Finding Calm in a Chaotic World: An Anxiety Counselor in Erie, PA Shares How to Manage Current Events
The Age of Anxiety
Your phone dings for what seems like the millionth time, and it’s only 11am. You check it and see another breaking news bulletin (is it actually breaking news? It feels like everything is breaking news these days). You sigh and dismiss it, but then your mind tells you that you might be missing something important, or calls you lazy and uninformed for not keeping up on the fresh hell that today has brought. You think that you should probably read the news, but you just can’t bring yourself to take in another piece of information.
Or maybe you’re finding yourself overinformed - doomscrolling for 4 hours at 1am when you know that you should be sleeping. Trying to make some semblance of the insanity that is our current world, so that you can feel just a little bit more in control than you did yesterday. Even though at the same time, you feel like there’s nothing you can do about any of it…
The 24/7 news cycle is designed to cause anxiety in its viewers. Our minds were not meant to be inundated with this much information on a regular basis, and hearing so many things and so many viewpoints can lead to feeling helpless, scared, and exhausted. It's tough to deal with all the overwhelming news these days. As anxiety counselors in Erie, PA, we’re here to offer practical ways to manage anxiety about current events, so you can stay informed without sacrificing your peace of mind.
The Science of News Anxiety
Our brains have barely evolved since the cavepeople days. No, I’m not kidding - while society has rocketed forward like a jetski, our minds are like an ocean liner trying to turn on a dime - cumbersome, heavy, and difficult to redirect. The ways that we experience fear and anxiety haven’t really changed, despite the information age bringing with it a huge increase in stimulation to our minds and senses.
The Brain’s Threat Response
Our brains take in information all day long, and use up energy to determine whether that information is something we need to think about or act on, or whether we can discard it. The part of our brain that controls our fear response, the amygdala, is like a smoke alarm - constantly scanning for potential danger. However, like a smoke alarm, the amygdala doesn’t know whether the smoke is coming from a house fire or a burnt lasagna. It’s going to react the same no matter what.
The news typically covers all of the bad, scary, or concerning things that happened in a given day. This is like smoke entering the smoke alarm. Your amygdala raises the alarm signaling danger - triggering your mind to worry, and your body to enter your fight or flight mode. However, just like a smoke alarm, your amygdala is designed to identify imminent danger that requires immediate action (the house fire) in short bursts. Imagine your smoke alarm going off 24/7/365!
Not to mention that 24/7 news isn’t like old news. The days of Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw focused less on opinion and more on fact. With a 24/7 news cycle, every channel, blog, or social media account can present facts colored by opinion. This often leads to rampant fear-mongering, regardless of its justification.
The Illusion of Control
Those of us who are in our 30s or older can remember when that exposure was limited to the time you spent reading the morning paper or watching the evening news, giving your mind and body plenty of time to calm down from any sort of stress or fear response that may have resulted. However, the birth of the 24/7 news cycle brought with it the unfortunate ability to be constantly inundated with news. When it comes at you from all angles - TV, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, freaking gas station pump screens - it’s easy for you to enter a fight or flight response and not be able to come out of it. There’s no space to de-escalate, because the next “breaking news” cycle is coming at you 30 seconds after the previous one.
You may find yourself feeling driven to doomscroll, even though you know it just makes you feel worse. That’s the result of our minds striving for a sense of control. It’s normal for us to look for anything we can do to keep in control of our lives and our world - and when the news feels uncontrollable, our mind may push us to check and recheck to create a false sense of control. The awareness of current events and keeping informed may feel as though you have more control over life, even though all it does is make you hyperaware of all the bad things going on in the world, which can be a key driver of - you guessed it - anxiety.
Uncertainty Triggers Anxiety
Uncertainty is one of the biggest triggers to anxiety. Think about it from a survival standpoint - if you can choose one path that you know well vs. one that you’ve never walked before, which are you going to pick? As we just discussed, our mind looks for control and predictability, because those two things have consistently equaled safety in the history of our species.
With so much going on in the world, there’s a ton that we don’t know. The brain naturally strives to fill in those blanks with what we do know, even if that information is biased, opinionated, or just plain false. Our brain works to feel that sense of control via knowledge, and doomscrolling, watching cable news, or reading the 100th article about a given topic contributes to that false sense of security and control.
Anxiety Therapy-Informed Coping Strategies
Now that you know where the problem lies, what do we do about it?
Be Mindful About Your Media Consumption
Set boundaries for yourself
Take a day to review what apps you’re using and how they’re affecting your mood. Use the Notes app of your phone, or a good old-fashioned notepad, to make note of how you feel when you’re scrolling Tiktok vs. talking to friends vs. checking emails. See which apps tend to lead to anxiety - those are the apps we want to limit. The most low-cost, simple method is to delete said apps off of your phone. Plenty of people have reported feeling lighter after removing social media or news apps off of their phone - you could be one of them!
Don’t want to go nuclear? Make note of when you tend to doomscroll, then find something else to occupy that time. Put your phone in a drawer or in a far room. Then, start a new hobby (or pick up an old one). Get outside and touch grass. Go for a coffee with a friend. Read a book. Start with just five minutes away from your phone - and then keep trying for 30 seconds longer. A break from screens can do wonders for your anxiety by reconnecting you with your loved ones, your community, and the real world around you.
If you don’t trust your ability to put your phone down, there are plenty of products and apps that can help you curb your unique use. Focus Friend is a simple and free app that helps you stop using your phone completely, if you’re looking to completely separate. If you still need to use your phone but don’t want to use “those apps”, Screenzen is a great free option compatible with all smartphones. It allows you to pick which apps to flag, and encourages you to reflect on why you’re choosing to engage with that app before it will allow you to open it.
Be choosy about your feed
Be mindful of what sources of news you are reading and watching. Everybody loves some good shared rage, but focusing on all of the bad things without any of the good can make anxiety much worse. Rather than liking and following mostly profiles that talk only about the negative side of the news, do your best to find profiles that give a well-rounded perspective. Lean towards less-biased sources that use credible reporting tactics.
Even better, take in positive information! Go out of your way to watch wholesome content - embrace the internet’s original purpose of cat videos. There have been a ton of great creators who have started “good news” accounts specifically to combat the news anxiety and fatigue that we’ve been seeing lately.
Use therapeutic techniques to encourage mindfulness
There are a ton of great exercises to help you cope with anxiety and refocus your attention where it needs to go. If you notice that you’re doomscrolling too much and feeling the weight of anxiety, try one of the following:
5-4-3-2-1
Take a look around your surroundings, then use your senses to perceive them, like so:
Find five things that you can see.
Find four things that you can hear.
Find three things that you can touch.
Find two things that you can smell.
Find one thing that you can taste (it’s great to keep your favorite hard candy or gum on hand for this purpose - but if you don’t have anything, you can take a moment to increase your awareness of your saliva, tongue, and cheeks).
Box Breathing
Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a technique that can assist when anxiety causes rapid breathing (which can in turn increase anxiety). It works by slowing down your breath and giving your mind something to focus on other than the source of your anxiety.
Start by breathing normally, but focus on making your stomach rise and fall rather than your chest. This means that you are more likely to be deep breathing, getting the full benefit of the exercise.
Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Notice the feeling of the air coming in.
Hold your breath for four seconds.
Slowly exhale from your mouth for four seconds.
Wait for four seconds, then repeat until you’re feeling more present.
Connect to the world around you
Come back to your immediate community and surroundings to channel your anxiety into more valuable action. Since anxiety often stems from feeling out of control or powerless, directing your anxiety into action can help ease it naturally. Find a cause that you support, and volunteer or donate to it. Bonus points if the cause stems from an area where your news anxiety is affected (e.g., if you’re anxious about politics, volunteer for a candidate whose stances align with your values).
Focus on the areas of your life where you do have control. How can you make your life better, even in a small way? Where can you do more things that help you feel like you’re living a valuable, meaningful life? Even though many causes are bigger than us individually, taking the steps that you can take may help you feel as though you’re doing something to contribute to a better world.
When to Seek Professional Help from an Anxiety Therapist in Erie, PA
While news-based anxiety is a common issue for most, it can become problematic. Below are some common indicators that your anxiety may be more than you can handle on your own, and you may want to consider anxiety therapy in Erie, PA:
Experiencing frequent, persistent panic attacks.
Avoiding doing everyday tasks, such as taking care of yourself and your space.
Distancing yourself from your loved ones.
Finding your anxiety coming up when you’re not thinking about the news or doomscrolling.
Having trouble completing necessary tasks, such as feeling distracted at work or unable to focus.
The Value of Anxiety Therapy
If your news anxiety feels out of control, a therapist can be a big help, offering a structured and supportive path to managing the normal (but difficult) feelings that accompany it. A trained therapist acts as a guide to creating a personalized path to improving your mental health, and provides a safe space to process your reactions to the news cycle. They aren’t just a “paid listener”, they work with you to determine what steps to take and what practical tools to use to understand the current world, and change your responses to fit your unique needs.
Specific Therapeutic Modalities
Several evidence-based therapeutic approaches are particularly effective for news-related anxiety:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is one of the most widely used and effective therapies for anxiety. CBT focuses on the idea that your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. For news anxiety, a therapist helps you identify and challenge the distorted or catastrophic thoughts that the news may trigger (e.g., "The worst-case scenario is definitely going to happen"). By learning to reframe these thoughts into more realistic and balanced perspectives, you can significantly reduce your emotional distress and react to the news in a more valuable, mindful way.
Mindfulness-Based Therapies: Approaches like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teach you to anchor yourself in the present moment rather than getting carried away by future-focused worries fueled by the news. They encourage you to observe your anxious thoughts and feelings without judgment, thereby reducing their power over you. This helps you accept that certain events are outside your control while choosing how you respond to the information you consume.
If you’re noticing the news cycle is making your anxiety too heavy, our trained therapists at Metamorphosis Counseling can help.
Find Calm with an Anxiety Counselor in Erie, PA
In today’s world, it’s easy to feel consumed by constant news cycles, uncertainty, and stress. At Metamorphosis Counseling, we understand how overwhelming it can be to stay grounded when the world feels unpredictable. Working with an anxiety counselor in Erie, PA, you’ll have a safe, supportive space to process what’s happening around you and within you—learning how to manage anxious thoughts, reduce emotional overload, and restore a sense of peace and control.
Here’s how to begin your path toward calm:
Call 814-273-6270 or complete our contact form to connect with our team and take the first step toward feeling more centered.
Schedule your first session with a compassionate anxiety counselor in Erie, PA, who will help you navigate stress from current events and daily life.
Begin learning practical tools to calm your nervous system, create healthy boundaries with media, and strengthen emotional resilience.
You don’t have to carry the weight of the world alone. With the right guidance, you can quiet the noise, reclaim your peace, and feel more grounded—no matter what’s happening around you.
Additional Counseling Services at Metamorphosis Counseling in Erie, PA
In addition to working with an anxiety counselor in Erie, PA, clients can access a range of supportive services designed to meet them wherever they are in their healing journey. Our team provides trauma-informed therapy to help individuals process difficult experiences, rebuild a sense of safety, and restore emotional balance. We also work closely with children and teens, helping them strengthen emotional awareness, develop healthy coping strategies, and build lasting resilience.
For those who prefer flexibility, we offer secure online therapy sessions—making it simple to connect with your therapist from the comfort and privacy of home. This option ensures accessibility and convenience while maintaining the same compassionate, personalized care that defines Metamorphosis Counseling.
