It’s not you. It’s the news.

I had a follower recently add this to my question box:

“The world just feels so heavy right now. I’m so unmotivated.”

If you’ve watched the news or been on social media at all lately, then you’re likely feeling similarly. 

We’re living in a time where it has become increasingly normal to be exposed—often without consent—to distressing, emotionally charged content. Violence. Crisis. Fear. Human suffering. Even death. Sometimes in written form, but more often through videos and images that our nervous systems simply aren’t designed to process over and over again.

I don’t think we talk enough about the impact that has on us.

When events around us make us feel heavy, it’s not because we’re weak. It's just a sign that our system is processing more than it can handle. 

We weren’t designed to know about every terrible thing that's happening in the world at every minute of every day. It’s too much to process. 

It’s not a design flaw of our nervous system. It’s a design flaw of our society. 

Why Everything Feels So Heavy Right Now

The news cycle and social media algorithms are intentionally designed to trigger our threat response. Because that’s what keeps us coming back for more.

Survival is our primary drive. So we are on constant alert for potential threats. Most people are familiar with the phrase, “if it bleeds, it leads”, this is why that works. When information triggers our threat response, our attention heightens. We want to gather all possible information to ensure our own safety. So we keep coming back for more. 

The media and our algorithms play off of this fact. Their concern is not our well-being, but their own bottom line. So each situation is framed in a way that will heighten our threat response as much as possible to keep us hooked. 

But we’re not solely experiencing this info dump during the 5 o’clock news anymore. It’s constant.

It would be like forcing a prey animal to live in constant proximity to a predator—always alert, never able to rest. Over time, chronic stress like that will severely impact emotional and physical health.

Even if your rational mind knows you’re physically safe, your nervous system is responding to all of these threats (real or potential) as if danger is at your doorstep—and that takes a toll.

Over time, this can leave you feeling:

• Emotionally exhausted

• Unmotivated or numb

• Anxious or on edge

• Disconnected or shut down

• Heavy, foggy, or hopeless

That heaviness doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It’s simply a signal that you need some support. And no wonder.

What’s Happening in Your Brain When You’re Overexposed to Stress

When the nervous system perceives threat—whether real, anticipated, or witnessed via images/videos—it activates survival pathways.

The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for detecting danger, goes into overdrive.

At the same time, the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for logic, reasoning, perspective, empathy, and decision-making—goes quieter.

This is why you often see people become irrational during tense moments. Emotions take over and reason leaves because survival is the only focus. 

When we’re overwhelmed:

• Everything feels more extreme

• It’s harder to think clearly

• Motivation disappears

• We feel reactive or emotionally flooded

• Nuance and long-term thinking feel inaccessible

When the nervous system is in survival mode, motivation isn’t prioritized. Rest, vigilance, and protection are. That’s why forcing productivity during times like this often backfires.

This isn’t a mindset issue. You can’t just think your way out of it. It’s also not an intelligence issue. 

It’s simply biology. 

An activated nervous system cannot access clarity, creativity, or grounded motivation.

In truth, our systems weren’t built for living the way we do now. And we see the effects of this all around us. 

Feeling Heavy Is Information, Not a Problem

Let’s flip the script on how we’re viewing our response. We feel overwhelmed, we either want to scream at people or run and hide. We want to fight online, or doom scroll to numb it all. Instead of focusing so much on what we think we should be feeling or doing .. focus instead on the information our responses are giving us. 

Notice your reactions. Notice your feelings. Notice what you’re reaching for to cope. Let yourself get really curious. 

Let yourself view it as it really is—information. 

Anger, sadness, numbness, frustration, detachment—these are all protective responses. They are your nervous system trying to keep you safe.

The goal isn’t to push them away. The goal is to work with them.

So if you catch yourself falling into old comfort cycles, doom scrolling, or unable to turn it all off, allow yourself to acknowledge that those are your attempts to find safety again. 

And if what you’re turning toward is something that makes you feel worse after, then it’s time to try something new. 

Below are some things that can help. 

Step One: Reduce the Input

One of the most important things you can do when the world feels heavy is to intentionally limit how much distressing content you’re consuming.

In the same way that our brain needs sleep to recharge and fully function, our nervous system needs time away from the threats so it can come back to homeostasis. That’s when our logical brain is able to turn back on. 

Stepping away doesn’t mean you don’t care. It doesn’t mean you’re ignoring reality. It just means that your nervous system needs a break.

This might look like:

• Turning off the news for a few days

• Unfollowing or muting triggering accounts

• Avoiding graphic content entirely

• Setting boundaries around when and how you consume information

Boundaries are so incredibly necessary in this climate. Boundaries with yourself around how you’re spending your time and how much you’re consuming, but also boundaries with others. It’s okay to say, “I don’t want to discuss that right now, it’s too upsetting.” Even if you agree with the person. 

Boundaries aren’t avoidance. They’re necessary for regulation.

Step Two: Move the Feelings Through the Body

Emotions are energy. And energy needs movement.

When we stay stuck in our feelings, they often come bubbling out of us in other ways. And as good as it can feel to express yourself in chat threads online, that kind of action rarely helps in the long run. 

Here’s something important to understand:

Different emotional states need different kinds of support. This means that we need to be aware of how we feel, and then do what we can to help it move through us. If we don’t, it stays there, under the surface, and can easily have an impact on everything else in our life. 

Here are some examples of action you can take depending on what emotions are coming up for you:

If you’re angry or frustrated, your system needs discharge.

• Press your hands into a wall

• Stomp your feet

• Shake out your arms and legs

• Go for a brisk walk

If you’re sad, your system needs expression.

• Let yourself cry

• Write everything out without editing

• Talk to someone you trust

• Walk slowly and rhythmically

If you’re scared or anxious, your system needs orientation.

• Look around and name what you can see

• Listen closely to sounds around you

• Spend time in nature and observe it intentionally

• Notice textures, colors, movement

You’re not trying to get rid of your emotions—you’re helping them complete their cycle.

In-the-Moment Calming Tools for When Everything Feels Too Much

Sometimes you need something simple you can do right now. Below are tools you can use when you feel your system being activated. 

These will help signal safety to the nervous system:

• Physiological sigh: inhale through the nose then add a short additional inhale at the top, then follow with a long slow exhale

• Extended exhale breathing: inhale for 4, exhale for 6–8

• Cold water: splash your face or rinse your wrists

• Grounding touch: one hand on your chest, one on your belly

• Humming or gentle vocalization

• Orienting statement: “I’m safe right now. I’m here.”

If reading this makes you realize how often your system is activated, it can help to keep simple tools within reach. This is why I put together my Nervous System Safety Guide. It’s full of tools you can use when you’re feeling activated. You can download it free HERE.

Step Three: Replace, Don’t Just Remove

Reducing input is important—but so is replacing it with something nourishing.

If you still want to scroll, be intentional:

• Search for uplifting or funny content

• Watch videos that inspire awe or beauty

But also prioritize time away from your phone:

• Being outside

• Creating something with your hands

• Decorating your space

• Connecting with people you love

Joy hasn’t disappeared—even when it feels like you’re surrounded with sorrow. But we often have to actively notice it. 

And if you’re struggling to see it, just look to nature. Watch the way the squirrels play. Listen to the birds. Find beautiful locations near you and let yourself take in the beauty. Even taking the time to study leaf patterns on a tree can be incredibly calming to your system. 

Those small, grounding moments are how we expand nervous system capacity and remind the body that safety still exists.

A Gentle Reminder

It’s very normal if the world feels heavy. And there’s good reason for it. 

Your nervous system is responding exactly as it was designed to—by trying to protect you in an overwhelming environment.

You don’t need to carry everything.
You don’t need to stay constantly informed to be compassionate.
And you don’t need to push through when your system is asking for rest.

Support yourself gently. Start small.

And remember: regulation is not about avoiding the world. It’s about staying connected to yourself within it.