Fostering Personal Resilience in Times of Overwhelm
Jan 31, 2025 By Caroline Adelman
For many Americans, recent weeks have been marked by dizzying amounts of change, uncertainty, and anxiety. It is natural to feel overwhelmed by distressing events, particularly when environmental catastrophes or actions in the political sphere have deeply personal consequences. Maintaining emotional and behavioral regulation in turbulent times can serve as both an act of self-preservation and an act of resistance against the surrender of personal power.
There are four major triggers for our stress response: uncertainty, threat, novelty, and lack of control. Maintaining the capacity to regulate and focus our energy on what matters most to us requires us to engage in actions within our control that counter each of these stress response triggers. It also requires us consciously to limit our exposure to information or situations that activate our stress without increasing our capacity to respond effectively. Below are concrete recommendations of ways to manage your stress, and stay engaged with the current landscape in ways that align with your personal values. Some reflection questions are offered to help you personalize your response:
1. Focus on What is Within Your Control
While distress surrounding high-stakes current events is natural, fixating on elements beyond our control can lead to increased anxiety, burnout, and a sense of helplessness. Research suggests that focusing instead on what we can control—our thoughts, actions, social engagement, and other contributors to well-being—can help us stay resilient and productively focused during turbulent times.
For reflection: Ask yourself what is causing you the most distress currently. What do you personally care most about that is being impacted by the situation(s) driving your distress? Are you worried for others? For yourself? Do you believe that a core value or worldview of yours may be under threat? What might you do, within your sphere of control, to make a positive impact in this domain? What first step could you take in that direction? Who might join you in taking it?
2. Consciously Manage Media Exposure
Doomscrolling, or the tendency to consume excessive negative news, has been linked to increased stress and anxiety. While staying informed is important, researchers recommend setting boundaries for media consumption. Strategies such as limiting daily screen time, following reputable news sources, and scheduling designated news-checking times can help maintain mental balance. Media exposure during trying times can be a bit like caffeine intake – a reasonable dose can help you to keep your eyes open (metaphorically speaking), but too high of a dose will probably leave you with a racing heart and impaired capacity to settle your nerves.
For reflection: What limits might you want to set on media consumption to help maintain your mental balance? What sources of information are currently serving you, and what is the “healthy” dose for you of exposure to media at this time?
3. Eat the Elephant “One Bite at a Time”
There is a well-known expression that feels salient at this historical moment: “How do you eat an elephant?… One bite at a time.” When the enormity of a problem feels overwhelming, the best approach is often to focus on taking small, manageable steps. Staying focused and values-aligned in your efforts, and pacing yourself based on your capacity at any given time, can help guard against getting burned out or overwhelmed.
For reflection: If you are feeling overwhelmed by conflicts in the world, or injustice and uncertainty faced by millions of Americans, try asking yourself the following questions: Which issues are personally most meaningful to me? What might be a few concrete, values-aligned actions, within my control, that might have an impact on those issues? How might I connect with others who are taking actions on the issues that matter most to me? How can I find out what forms of political engagement are most likely to have a meaningful impact?
4. Practice Responding Instead of Reacting
When emotions are heightened, it can be easy to fall into a cycle of reacting – that is, letting our emotions drive our behaviors. As natural as this may be, it can also lead us to respond to existing problems in ways that create new problems, rather than improving the situation. For example, checking social media incessantly because we are feeling anxious about the state of the world can heighten our anxiety and decrease our engagement in other meaningful activities.
An alternative approach is to acknowledge our emotions with self-compassion and then choose how we want to respond, consistent with our values (e.g., “This is a really stressful situation, it’s understandable that I’m feeling anxious right now. I can’t control whether the current political climate threatens my sense of safety, but I can control how I show up for myself and my loved ones today. I choose to engage in an activity that is meaningful and will help me to regulate my emotions right now.”).
Psychological flexibility—the ability to adapt to changing situations while staying true to one’s values—is a key factor in mental well-being. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages individuals to acknowledge distressing emotions while focusing on value-driven actions within their control. Instead of spiraling into despair or apathy over large-scale injustices, one can channel energy into advocacy, political engagement, education, or community service. Engaging in meaningful, values-aligned activities can counteract feelings of helplessness and foster a sense of agency and purpose.
For reflection: In what contexts are you reacting rather than responding right now? What values-driven actions are most likely to help you make the shift from reacting to responding with intention?
5. Prioritize Self-Care and Community Care
Self-care isn’t selfish—it is foundational to sustained resilience at both a personal and systemic level. Meaningful progress depends on having regulated individuals with the capacity to engage in focused, effective actions. Practices such as mindfulness, exercise, and social connection are evidence-based strategies for mitigating stress and maintaining emotional equilibrium.
Additionally, seeking support from like-minded communities can provide encouragement and collective strength in facing overwhelming challenges. Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of the Positive Psychology movement, has said “doing something kind for another person is our fastest acting and most potent antidepressant.” When we focus on showing up for others in values-aligned ways, and allow them to do the same for us, everybody benefits.
For reflection: What habits or practices are most reliable for you in mitigating stress and practicing self-care? How might you reach out and offer personal support to people you know who are directly impacted by recent events? What skills do you have that could add value in supporting your community at this time?
Bottom Line: Being the Change
While we cannot singlehandedly effect every political or social change that may seem urgent to us right now, we can control how we respond and maintain our personal power in the face of these challenges. By focusing on what is within our control, managing media exposure, practicing psychological flexibility, engaging in values-aligned actions, prioritizing self-care and community care, and focusing our efforts, we can cultivate resilience and make meaningful contributions to both our own mental wellbeing and the world around us.
