It starts as a prickle at the nape of your neck and becomes a permanent knot in your stomach. Twisted tighter by every headline about genocide and unbridled greed. The rubble-strewn photographs from war zones. The racial hatred and casual misogyny spreading through your feeds like a toxic mould. It all adds up to an existential dread you just can’t seem to shake.
The Germans have a word for this: weltschmerz. Roughly translating to ‘world-pain’, it’s an unsettling sadness at the state of the world that feels almost inevitable in the age of the polycrisis. “I’m increasingly seeing clients, especially younger people, coming to me with fear about the future and their place in it,” says Dr Dwight Turner, an integrative psychotherapist and author. “Even when our lives are not directly affected by things like climate disaster or political turmoil, we are all connected. Collective anxiety comes from the awareness of a generalised threat to life, and the first step in dealing with it is to realise what a normal part of being human it is.”
While the uneasiness we feel can act as a signal, telling us where our morals lie and inspiring us to fight for them, living in this state of low-level anxiety is exhausting. Here’s what you can do to manage it – and make the world a little better in the process.
Don’t fight uncomfortable feelings
The urge to push (or swipe) away negative feelings is natural, but it can result in a tangle of untended anxiety sitting at the back of your mind. “When someone comes to me and says, ‘I'm worried about the world’, I encourage them to sit with that worry. Try not to dismiss it,” says Bárbara Godoy, existential psychotherapist and clinical director of Therapy Harley Street. “In order to be resilient we have to engage with what’s difficult, otherwise we’re not exercising the muscles that help us cope. Allow yourself to say: this worries me, this makes me sad, this makes me angry. Be aware of it for a few moments, then bring your awareness back to where you are, who you are and what you can actually change.”
Balance out your worldview
Doomscrolling keeps us stuck in a negative feedback loop, we know this. In 2024, researchers studied 800 people from the US and Iran and found that excessive time spent consuming negative news led to feelings of existential anxiety, distrust and despair. There is such a thing as knowing too much.
“Because of the addictive nature of social media it’s difficult to pull ourselves away, but you can end up pouring an endless supply of fuel onto the belief that everything is awful,” says Turner. “It's very important to take time away and find moments of lightness and brightness. There is a lot of beauty out there, still, and noticing it can really change your outlook.”
Bring your attention to the big, positive strides – take, for example, the fact that 36% of the world’s population was suffering from extreme poverty in 2000 and today that figure is at 10%. But even a silly video shown to a friend or a shared smile with a stranger in the queue for coffee acts as a circuit breaker, reminding you that people are fundamentally good.
Prioritise IRL community
“We’re living in an atomised world, and that adds to this feeling that we’re alone and powerless in the face of huge global issues,” says Turner. This is where leaning into community can have a magical effect. Not only does voicing your worries to like-minded people immediately take the sting out of them, but hearing that they also care about the same issues sparks hope that things can change.
Whenever you feel the dread rising, prioritise facetime. “The more time we spend around people who care for us and vice versa, the easier it is to come back to ourselves,” adds Turner. “And activities like sitting and reading in a cafe, going for a walk with a friend or going on an organised march – whatever you find most nourishing – can help you feel grounded and connected to something bigger.”
Give your nervous system a break
There is a tendency to feel like you have to stay informed and bear witness, but without boundaries it just leave you depleted. “If your nervous system is constantly being battered with tension, your cortisol is high and your adrenaline is pumping, that is exhausting – and the more mentally weary you are, the more vulnerable you feel. It’s a vicious cycle,” Godoy explains. “When you allow yourself to rest and be playful, you’re refreshed. That’s when you actually have the energy to engage with the hard stuff.”
Do something small but meaningful
The few activists we know by name may have done spectacular things, but it’s usually the small, cumulative actions of the many that creates meaningful change. “If you can get involved with a cause that you care about, it really eases existential dread. It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture, we’re not all Superman or Superwoman, it’s just about making a difference in one small corner,” says Turner. Action is a powerful antidote to anxiety, and when we all push in the same direction, mountains can be moved. If you’re looking for a way to help those who need it most right now, we’ll leave you with these suggestions.
- Choose Love is a movement to get life-changing support to the millions of people around the world displaced by war. You can donate directly to their campaigns in the Middle East and Sudan, raise money with a sporting event or fund specialised mental health care for refugees in need.
- This week marks three years since conflict broke out in Sudan, triggering the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and impacting more than 33 million people. Consider supporting CAFOD, who are delivering emergency food, safe water and shelter throughout the country.
- Global Justice Now is a UK-based activist network formed in solidarity with those tackling injustice, particularly in the global south. With campaign groups across the country, you can find your closest group here and join meetings once a month to plan positive action, public awareness events and protests.
- Making your voice heard on topics you feel strongly about is your democratic right – and contacting your MP can result in it being discussed in parliament. Write To Them makes it quick and easy to find your representative and drop them a message.
