Why We’re Overwhelmed
This is an opinion piece, and should not be interpreted as counseling advice or therapy
It’s safe to say that we are experiencing worsening mental health as we witness increasing political instability and human rights abuses throughout our nation and the world. Concerns about the spread of misinformation, witnessing abusive immigration enforcement practices, efforts to restrict voting access, economic hardship, inadequate action on climate change, and U.S. support for military campaigns that have caused mass civilian suffering have contributed to heightened feelings of worry, grief, anger, and helplessness. For many of us, this compounding stress leads to chronic anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and a diminished sense of safety and trust in public institutions.
The Stress Response
So how does this impact us on a psychological and physiological level? Persistent political instability can activate what we call the body's “stress response”. A way to think about a stress response is how the skin around a splinter becomes inflamed: the same can be true of the body and mind when you are having a reaction to real and perceived stressors. The body and mind attempt to communicate that things are not ok. This can look like disruptions to sleep, fatigue, disruptions in concentration, and increased emotional dysregulation such as irritability, reactivity, bouts of intense sadness or anger, or even feelings of numbness and detachment. Sometimes our response to stress, like in the case of political instability, often unfolds over months or years, creating a state of chronic vigilance. We may find ourselves constantly scanning the news for developments, anticipating the next policy change or crisis, or feeling unable to "switch off" our mounting concern. All of this is highly overwhelming and points to a clear takeaway: our bodies are simply not meant to be in sustained states of alertness without periods of reprieve.
Losing Control
Another common response to prolonged stress is the erosion of what psychologists call a sense of control. We generally cope better with adversity when we believe we have meaningful influence over our circumstances. When institutions appear unstable, misinformation clouds public understanding, or democratic processes seem vulnerable, we may begin to feel that their actions have little impact. This perceived loss of agency can foster hopelessness, apathy, or, conversely, an intense drive toward activism that may itself become emotionally taxing if it is not balanced with opportunities for rest and recovery.
Existential Distress
Political instability can also challenge our fundamental assumptions about safety, justice, and social cohesion. As people we rely on a belief that public institutions, legal systems, and democratic structure provide a degree of predictability and protection. When these beliefs are shaken, we may experience existential anxiety - a deeper unease rooted not only in concern about specific events but also in uncertainty about the future of our communities, our rights, and the society we expected to live in. This can create persistent feelings of insecurity, even in cases where we are not in immediate personal danger.
When we feel government actions violate deeply held moral or ethical values, political events may also evoke moral distress or, in some cases, moral injury. Witnessing or feeling complicit in actions that conflict with our conscience can produce guilt, shame, grief, anger, or disillusionment. Unlike fear-based anxiety, moral distress often stems from the painful recognition that we cannot prevent or meaningfully alter outcomes that feel ethically unacceptable. Over time, this can weaken trust in institutions, reduce civic optimism, and contribute to emotional withdrawal or burnout.
Digitally Captive
It’s perhaps vital at this moment to point to the container that creates such accessibility to dysregulating feelings: the modern information environment. Think about how accessible it has become to find information that supports any position of opinion. Effortless is the process of accessing almost any virtual discourse, podcast audio, or charged video content that seems to prove literally any narrative based in harmful misinformation. Continuous exposure to distressing headlines, graphic images, polarized commentary, and rapidly spreading harmful rhetoric overwhelm the brain's capacity to process threats. Because digital platforms are designed to capture attention, we find ourselves caught up in cycles of repeated exposure (doomscrolling) that reinforce anxiety without increasing our sense of tethering to realistic truths. The result can be a persistent feeling that danger is constant and inescapable, even during moments of relative personal safety.
Community Concerns
Political instability also affects our relationships and communities. Differences in political beliefs may strain our friendships, divide our families, or create tension in our workplaces and schools. We may withdraw from conversations to avoid conflict, or feel increasingly isolated if our concerns are dismissed or misunderstood. For those of us who are immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, racial and ethnic minorities, women, religious minorities, or others whose rights or safety feel threatened, political developments are experienced in an emotionally compounded nature; not as abstract debates but as direct threats to our well-being, identity, and future.
Re-experiencing Trauma
While these responses are understandable reactions to prolonged uncertainty and conflict, effects become clinically significant when they persist or interfere with daily life. Ongoing political stress has been associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances, emotional exhaustion, reduced concentration, and burnout. For some of us, particularly those with prior experiences of trauma or discrimination, political instability can also intensify existing mental health conditions or reactivate earlier traumatic stress responses. If we’ve worked so hard to find a sense of internal and external stability, learning of newer societal atrocities can feel compromising to the safety we’ve so carefully learned to trust in again, slinging us back to a place of re-experiencing.
Review of Impact
Ultimately, the psychological impact of political instability extends beyond disagreement over policy. It reflects the cumulative burden of living in an environment where uncertainty, conflict, and perceived threats to our personal or societal values become a regular part of everyday life. When we no longer feel confident in the stability of government institutions, or the communal public, the resulting stress can shape not only our emotional well-being but also the stability of our relationships, sense of identity, and capacity to imagine a hopeful future.
So, maybe we can provide some gentle validation here - this is not all in your head. You’re not having a disproportionate reaction to the world around you. You’re not making something out of nothing. You’re having emotional and physiological reactions to the incredibly distressing circumstances that we’ve all witnessed . The longer we stay in this state the harder it is to ignore what’s happening to us. You’re not crazy, you’re valid.
We’ve talked about the why, so let’s talk about what steps you can take to stay afloat:
Are you bottling it up? Think of your emotions existing in a container with limited space. Whatever comes up in our lives, this container is never meant to hold it all and be ever-expanding - we all have emotional limitations. When our emotions reach capacity there is always possibility for explosion (and we don’t want that to happen). So, it’s necessary to find safe ways to release the internal pressure. Assuming you can just deal with it tends to have the opposite effect, and over time will add to the cumulative weight of your distress.
Talk about how you feel. Think of the people in your life that you trust. If they feel like a safe space to do so, asking for support and sharing how you feel can help release that internal pressure. Now our friends, family, and others in our support system are not our therapists, but having an ear to listen can help us feel less alone. Notice what the simple act of verbalizing what you’ve been bottling up inside does to your mind and body. If you feel you don’t have anyone you can more immediately speak with, then write it all down. Let your journal, a voice note, or a piece of random paper hold some of the emotional weight.
Lean on community. Emotional distress, shame, and fear typically cannot thrive when we’re surrounded by an accepting and reciprocal community. Perhaps you already have one - so use it as a resource! Chances are others in your support network are feeling similarly. Go out and meet your neighbors, join a meet up group, introduce yourself to new people. Feeling better connected, accepted, and understood can do wonders for our sense of self, and ease some of the internal pressures to “figure it all out” in solitude.
Root down in your values and morals. Morals are generally what we grow up knowing as “right” or “wrong”, and our values are what we define as important to us. What are your morals and values? What defines you as a person? What feels non-negotiable regarding how people should be treated in life? Actively reminding yourself of what you believe and how you see the world can help strengthen your internal tether to a sense of purpose, validation, and moral clarity.
Remember that you’re not alone. Navigating these highly distressing emotional landscapes leaves us with a profound sense of isolation, confusion, murkiness, and fear. That’s how the constant barrage of distressing information aims to incapacitate you. It’s therefore easy to begin believing “am I the only one feeling so distraught?”. Many people find it helpful to remind themselves, "“I’m not the only one who feels this way…”. Even if saying this to yourself doesn’t feel steeped in truth in the moment, your brain is paying attention in the background.
Move. Your. Body. Look away from the screen, set time limitations on your devices, take breaks from social media, listen to cues from your nervous system (fatigue, eye strain, headaches). Go for a walk. Go for a jog. Take some big stretches. Hop on a trail, a bike, or in the pool. If you are someone who can’t move your body then give your nervous system a break by looking at something green - a living thing that is green, such as a potted plant, a tree, some grass, hell even weeds count.
Bring it back to you. Inciting mass confusion and attempts at emotionally dysregulating the general public are meant to detach us from our individual sense of self and personal purpose (we’re weaker and more malleable that way). So take a breather from the information onslaught and pick up a book. Pick up that hobby you used to love: crochet, painting, bird watching, hiking, trivia, movie-going, etc. Go find some free live music near you and actually go listen. Sign up to volunteer somewhere in your community. The more purposeful and connected to our own sense of self we feel, the more resilient we become.
Go to therapy. Finding a licensed counselor or licensed social worker that you feel aligned with can make a world of difference in how you process distress. Therapy is a space to unload all that you’ve been emotionally and mentally carrying, in the presence of someone who knows how to talk with you about your experiences. Therapy is a form of self-care, as it creates validation for emotional upheaval and helps us learn ways to regulate our nervous systems. Support groups are vital at this time in our lives. Virtual or in-person, these group settings can offer a communal space where you’re allowed to share your pain, frustrations, fears, and hopes.
Hope. There is hope in numbers, there is hope in connected community, there is hope in action, and there is hope in personal belief that change can and will occur. Remember, you’re not meant to be ok with what is happening in the world - you’re having quite an appropriate response by feeling overwhelmed and fearful. You matter, your friends and neighbors matter, your community matters.
With encouragement and compassion,
Understory Mental Health Collective
Please reach out to Understory Mental Health Collective to begin receiving thoughtful and supportive mental health care. You can find our “Get In Touch” button at the top of this page.
If you feel like your overwhelm is beyond your ability to safely control, you can call the UpliftWI warm line at 1-534-202-5438, the Colorado Crisis Line at 1-844-493-8255, text “TALK” to 988, text “HOME” to 741741, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room.
