Anxiety about the future

[Seekingbrighterpath]

Hi Guys, I have just joined in order to seek help. I have 2 small children and all of a sudden I have started to suffer MAJOR anxiety about the future of the world. Not just normal feelings but feelings of Doom and gloom about coronavirus, AU/China US/CHina etc. What have people done to cope with this? I find myself reasoning to calm myself down but it seems to come back worse every few days to the point of major panic attacks.. why am I upset about things I can't control? Please help

[Sophie_M]

Hi Seekingbrighterpath,

We are sorry to hear that you are feeling this way at the moment, it sounds like you are feeling a lot of anxiety about what it happening in the world. We think it is wonderfully brave of you to reach out for support, talking to others about these thoughts can be a great step towards feeling better.  

There are a few artcile linked below which might be useful as a place to start:
- Dealing with bad world news
- What is climate anxiety and how to deal with it?
-How to deal with anxiety about Climate change

We also thinkit would bre great for you to give us a call on 1300 22 4636 and the team can help you develop some strategies for you start to feel a panic attack coming on. The team that answer the calls are experts in supporting people when they are in distress, but you can also call them when you are feeling well to have ideas ready to go. 

We hope there is something helpful for you in there. Please feel free to come back and let us know what has worked for you and to update us on how you are feeling. 

Kind regards,
Sophie M

[jtjt_4862]

Heya Seekingbrighterpath,

When it comes to news and media, I always tell myself, the purpose of news and media is not just to inform the citizens about what's happening in the world, but also come up with content that will gain them the most viewers / view counts / likes / attention. And what better way to gain attention than to highlight on super terrible things, or over exaggerate things to the point it becomes a click bait. Sometimes information gets twisted or miscommunicated, bringing false assumptions and what not. So I tend to be cautious about what is presented by the media.

We tend to fixate ourselves on the bad things, that we're forgetting about the good things that are happening around us. Good things doesn't have to be really good like, winning a lottery, or getting a promotion at your work place, but little things that brings us joy and happiness. It could be from the cup of tea that you drink every morning, or the smile on your two kids as they play among themselves without the care of what's happening in the world. Practicing gratitude (can just be one or two a day), and trying to see things on a more positive view. Live in the moment and enjoy it. You're right with questioning why are we upset about things we can't control? Life's too short for us to be worrying about things that are out of our control, so we should just focus on what's in front of us (Our children, our family, our friends, hobbies etc.).

I hope that helps you seekingbrighterpath. Happy to chat with you more if you'd like to share what's on your mind.

Jt

[james1]

Hi iSeekingbrighterpath,

Sorry to hear you are struggling with this. I know a few friends who experience similar anxieties about the future, and it can be very overwhelming as you've also experienced.

I don't have much to add to Sophie_M and Jt in terms of managing the actual stress and anxiety, but your post reminded me of a few podcasts I've been listening which talk about this.

So just the same as how we often recommend avoiding social media to people who are prone to self-criticism and comparison, these podcasts were suggesting that people who are prone to anxiety about the future of the world should try to limit news consumption as much as possible. It's an interesting thought and could be helpful to some people to try and limit the exposure we have to triggering events and activities.

I hope you find these posts helpful. I'd love to hear back from you on how you are going.

James

[Seekingbrighterpath]

Thank you all for your responses.

I have been trying to limit my intake of news and for a while I was doing so well. Like all anxiety sometimes it feels like it is the only thing I can concentrate on even though my work is crazy busy and I have so much to think about and concentrate on.

@james1 do you have any suggestions for Podcasts? I am an avid listener to all so I am open to any that will help me.

Thank you!

[Dadoftwo]

Hi Seekingbrighterpath - add in climate change to your list and I reckon I could have written your post. I know exactly how you feel and how easy it is to get overwhelmed by bad news. Others have provided some resources and strategies for you, but I might add a couple more ... there are websites and social media groups dedicated to sharing only positive news, and reading these can at the very least help you appreciate that there are good things happening in the world. Search for Positive News, Good News Network and Reasons to be Cheerful to start you off. Hope they help!

[james1]

Hey seekingbrighterpath,

Oh sorry I don't remember! I've been listening to so many while in lockdown, that i forget.

The ones i follow are intelligence squared US debates, a podcast of one's own, 80000 hours podcast, and i was just recommended one called how to save a planet. I often find podcasts share a more upbeat and practical approach to world problems than news articles, but it can still be quite a heavy listen just because of the complexity of the topic. So I also like listening to some board game and video game podcasts which I find fun and interesting too.

Any that you enjoy in particular?

James