I’m stressed about current events. How can I practice self-care during uncertain times?

Current events can be stressful. Constant news updates, possible changes to laws and programs that affect you and your family, and worry about the future can bring feelings of anxiety, sadness, frustration, helplessness, and fatigue. These feelings tell us a lot about what’s important to us and what we hope for the future of our communities. They can also overwhelm us and make it difficult to prioritize other important things like having fun, connecting with others, and taking care of our physical health.

Below are tips to help you practice self-care during uncertain times.

Prioritize your physical health

Stress can take a toll on your physical health and well-being. During uncertain times, it helps to focus on the things you can control. Taking small steps each day to care for your physical health is a good place to start.

Prioritizing these few things can make all the difference:

Get a good night’s sleep
Fuel your body with nutritious food
Move your body each day

It’s understandable to want to stay informed, especially if current events could impact the health and safety of you, your family, or communities you care for. However, news and social media posts focused on current events are endless, and they can cause a lot of stress and overwhelm. It’s important to set personal limits on how much time you engage with this content so you can spend time on other important activities and make space to feel other important emotions. You can do this by:

Setting “screen time” limits for certain apps on your phone or computer
Scheduling in-person activities or time outdoors away from social media and mass media

Set boundaries about how and when you engage in discussions about current events

Like social media, conversations or arguments with loved ones about current events can bring feelings of anger, distress, and sadness. While these conversations can help spread awareness and let your loved ones know what matters to you, spending a lot of time talking about current events can be exhausting.

Here are a few examples of how you can set boundaries with others:

“Focusing too much on current events is bringing me a lot of stress. Could we talk about something different during our time together today?”
“I like talking with you about this, but I get burnt out when I focus on current events too much. Let’s spend 5 minutes chatting about this and then pick something else to do together.”

Connect with other people

Uncertain times can make us feel distrustful of other people, even though many people experience similar hardships and worries. Connecting with other people in your community is one way to remind yourself that you are not alone with your concerns. Consider joining a group or class focused on your interests or attending a local event to connect with others in your community.

Social support is also a key aspect of protecting your mental health and well-being, so make sure to stay connected with close friends and family and ask for support when you need it. One way to stay connected is to schedule regular coffee chats or check-ins with close friends and family. Or you might consider joining a support group to build connections with and get support from others who have had similar experiences.

Use coping skills to manage overwhelming emotions

While being overwhelmed by emotions is a completely normal response to challenging times, staying overwhelmed by negative emotions for too long can make it difficult to experience positive emotions or focus on things within your control. Try using coping skills, grounding techniques, or guided meditations to help manage overwhelming emotions when they get to be too much.

A few coping resources are included below.

What coping skills can I use to help manage my emotions? by the NAMI HelpLine
Coping with Socio-Political Stress Self-Care Tips by the University of San Francisco

Seek help when you need it

Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if your stress becomes too much and you begin noticing symptoms of poor mental health like constant low moods, crying spells, avoiding people or activities you used to enjoy, or having suicidal thoughts.

You are not alone, and help is available.

A few resources for connecting to mental health help are included below.

I need to see a Psychiatrist/Therapist. How can I find one? by the NAMI HelpLine
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 support to those experiencing mental health and suicide crises. Text or dial 9-8-8 or start an online chat to connect with a crisis counselor.
- To reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for Veterans, select "1"
- To reach Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio (Spanish) select "2"
- Lifeline Options for Deaf + Hard of Hearing for TTY Users: use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988. You may also text 988, or chat function is available here at 988Lifeline.org.

Put your emotions into action

One of the most powerful ways to manage stress from current events is to put your strong feelings into action. Remind yourself that your voice matters and that you can bring about positive change in your community.

Here are a few strategies for putting your feelings into action:

Visit the NAMI Advocacy Action Center to learn about different ways you can get involved with local and national advocacy.
Learn about your legislators, so you can contact your elected officials to advocate for change in mental health policy.
Sign up for advocacy alerts to #Act4MentalHealth during the 119th Congress. Enter your information and receive alerts about actions you can take to advocate for change in mental health policy.
Join your local NAMI or other advocacy organizations in your local area. Volunteer your time to make a positive change in your community.

Find opportunities to feel hope and joy

Last but certainly not least, we encourage you to foster feelings of hope and joy whenever you can. It may feel wrong, at first, to want to feel hopeful when it seems like terrible things are going on around you. But hope is the antidote to hopelessness. Seeking out hope and joy can help you remember that you have power and choice in times when you feel especially powerless.

It's important to know that you don’t have to push away negative feelings to feel positive ones; you can simply give yourself permission to feel both.

A few ideas for facilitating hope and joy:

Keep doing the things you like to do. Hobbies might not feel like a priority right now, but doing things that bring you joy and fulfillment is crucial. Spend time on things you already like doing or consider trying a new hobby.
Search for hopeful news stories. News and social media are filled with negative stories, but there are lots of positive news stories out there too. Consider clicking on the “positive news” section of news websites or following social media accounts that share inspiring stories.
Find reasons to laugh. When your child is making a funny face, your pet has gotten themselves covered in mud, or you’re re-watching your favorite sitcom, remind yourself that it’s OK and important to laugh. Seek out these joyful moments whenever you can.
"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,” - Mr. Rogers. Take comfort in the fact that many, many people in this world are standing up to make things better.

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