When the World Feels Like Too Much: Regaining Control in an Overwhelming Time
Unsplash Image by Kayla Velasquez
by Leigh William, Humanitarian and Psychologist, MSc(c) Integrative Therapy
If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through headlines, feeling helpless or tense as one disturbing story follows another, you are not alone. The flood of information we’re exposed to daily can trigger a deep, primitive response. Our nervous system goes straight into fight, flight, or freeze. While this is necessary in real danger, most of the threats we encounter — a breaking story, a viral video, an alarming statistic — are not actually happening to us in real time.
Still, our bodies react as if they are.
Take a moment and read the following:
Civilian casualties rising in yet another conflict zone
Record-breaking heat wave causes power outages and heat-related deaths
Child trafficking network exposed, involving trusted institutions
Mass shooting at a local Fourth of July parade
Wildfires force entire communities to evacuate
Rising cost of food pushes families into deeper poverty
Video footage of police brutality sparks national protests
Now pause.
Take inventory.
What shifted inside you as you read that list?
Did your breath shorten?
Did your shoulders tense?
Did you brace, even a little?
This response is your body’s way of preparing for attack. The problem is, you are likely sitting on your couch, scrolling through your phone, nowhere near actual harm. There’s no tiger in the room, but your system thinks there is. And it keeps thinking that, over and over, every time another headline hits.
What happens to your body when this cycle repeats ten or twenty times a day? From social media, the news, the background noise in a café? Without regulation, your body stays on high alert, waiting for the next blow. You feel helpless because your system is overloaded and cannot distinguish between direct threat and distant awareness.
This is where many people stop. They go numb, tune out, or shut down.
But here’s the truth: you are not powerless.
You may not be able to fix everything you see, but you can reclaim your nervous system. And once you do that, you are in a position to respond, not react. This is what makes real support possible. Real contribution. Real care.
When you learn to regulate your stress response, you stop sitting on the sofa waiting for the tiger that never comes. Instead, you anchor yourself in the moment. You remember that not every alarm needs your full emotional bandwidth. You protect your clarity. And in doing so, you make space for the moments when crisis does arrive in your own backyard — and you are ready to meet it with strength, not panic.
How to Practice Self-Regulation After Perceived Threats:
Unsplash Image by Max van den Oetelaar
1. Breathe with intention
Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. Do this for a few minutes. This pattern tells your nervous system it is safe to settle.
2. Ground through your senses
Look around. Name five things you see. Four you can touch. Three you can hear. Two you can smell. One you can taste. This returns you to the present moment.
3. Move your body
Shake out your hands. Stretch your spine. Go for a walk. Physical movement helps discharge stress that builds from emotional overload.
4. Use cold water
Splash your face, rinse your wrists, or hold an ice cube. Cold activates your parasympathetic system, which brings calm.
5. Say it out loud
Try: “This is upsetting, but I am not in danger right now. I am safe.” Speaking to yourself with clarity breaks the cycle of spiraling thought.
6. Set boundaries with media
Be selective about your information sources. Limit the time you spend reading news or watching videos. Acknowledge when it is too much.
7. Return to the natural world
Step outside. Listen to wind, water, birds. Sit by a tree or a body of water. Nature helps recalibrate what constant media noise disrupts.
Even those with strong internal resources need to step away sometimes. Rest is not weakness. It is what strengthens your ability to respond when it counts.
So take inventory often.
Notice what these stories do to your body.
Ask how many times a day you’re pulled into fear, anger, or despair — and whether that pattern is making you more effective or just more exhausted.
Then, make a choice.
Regulate before you react.
Rest before you burn out.
Reflect before you engage.
Because your power — your actual, usable power — begins with your ability to stay present and calm in the middle of the storm.
Take care of yourself so that when the moment does call for you to act, you can respond with purpose and clarity. That is how you make a difference. Not from panic, but from presence.
