Why Am I This Anxious About the News? Understanding Your Nervous System in Times of Uncertainty

By Dr. Lauren Chase, LCMHC
Online Therapy for Women in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida

If you have noticed that your anxiety spikes every time you check the news, you are not alone. Many high-achieving women describe a unique kind of tension that rises in their chest when they see the latest headline. Even when you try to limit your screen time or tell yourself not to look, something pulls you back in. You feel unsettled, overwhelmed, and unable to stop thinking about what is happening in the world.

You may wonder why your emotional response is so intense when others seem to stay calm. You may ask yourself why your thoughts spiral for hours, or why you feel on edge even when you are safe at home. You may notice physical symptoms like tight muscles, difficulty concentrating, irritability, or a racing mind.

This is not personal weakness. This is your nervous system doing exactly what it is wired to do when it senses uncertainty, unpredictability, or overwhelm. And in today’s nonstop news environment, that nervous system activation can happen multiple times a day.

In this guide, you will learn what happens inside your body during political and world event stress, why women often feel this more intensely, and how to regulate your nervous system so you can stay informed without feeling consumed. If you are seeking online therapy in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Florida to help manage anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional burnout, this will meet you right where you are.

Your Nervous System Was Not Designed for Constant Crisis

The human nervous system evolved during a time when danger was immediate and physical. It protected you from threats like animals, environmental hazards, or conflict. Once the danger passed, the nervous system returned to baseline and the body regained a sense of safety.

Today the brain cannot tell the difference between a real threat and a perceived threat. When you scroll through the news and see images of crises, conflict, or suffering, your nervous system reacts as if something is happening directly to you.

What your nervous system hears when you read the news:

• Something bad is happening
• You might not be safe
• You need to prepare
• You must stay alert
• You need to do something now

This is why even headlines can trigger sensations like:
• Tightness
• Racing thoughts
• Shallow breathing
• Irritability
• An urge to check your phone again
• A sense of dread

Your body is working overtime to protect you.

The Science Behind Political and Global Anxiety

When you see distressing content, the amygdala, which is the brain's alarm system, activates quickly. It sends a message to your body that says:

"Pay attention
Stay alert
Do not relax"

This activates your stress response. Your heart rate increases. Your muscles tighten. Your breathing becomes shallow. Your thoughts speed up.

The most important thing to understand is that your nervous system cannot determine whether the threat is happening in front of you or through a screen.

So every time you are exposed to distressing news, your body experiences a mini stress response.

Now multiply that by:
• Constant notifications
• Social media
• News updates
• Other people’s emotional reactions
• Political tension
• Conversations at work or home

Your nervous system rarely gets a break.

Why Women Experience News Anxiety More Intensely

Women often carry emotional responsibility for families, workplaces, and communities. You may also carry childhood patterns of tracking others’ moods or trying to prevent conflict. These tendencies heighten your awareness and make your nervous system more sensitive to environmental cues.

Women seeking online counseling in NC, SC, and FL often report:
• Overthinking worst case scenarios
• Feeling responsible for staying informed
• A deep empathy that becomes overwhelming
• A strong sense of duty to care about justice and safety
• Difficulty turning off mental analysis
• Feeling guilty for taking breaks
• Emotional exhaustion from absorbing so much suffering

In addition, women frequently live with:
• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Trauma histories
• Perfectionism
• High emotional attunement
• People pleasing
• Boundary fatigue

All of these factors increase nervous system sensitivity.

How Your Body Signals Political and World Event Anxiety

The symptoms can be emotional, cognitive, or physical. None of them mean you are weak or dramatic. They simply mean your system is overloaded.

Emotional signs:

• Irritability
• Feeling easily overwhelmed
• Difficulty relaxing
• Emotional numbness
• Feeling helpless or discouraged

Cognitive signs:

• Racing thoughts
• Doomscrolling
• Trouble focusing
• Catastrophizing
• Difficulty making decisions

Physical signs:

• Tight chest
• Restlessness
• Tension headaches
• Fatigue
• Stomach discomfort
• Trouble sleeping

These experiences are common for women I work with through online therapy in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, and they improve significantly with nervous system regulation work.

How to Support Your Nervous System When the World Feels Heavy

You cannot control world events. You cannot control the news cycle. But you can control how much access you give your nervous system to overwhelming input.

Below are evidence based strategies that help you stay informed without feeling consumed.

1. Track Your Activation Level Throughout the Day

Use a simple check in:
"Is my body in a calm state, a stressed state, or a shutdown state?"

Awareness is the first step toward regulation.

2. Limit or Structure Your News Exposure

Instead of checking news impulsively, choose:
• One source
• One or two times per day
• A time when your body feels regulated
• A cutoff time in the evening

Your brain cannot process constant crisis.

3. Use Patterned Breathing to Reset Your System

Try:
• Inhale for four
• Hold for two
• Exhale for six

A longer exhale signals the brain that it is safe to relax.

4. Anchor Into What Is Within Your Control

Focus on your immediate environment:
• Your breath
• Your home
• Your body
• Your relationships
• Your routines
• Your values
• Your community involvement

When you shift from global helplessness to local agency, anxiety decreases.

5. Practice Intentional Disengagement

Give your brain time away from stimulation. Try:
• A morning without screens
• Quiet time in the car
• Nature walks
• A digital-free lunch break
• Phone boundaries after 8 p.m.

These moments give your nervous system a chance to return to baseline.

6. Build in Moments of Safety Throughout Your Day

Choose sensory cues that help your body relax:
• Warm tea
• A soft blanket
• Calming scents
• Warm lighting
• Touching a grounding object
• Slow stretching

Small signals of safety help your body release stored tension.

7. Connect With Emotionally Grounded People

Talk to people who help you feel calmer, not more overwhelmed.
Your nervous system co-regulates with others.

What Healing Looks Like When You Support Your Nervous System

When women begin using these tools regularly, they often report:
• Lower anxiety
• Better emotional resilience
• Clearer thinking
• More present time with family
• Less irritability
• Improved sleep
• More tolerance for uncertainty
• Reduced compulsive news checking

Your nervous system starts to trust that you are safe.
You begin to move through the world with more steadiness and less fear.

Helpful Resources

Books

• Anchored by Deb Dana
• Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
• The Anatomy of Anxiety by Ellen Vora

Podcasts

• Ten Percent Happier
• We Can Do Hard Things
• The Happiness Lab

Tools I Use in Online Therapy (NC, SC, FL)

• Nervous system mapping
• Trauma-informed grounding exercises
• Anxiety management strategies
• Values-based resilience work
• Boundary setting with digital overwhelm
• Cognitive and somatic techniques

If you want personalized worksheets or grounding scripts, I can create them for you.

Final Thoughts

You can care deeply about the world and still protect your mental health.
You can stay informed without feeling consumed.
You can learn to regulate your nervous system in a way that supports long term emotional well-being.

There is nothing wrong with you for feeling overwhelmed. In fact, it means you have a sensitive, attuned, compassionate nervous system. You simply need tools that help you manage the emotional load you are carrying.

Ready to Feel More Grounded and Less Overwhelmed?

If you are struggling with constant worry, sensory overload, or nervous system activation due to world events, you do not have to navigate it alone.

I specialize in helping high-achieving women through online therapy in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, using evidence based strategies to help you feel more steady, centered, and in control.

You deserve calm. You deserve support. You deserve space to breathe.

Schedule your free 15 minute consultation to get started.