but also to feel weighed down by how heavy the world feels at the same time. Ever worry that the work you’re doing on yourself as an individual is not enough to outweigh the heaviness of the world?
I’m an EMDR and trauma therapist in San Francisco, and many of the people I work with say the same thing– we’re trying to heal our trauma and trying to improve ourselves, but the world feels so bad that we’re wondering if it’s even possible to find joy.
If that’s how you’re feeling, you’re not alone. Keep reading as I share 5 ways to cope when feeling hopeless or overwhelmed by the state of the world. Spoiler alert: Joy is still possible.
Why do we feel hopeless by the state of the world?
We are bombarded countless times each day with reminders that the problems of this world are massive, that bad things keep happening, and that pain is everywhere you turn. It really does feel like it’s everywhere. Some days, it affects us personally. Other days, it affects us because we feel the pain of other humans feeling pain.
The buildup of all of that makes us feel powerless against the magnitude of injustice and pain. That powerlessness leads to hopelessness and overwhelm about the state of the world. But you already knew that, didn’t you? My guess is that you’ve been feeling that for a while.
Is it even possible to cope?
Can we erase the pain? No, unfortunately not. Are there things we can do to reduce the pain and strengthen our resilience so that we can coexist with it? Yes. Can we strengthen the positive in our lives so that they serve as protective resources that help us reduce the damaging effects of the pain? Definitely. The more we reduce the pain by setting boundaries and reducing access to the the things that are causing us pain and strengthen the positive, the more energy we will have to do the things that bring us joy and that contribute to the good in the world. This will help us feel less helpless and overwhelmed by the state of the world.
The state of the world can feel all sorts of dangerous and depressing. Even though that is true, there are still things that you can do to protect your sense of peace (or grow it if you don’t feel like you even have any right now). Let’s do what we can so that its power to harm us is decreased.
5 Ways to Cope When Feeling Hopeless or Overwhelmed by the State of the World
1. Change your relationship with content about the news and current events.
Here are some tips:
*Read, don’t watch, about current events. Watching videos and hearing audio recordings can increase the emotional impact of the content more than reading words on a page. When we are in our emotional brain, it’s easier to feel flooded with overwhelm that keeps us down instead of propelling us forward to action, and we’re going to need to feel like we can move forward in order to cope.
*Limit news consumption to 15-30 minutes each day. Putting a limit on how much news you consume helps to prevent doomscrolling and getting bombarded with a never-ending stream of (often negative) information. And don’t consume information about current events before bed because that can make you feel more overwhelmed and down.
*Stay away from the comments section! There’s a good chance you’ll read something that will make you feel even more infuriated and helpless in the comments section that doesn’t actually help you be more informed of anything other than people are infuriating.
2. Start small.
Massive problems often feel like they require massive action on our parts to make a dent. The problem is that when the task in front of us feels so huge, that triggers an anxiety response that actually causes us to avoid the task and launches us right back into that spiral of feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world. Resist the anxiety-avoidance-overwhelm spiral by starting small.
Pick one small part of one thing to do that is aligned with the good you believe in. Make the task manageable for the time and energy that you have. Drink water, go for a walk, write down something you’re thankful for, do one kind thing for yourself or someone else. These small positive behaviors build up and set the tone to battle against feeling overwhelmed.
3. Activate positive behaviors that are aligned with what you believe in.
The problems of the world feel complex and massive, but you still have an important contribution to make as part of the good in the world. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. There is nothing too small. If you can write, write a letter to your elected official about what you’re passionate about. If you’re an artist, connect with an advocacy group that resonates with you and see how they can use your skills to strengthen their message. Volunteer with a group or project that is doing something that you believe in. It doesn't have to just be advocacy-type projects, either. Activate an action that is positive and aligned with your values.
4. Do something that brings you joy.
Even if you don’t feel like it. Especially if you don’t feel like it. We often want to wait to do the things that bring us joy, thinking that the feeling will make us want to do something, but it’s actually the opposite. Activate a healthy behavior that has made you feel happy in the past even before you feel like you want to, and the more you do it, the more the joy will come. Where your actions lead, your feelings will follow.
5. Connect with community.
Trying to deal with how heavy the world feels by yourself is overwhelming. Connect with people who bring joy and positivity into your life, people with whom you feel safe and seen. If you don’t yet have those people, put yourself in places where you imagine people who value the same things as you would be. Join a volunteer event, activity group or class, faith or spiritual community, local project, or even Reddit community that is focused on the *positive* that you are trying to build in your life. You are not alone, and you have something valuable to contribute to the community, too.
Keep moving forward.
You’re not alone in feeling like the world often feels overwhelming and heavy. So many amazing people are sharing that same sentiment right now.
You have the power to fight against oppression and injustice through the ways that you commit to activating joy in your life and being part of the good in the world.
When you keep moving forward, you are resisting the forces that want to keep you oppressed under the weight of overwhelm, anxiety, and helplessness. Every time you put one foot in front of the other, you are resisting oppression. You are resisting oppression and negativity by striving to be part of the goodness in the world, even if that goodness starts with something as small as being kind to yourself or doing one small kind thing for someone else.
Therapy can help.
I’m an EMDR and trauma therapist in San Francisco who works with people seeking healing and resilience all throughout California, Florida, and Pennsylvania, so I’m biased that therapy is a great and supportive resource to help you feel resilient and cope even when you feel hopeless and overwhelmed by the state of the world.
A good therapist will help you feel seen and empowered on your journey and will hold space for the very real overwhelm that you’re feeling while guiding you through steps to turn that overwhelm into power. Reach out to me for a free consultation to talk about what your journey of healing, joy, and empowerment can look like. If you don’t currently reside in a sate that I work in, I’m happy to connect you with resources that can support you as you strive to heal and grow.
You are strong. You are capable. You are not alone.
Hi, I’m Larissa.
As if life wasn’t already hard enough, the state of the world often has us feeling overwhelmed and heavy. I believe that it is still possible to feel joy.
I am an EMDR and couples therapist in San Francisco working with clients in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. I want to help you heal trauma and live empowered so that you can grow your inner strength and feel joy, even in painful times.
