The United States of Anxiety

Anxiety can be paralyzing. When there’s too much to do and no clear direction, the mind gets overwhelmed and retreats into inaction. But doing nothing often makes the anxiety worse, creating a vicious cycle of fear and helplessness.

Today, it seems the entire nation is gripped by anxiety. After 250 years of hard-won progress, we now face the very real possibility of losing the democratic foundation that held us together. Uncertainty about the future — especially one that succumbs to authoritarianism — is enough to rattle anyone’s nerves. And even if we manage to stop this authoritarian tide, the country we knew will never be the same. That alone is deeply unsettling. Humans thrive on stability in our routines, our values, and our sense of place in the world. Now, all of that is at risk. And individually, we often feel powerless to change it.

So what do we do?

The usual advice is already out there: protest, organize, build your network, support your favorite candidate, run for office, write a letter to the editor, make a TikTok video, join a movement, and so on. All of these are valid, but they can be scary if you’ve never done it before. I’m not a psychologist or therapist, but I have found a few things that work for me, and maybe they’ll work for you as well.

First, take care of yourself. Breathe. Meditate. Exercise. Eat well. Get good sleep. Spend time with friends and family. Play with your cat or dog. Allow joy in your life. Listen to music. Love. These aren’t luxuries; they’re survival tools in a time of crisis. Schedule these activities into your days so you don’t skip over them. You don’t have to be militant about it; you can keep things flexible. Just make sure you make time for them in your life.

Next, write down every concern that keeps circling in your mind. Just get them on paper. It’s not just cathartic, it’s clarifying. Anxiety thrives on chaos, and when you give your thoughts a structure, you beat back the chaos and take back the power.

Finally, choose just one item from that list. Focus on it for the day. Ignore the rest; they’ll still be there tomorrow, and you’ll get to them in time. But today, act on just that one thing.

For example, say your concern is that politicians are asleep at the wheel. So, what can you do? Call them. You have a state representative, a state senator, a governor, two U.S. senators, and a U.S. representative. They probably won’t answer the phone directly, so you’ll end up talking to a staff member. But do it anyway. Make your voice heard. Will it change the course of the nation? Maybe only slightly. But for your own peace of mind, it will make a world of difference because you’ll know you did something. And the next day, you can do it again. Or you can pick something else and work on it. In any case, keep going. Work on the list.

Yes, our nation is in a dire moment, and no one can guarantee the outcome. But no matter what happens, you’ll know you didn’t sit back and watch it unfold in silence. You acted. You tried. You did your part.

And if enough of us channel our anxiety into action — even if each of us walks a different path — together, we will change the course of history.

One thing is certain: if we’re all paralyzed with anxiety, the authoritarians will win by default. And that’s precisely what they want: a population too frozen by fear to resist. Don’t give them that victory.