What to Do When You’re Worried Democracy Is Coming to an End

If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed by the State of the World…

If you’ve found yourself doomscrolling at 2 AM, heart pounding, convinced that everything is falling apart and democracy is on its last breath—you are so not alone. Between economic chaos, threats to basic human rights and healthcare, and the looming presence of environmental destruction, it’s easy to feel like the world is teetering on the edge. And it’s so hard to hold this knowing that you still have to function in your life.

How do you continuing going to work and maintaining relationships when the news feels like a horror show? How do you function when your nervous system is in full-blown panic mode, telling you that you’re unsafe, powerless, and completely out of control?

Political Despair Is Trauma Being Triggered

If you feel like your body is reacting to politics in a way that feels familiar—like that pit in your stomach, that sense of dread, that deep helplessness—you’re probably right. For a lot of us, what’s happening politically is bringing up old trauma responses.

• A leader who feels unpredictable, volatile, and dangerous can remind you of a parent, teacher, or past abuser who held too much power over you.
• The feeling of powerlessness and lack of control can trigger old wounds around being unheard, ignored, or dismissed.
• The fear that everything is going to come crashing down can wake up past experiences of instability, whether from childhood, past relationships, or other moments of crisis in your life.

Your body and brain aren’t just reacting to this moment—they’re reacting to every moment in your past where you felt similarly unsafe. And when that happens, your nervous system goes into overdrive.

What Happens When Trauma Is Triggered?

When old wounds get activated, we move into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode.

• Fight – You want to argue, scream, throw your phone, or spend hours in a comment section proving someone wrong.
• Flight – You want to run away, turn off the news forever, and maybe move to another country.
• Freeze – You feel paralyzed, unable to do anything because the weight of it all feels too much.
• Fawn – You try to make peace with everyone, keep the people around you happy, and avoid any conflict.

None of these reactions are wrong: they’re survival instincts. But they also might not be the best place to make decisions from, and they’re incredibly uncomfortable to feel stuck in.

So how do you take care of yourself when the world feels unsafe?

Step One: Treat Yourself Like You Would Treat A Scared Kid

If you saw a little kid trembling, eyes wide with fear, convinced that the world was about to collapse, reacting out of anxiety, you wouldn’t yell at them to toughen up or dismiss them. You wouldn’t tell them to “just stop worrying.”

You’d hold them and soothe them. You’d remind them that even if everything feels scary, they aren’t alone, and they are safe in this moment.

Try that with yourself.

• Put a hand on your heart.
• Take a deep breath.
• Say to yourself, “I know this feels like too much right now. But I’m here. I’m taking care of you. I care about your suffering and I love you. I’m going to be here with you. We are safe in this moment.”
• Allow yourself to do something fun or distracting. When a kid is suffering, we might get them a hot chocolate or take them to the pool or let them watch their favorite cartoon. What is the kid part of you who is suffering wanting to do?

Step Two: Acknowledge What’s in Your Control (and What Isn’t)

One of the hardest things about political despair is the feeling of helplessness. And while, yes, there are things that are beyond our control, there are ways we can feel empowered and contribute.

• You can take action—vote, donate, organize, protest. However, don’t beat yourself up for ‘not doing enough’ of these things. We all have different timelines and ways that make the most sense for us to give back. Be gentle and patient with yourself as you feel out what activities are right for you, in this moment.
• You can take care of yourself—turn off the news when needed, set boundaries with people who drain you, get enough rest. Consider deleting social media apps or limiting news checking to once or twice a day.
• You can find community with the people around you—have conversations, offer support, create spaces for change. When we feel held and understood in community, the administration and the unknowns in the future can feel less overwhelming because we know we’re not in it alone.

Step Three: Engage in Trauma Healing Work

If politics is activating old trauma wounds, you might want to consider working to heal your trauma.

Therapies like IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy and EMDR therapy can help you:

• Identify the old wounds that are being triggered.
• Understand the parts of you that feel powerless, terrified, or angry.
• Heal past trauma in your body so it doesn’t run the show when political crises hit.

When you’re not constantly battling your own trauma responses, you have way more capacity to show up for the world in meaningful ways.

Step Four: Stay in the Present Moment

Anxiety thrives in the future. It takes worst-case scenarios and makes them feel like guarantees. It tells you that because something could happen, it will happen.

But what about right now?

Right now, in this moment:

• Are you physically safe?
• Is there anything good, even small, that you can notice?
• Can you bring yourself back to your body—take a breath, feel your feet on the floor? Maybe go outside and touch the grass or a tree? Engage in something beautiful in your life right now?

You can care deeply about the future without living in a constant state of panic about it. The more you ground yourself in the present, the more resilience you’ll have to take action when it actually matters.

Step Five: Find Your People

Political despair thrives in isolation. When you feel alone, it’s easy to spiral into hopelessness.

So don’t do this alone. Find the people who get it. Maybe that means joining a local activist group, maybe it means just having one or two close friends you can vent to without judgment. Maybe it means finding a therapist who can hold space for your fears without dismissing them.

Hope isn’t something we have to generate on our own. It’s something we create together.

You Are Not Powerless. And You Are Not Alone.

For most of us, the world feels heavy right now. It makes sense that you’re struggling, and I’m here to tell you that your nervous system doesn’t have to stay stuck in panic mode.

You have permission to take care of yourself. It’s possible to heal the parts of you that feel most afraid.

If you’re struggling with political despair, trauma therapy can help. IFS therapy and EMDR therapy can help you no longer feel held hostage by old wounds when the world feels uncertain.

Reach out today to talk about how trauma therapy can support you during this time.

Emma Kobil is a trauma therapist practicing online with feminist women and thoughtful couples in Colorado and Florida. Her philosophically informed therapeutic approach focuses on helping creative and perfectionist women and couples heal. Learn more about Emma, or schedule an appointment, at mindfulcounselingdenver.com.