The other day, a client walked into my office looking like he had been holding his breath.
He sat down and said, “I was coming in to talk about something else… but then I heard the news in the car and… I don’t even know where to begin.”
And I knew exactly what he meant.
Because lately, it feels like the world is on fire and our phones are the smoke alarm.
War. Famine. Assassination. Hate speech. Escalating political violence. Humanitarian crises. A climate crisis. And all of it — graphic, unfiltered, and deeply affecting — is right in front of us. Playing out in our hands, our cars, our living rooms, whether we ask for it or not.
Even when we’re trying to be intentional about our consumption by switching off, muting notifications or reducing scrolling, it sneaks in. At the supermarket. In the doctor’s waiting room. The second we open Instagram. It’s everywhere.
And when it’s everywhere, it’s easy to feel powerless. But we’re not.
We might not be able to control the news cycle. But we can look after our nervous systems in the face of it. And that might just be the most powerful thing we can do right now.
What actually happens when we see something distressing on our screens
When we see something distressing on our screens, our bodies react like it’s happening right in front of us. Because the nervous system is not great at figuring out what’s real and what’s coming through a screen.
Your heart starts racing. Your muscles tense. Stress hormones kick in. It’s the same ancient survival response that would have saved you from a tiger a few thousand years ago.
But here’s the catch. These days, we don’t get the resolution. We watch something awful… and then scroll straight onto a viral tray bake recipe that promises dinner in 20 minutes. And before we’ve even processed that, we’re hit with the next awful thing.
This survival energy stays trapped in the body, leaving us wired and exhausted all at once. It’s why so many of us find ourselves lying in bed, chest tight, mind spinning, feeling like something’s wrong. Because as far as your body’s concerned, something is wrong. Your body hasn’t realised that you’re safe in your bed, it’s still carrying the threat.
This is vicarious trauma
In psychology, we talk about something called vicarious trauma.
It’s what happens when you internalise the distress of someone else’s experience. You’ll often hear about it in frontline workers — journalists, health professionals, therapists, paramedics — people who are regularly exposed to other people’s pain.
But these days, you don’t have to be in a hospital or a war correspondent to feel affected. Now, the frontlines aren’t halfway around the world, they’re in your feed. In your pocket. On autoplay while you’re waiting for your coffee.
Every time you’re exposed to this graphic content, violent videos or heartbreaking headlines, your system keeps score. It leaves a mark. Even if we think we’re fine, our nervous system might be telling a different story.
Over time, this internalising can take a toll. Heightened anxiety, emotional numbing, intrusive imagery, hopelessness. These are all signs that your nervous system is carrying more than it can process. And if we don’t give it an off-ramp, the stress doesn’t go away. It just builds.
That build-up? It doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It means you’re human.
Because if you’re feeling the effects of vicarious trauma, it’s not because you’re too sensitive or not coping well. It’s because you’re empathetically attuned. You feel things. And while that’s one of your greatest strengths, it also means you need to look after yourself.
Okay… so what can we actually do?
The goal isn’t to stop caring about the world, or to bury your head in the sand. It’s to help your nervous system process what it’s absorbing which will allow you to continue showing up in the world long term rather than your system shutting down.
These are some simple, science-backed things I share with clients when the weight of the world starts to feel like too much:
Firstly, please avoid watching videos of shootings
When I hear that people are watching videos of shootings, it honestly worries me. A lot. I wish it went without saying, but please try to avoid that kind of content if you can. I know the urge to look exists— we want to understand, to witness— but your nervous system pays the price. Resist the scroll. You don’t need that in your body or your brain.
Limit exposure
Try to be intentional about how often you check the news. Constant refreshing and doomscrolling keeps your nervous system stuck in high alert mode. Be especially careful with graphic videos— seeing the same distressing footage over and over can really compound the impact. If staying informed matters to you (and of course it does), consider reading a summary instead. Your brain will thank you.
Name what you’re feeling
Name your emotional response. Say it out loud, or at least to yourself. Something like, “I’m feeling shaken, heartbroken, and confused. I can feel my body is on high alert”. Naming what’s going on helps you take a tiny step back from the overwhelm. It activates your brain’s prefrontal cortex and gives you a sense of distance from the overwhelm. It turns a big, messy feeling into something you can witness… and then soothe.
Discharge the energy
Discharge the energy. Your body needs to release the stress response. Go for a walk. Shake out your arms. Dance around the kitchen to a song you loved in 2005. Do a few squats in your living room. Punch a pillow if that helps. Grab a stress ball or a fidget toy if that’s more your vibe. The point is, you need to give your body a clear message: the danger has passed. You’re safe now.
Use your breath
Your breath is one of the quickest ways to calm your nervous system. A long, slow exhale tells your body, you’re okay now. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system—your “rest and digest” mode and helps to lower your heart rate, reduce tension, and bring you back to the present. Try this: breathe in for four counts, out for six. Do it a few times. It’s simple, free, and effective. Like a tiny reset button you carry around all the time.
Ground yourself in the present
When you feel caught in mental images, come back to the present by noticing five things you can see, four things you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
Connect with others
Connect. Don’t carry it all on your own. Talking about the heaviness reduces the load your nervous system is carrying alone. And if the distress sticks around for more than a few weeks, or it’s making everyday life feel hard, please reach out for professional support. You don’t need to be in crisis to ask for help.
The world is heavy right now. But that doesn’t mean you have to carry it all, all the time, all by yourself. You can care deeply and take care of yourself. You can stay informed and protect your peace. And you can start small. With a breath, a walk, a conversation, or simply by putting down your phone. That’s not checking out. It’s choosing to replenish, so that when you do step forward, you can do so with clarity, compassion, and strength.
The vulnerable need our voices, and the world requires wise action. Your care holds the most power when it is sustainable.
Dr Kaitlin’s new book, The Somatic Workbook for Nervous System Regulation and Anxiety Management: 85+ Body-Based Practices for Deepening Awareness, Navigating Emotions, and Building Resilience, is available or pre-order now.