Share this with someone who needs it
There’s no question that the rise in global tension is taking a toll on people’s mental health.
There’s no question that the rise in global tension is taking a toll on people’s mental health. The constant stream of conflict, political chaos, and uncertainty weighs on us all. And the lack of control over what the biggest players are doing — those fueling this decay in mental wellness — only leaves us feeling more helpless.
The truth is, it’s hard to organize in large numbers to force the kind of change that’s needed. That realization can be especially tough for people who genuinely want to see things improve.
But does that mean you’re helpless? No — it doesn’t have to mean that.
The trouble with strong feelings is that they can dominate us, leaving little room to think of other ways to find a bit of peace, to search ourselves until we discover at least a morsel of hope.
When Anxiety Feels Like the New Normal
I’d guess many people today are living with situational anxiety — not a disorder, but a natural response to an unstable world. If the world we live in were fairer, calmer, and less volatile, much of that angst wouldn’t be haunting people the way it does.
For more on how anxiety can surface unexpectedly, check out my post When Anxiety Strikes Out of Nowhere.
These anxieties are widespread, and regardless of where they come from, the effects are real.
And together, they’ve formed something larger — something I call the national angst: a shared emotional fatigue born from chaos, division, and the constant sense that everything’s about to come undone.
It’s the quiet panic that seeps into everyday life — the feeling that no matter what you do, the ground beneath you might shift again tomorrow.
The national angst doesn’t belong to one side or one ideology. It’s everywhere — a collective exhaustion that feeds off uncertainty and distrust. It’s the mental health crisis we rarely name.
Make Your World Smaller
I’ve said it before: one of the best ways to regain your footing is to make your world smaller.
Focus on family, friends, and your community — the parts of life you can actually touch.
You can read more about this idea in Self-Preservation Mode — Anxiety in Modern Life, where I explore how retreating from overstimulation can help you reconnect with what matters.
If you combine that with a commitment to spending less time on social media, you’ll likely feel better. The truth is, you don’t need those platforms; they need you. They capture your attention by manipulating your brain’s negativity bias and threat detection system.
Learn More About Mental Health and the Brain
WIRED TO BE HUMAN
Jonathan Arenburg: Author, Speaker, Trained Counsellor explores Why the Modern World Feels Wrong — and What Evolution Says About Making It Right
Those same circuits are so sensitive to negative input that they pull you into doom-scrolling and ideological arguments. The tech giants, and many other industries, know this — and they exploit it for profit.
That’s why it’s hard to imagine life without these platforms. So, are you really choosing to scroll — or are you being controlled by systems designed to keep you there?
In my view, it’s the latter. They don’t need to put a chip in your head — they’re already living inside it.
The Blurred Line Between Truth and Conspiracy
We’re standing at a crossroads where truth and conspiracy thinking blur together.
Take what I just said — that social media giants are inside your head. Sounds like a conspiracy, right? I wish it were. But the reality is, companies have been exploiting human psychology for generations.
Think of gambling. Someone long ago discovered that the human brain loves random rewards. Over time, people became experts at using that to their advantage — not for happiness, but for power and money.
For more on how small, constant pressures shape our lives, see Micro-Stressors and Mental Health.
Of course, plenty of conspiracies are false. The Earth isn’t flat. We’ve known that for centuries. Yet with the rise of the internet, new groups of believers appeared almost overnight, loudly defending their illusions.
Why So Many Fall for False Narratives
Today, more and more people fall for this kind of rhetoric. Why? It’s not because we’re stupid — it’s because we’re overwhelmed.
We’re being fed so much information so quickly that we cling to whatever confirms what we already believe. Believe in aliens? Your social feed will flood with UFO videos.
Whether we believe or not isn’t even the point. What matters is how rarely we look at the counterargument.
When someone challenges us, we react viscerally. We get defensive.
“I’m right, and you’re wrong.” Sound familiar?
I’m not here to tell anyone what to believe or not believe. I’m trying to expose the drivers of our anxiety — how the world we’ve built primes us to be reactive and angry.
That’s the real cost of the national angst: a society so wound up that calm itself feels suspicious.
Taking Back Your Peace
In the end, you control how much of that chaos you let inside.
Try asking yourself a few honest questions:
- Is my mental health worth more than arguing in a comment section?
- Am I letting my social-media emotions spill into real life?
- Am I fighting against people with expertise just because I disagree?
- Do I avoid people because I assume they’ll oppose my views?
- Do I ever look at the other side of the story?
- Am I being manipulated by corporations that profit from my attention?
If you answered yes to some of those, then ask two more:
- Is this helping my mental health — or hurting it?
- Is what I’m fighting for worth all the stress, isolation, and pain?
When Passion Turns Against You
We all have passions. They give us purpose. But passion unchecked can turn toxic — it can eat away at your peace.
If what you care about starts consuming you to the point of sickness, it’s time to step back.
We only get one shot at this life. Wouldn’t it make more sense to lean toward the people and pursuits that bring you joy?
If you want to explore how our biology and modern life collide, visit Wired to Be Human.
And if you’re curious how writing can help anchor you through chaos, see Lately, Writing Has Been My Anchor.
That’s how you fight the national angst — by refusing to feed it.
What do you think?
I’m rooting for you,
Jonathan
Author • Speaker • Trained Counsellor
For media, speaking, podcast and general inquiries
Find more mental health content at: theroadtomentalwellness.com
🔹 References
Zubair, A., et al. (2025). Algorithmic Addiction by Design: Dark Patterns, Feedback Loops, and Digital Dependency. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2505.00054.ou,
Jonathan
Addiction by Design: The Behavioral and Neurochemical Roots of Social-Media Dependency. European Scientific Journal of Medicine and Research Advances (2023).
Brand, M., et al. (2023). Neurobiological risk factors for problematic social media use. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 10251362.
Firth, J., et al. (2020). Gray matter alterations and addictive patterns in intensive social-media users. NeuroImage: Clinical, 25, 102142.
Harvard Business Review. (2022). Our Social Media Addiction.
ReachMD. (2024). Understanding the Brain’s Response to Social Media: A Closer Look at Dopaminergic Mechanisms.
Stanford Medicine News. (2021). Addiction and the Brain: Why Social Media Feeds Our Dopamine Loop.
The Guardian. (2023, Oct 24). Meta sued by dozens of states over teen mental-health crisis.
The Science Survey. (2024, Dec 30). The New Method That Social Media Is Using to Steal Your Attention.
Supporting evidence and further reading:
- Harvard Business Review — Our Social Media Addiction (2022)
- Stanford Medicine — Addiction and the Brain: Why Social Media Feeds Our Dopamine Loop (2021)
- The Guardian — Meta Sued Over Teen Mental Health Crisis (2023)
- Frontiers in Psychiatry — Neurobiological Risk Factors for Problematic Social Media Use (2023)
- ReachMD — Understanding the Brain’s Response to Social Media (2024)
Join the conversation
If this resonated—or challenged you—I’d genuinely like to hear your perspective. Thoughtful disagreement and lived experience are welcome.
Scroll down to the comments below. Please keep it respectful—this is a space for honest, human conversation.