Anxiety about Politics
The 24-hour news cycle and weight of societal issues can lead to poor sleep, anxiety, a pervasive sense of dread, and emotional exhaustion. Political anxiety is real, and it can take a toll on relationships and overall well-being.
For many, the anxiety and sense of powerlessness associated with political events isn’t just about policy differences. It can be deeply personal, triggering feelings of helplessness, fear, and despair. As a licensed therapist and licensed addictions counselor of almost 15 years, I have four actionable steps for working to not only survive, but thrive, during times of political anxiety:
1. Lean into Joy and Delight as an Act of Resistance
2. Cultivate Community and In-Person Connections
3. Hone in on One to Two Specific Causes for Organizing and Volunteering.
4. Keep a Historical Perspective
Let’s explore four actionable ways to deal with political anxiety while integrating the benefits of EMDR-informed strategies:
1. Leaning into Joy and Delight as an Act of Resistance
When the world feels chaotic and unpredictable, it may seem counterintuitive to focus on joy. However, deliberately seeking joy is not an act of avoidance. It’s an act of political resistance. Poet and activist, Toi Derricotte, writes about this here. Oppressive systems thrive when individuals feel defeated and disconnected from delight. Prioritizing joy is a way to emotionally reset, ensuring sustainable engagement rather than burnout. Deliberately pursuing joy and delight—baking bread, bird watching (thank you “smart” bird feeder!), time outside, enjoying time with a pet or a child—is just as essential to sustained community action as volunteering for a cause you care about or calling your senator. In the words of Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
How EMDR Supports This:
If guilt arises around experiencing joy (How can I be happy when so many are suffering?), EMDR can help reprocess this belief, allowing folks to be able to more fully be present in their own lives.
EMDR and coping strategies that we teach here at EMDR Center of Denver offers a dual approach in both 1) helping strengthen feelings of anchoring and groundedness in your life and in your relationships while also 2) actively working to lessen anxiety, anger, and depression.
Loving
When we loved
we didn’t love right.
The mornings weren’t funny
and we lost too much sleep.
I wish we could do it all again,
with clown hats on.
–Jane Stembridge, 1960s civil rights activist
Actionable Steps for Cultivating Joy:
Engage in daily “joy” routines that are for no other reason than the activity causing delight. Whether it’s music, reading, preparing a meal that you will enjoy, or spending time in nature, seeking activities simply because you delight in them is a necessary means of self-care and thus also of sustained engagement with the world around you.
Allow moments of delight to be guilt-free–whether that’s watching Ted Lasso or Schitt’s Creek, playing with a pet, or making art.
Recognize that joy is a political act. It keeps the sense of delight alive and fosters creativity, which is essential for sustained engagement.
2. Cultivating Community and In-Person Connections
Political anxiety often worsens in isolation. While social media creates an illusion of connection, it can also amplify stress and anxiety through what can quickly turn into doomsday scrolling. Real-life human connection is essential for regulating the nervous system and reminding folks that we are not alone. While Facetime or Zoom calls with loved ones can be a helpful means of connection, higher oxytocin is released in our brains and bodies when we interact with friends and other loved ones in-person.
How EMDR Supports This:
Many people develop avoidant behaviors in response to distress, retreating inward when overwhelmed. EMDR can help process past experiences that may contribute to social withdrawal helping folks to feel more comfortable to seek out connections.
By reprocessing negative beliefs (“I don’t belong” or “I am broken” ), EMDR fosters confidence in seeking and maintaining meaningful relationships.
Actionable Steps:
Prioritize face-to-face connections, join a local Meetup group about a cause you care about, attend community events, or gather with friends.
Engage in activities that foster time with others like trivia, book clubs, or volunteer work. Co-regulation (the calming effect of being around supportive people) is a powerful antidote to anxiety.
Make space for interactions with people–strangers or otherwise–that provide a sense of connection, even in passing. When we engage in conversational exchanges with people we may not know well though see on occasion, it strengthens what researchers refer to as weak social ties. Weak social ties increase our sense of belonging and connection to others, significantly reducing feelings of social isolation, depression, and anxiety.
3. Focusing on One or Two Causes for Organizing or Volunteering
If you feel overwhelmed with political anxiety, limit doomsday scrolling and non-specific news alerts. Instead hone in on one to two (max three) causes you really care about that you want to show up for either through volunteering, monthly donations, or activism. Maybe volunteering monthly at the humane society or food bank or giving money to an organization that you care about really lights you up inside and helps you feel more connected to those around you. Rather than spreading your energy thin, focusing on one or two causes allows for deeper engagement and sustained impact.
How EMDR Supports This:
Political anxiety is often accompanied by a sense of helplessness. EMDR helps folks shift from “I am powerless” to “I can take meaningful action.”
By working through past experiences of powerlessness, EMDR helps strengthen a sense of purposeful action.
Actionable Steps:
Choose one or two causes that deeply resonate rather than feeling pressure to follow every issue.
Set realistic engagement goals whether that’s monthly volunteering, donating, or financially supporting groups you care about.
Recognize that small actions compound over time, and focusing efforts creates a greater impact than spreading energy too thin.
4. Keeping a Historical Perspective: The Horrors Persist, but So Do We.
Throughout history, democracies have faced immense challenges: slavery, colonialism, authoritarian regimes and yet, progress has continued. While the current situations may feel unbearable, maintaining a historical perspective of even the 400 years of our “baby” democracy can provide hope and context.
How EMDR Supports This:
We all have memories of feeling a loss of control or powerlessness. Distressing memories like these can lead to political events that cause similar feelings of powerlessness to rightfully be even more triggering. EMDR helps reprocess these memories, as well as current anxieties, so they lessen the sense of being destabilized.
By reinforcing beliefs, such as “Change is slow, but possible,” EMDR fosters long-term resilience rather than short-term despair.
Actionable Steps:
Read books or listen to podcasts about historical movements.
Acknowledge that progress is nonlinear. Oftentimes initial barriers and setbacks are the matches that ignite positive changes.
If you find that your political anxiety remains high and continues to impact your sleep, focus, home life, or work for two weeks or more, find an EMDR therapist trained in the EMDR protocol for anxiety to help get relief. You can schedule with us to learn more.
Final Thoughts
Political anxiety is a natural response to distressing events, but it doesn’t have to lead to despair. By relentlessly seeking joy, cultivating in-person community, focused action, and remembering the historical context of the pale blue dot in which we find ourselves, folks can move beyond helplessness and into meaningful engagement.
If political anxiety feels overwhelming, working with a therapist trained in the EMDR protocol for anxiety can help process underlying fears, reinforce empowerment, and create sustainable strategies for engagement. The goal isn’t just to survive political anxiety but to thrive despite it, finding balance between advocacy and inner peace.
To learn more about the effectiveness of EMDR for anxiety:
Efficacy of EMDR treatment for Anxiety Disorders
Preliminary Evidence for the Efficacy of EMDR in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder
EMDR as Treatment Option for Conditions Other Than PTSD: A Systematic Review
Jeanne Cross, LCSW, LAC
Jeanne Cross has more than ten years of experience working with adults. She is formally trained in EMDR, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), and specializes in helping people find relief from depression, anxiety, grief and loss, addiction, and trauma. She has both a License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) and License in Addiction Counseling (LAC). She graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master’s in Divinity from Duke University with esteemed honors including the Robert E Bryan Public Service Award and Bosch Award from UNC at Chapel Hill and the McMurray Richey Outstanding Student Award, Marsha Sterns Award, and Addie Davis Leadership Nominee from Duke University. Jeanne’s career has taken her everywhere from training a team of social workers in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) who assisted children removed from human trafficking in the Philippines to helping people find relief from depression, addiction, grief and loss, and anxiety in outpatient, residential, and hospital settings. She looks forward to working with you!