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In an era where global news reaches our devices within seconds and social media relentlessly refreshes our awareness of the world’s crises, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain serenity. In my clinical practice, I have witnessed a rising epidemic of anxiety, often not rooted in direct personal trauma, but instead emerging from the vicarious trauma induced by constant exposure to global suffering. Jonathan Haidt, in his illuminating book The Anxious Generation (2024), meticulously outlines how the pervasive use of smartphones and social media correlates with skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm, particularly among younger generations. As a therapist deeply committed to the well-being of my clients, I invite reflection: does tracking every distressing event worldwide genuinely cultivate a more conscious, compassionate self, or does it merely overload and dysregulate our already fragile nervous systems?
There is an essential distinction between authentic consciousness and the compulsive consumption of information under the guise of cultural awareness. Dr. Gabor Maté reminds us, “Authentic consciousness is not a thought process; it is a state of presence” (In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, 2008). Thought does not equal awareness. Following every political upheaval, humanitarian crisis, or environmental disaster in minute, often sensationalized, detail does not inherently make us wiser or more awake. Instead, it frequently pulls us into reactive states of fear, helplessness, and emotional reactivity.
One client, whom I will call Maria, embodied this struggle poignantly. A sensitive, socially engaged young woman, Maria came to therapy reporting chronic panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, and unrelenting insomnia. She spent hours daily doomscrolling through news about climate change, political instability, and humanitarian crises. Her innate compassion, while profound, had mutated into paralyzing anxiety. Together in therapy, we worked to help Maria differentiate between genuine, embodied consciousness and hyper-vigilant, anxiety-driven cultural awareness. Reclaiming her capacity for presence became the foundation of her healing journey.
Scientific research robustly supports what we observe clinically: the body interprets digital exposure to trauma similarly to physical exposure. A 2023 study published in Computers in Human Behavior revealed that excessive consumption of distressing news content significantly elevates cortisol levels and sustains sympathetic nervous system activation (Petersen et al., 2023). Prolonged exposure keeps the nervous system in a chronic state of “fight or flight,” hindering the parasympathetic “rest and digest” processes essential for physical and emotional healing.
Polyvagal theory, pioneered by Stephen Porges and expanded in practical therapy by Ruby Jo Walker (2017), demonstrates that chronic exposure to stress-inducing stimuli locks individuals into “sympathetic dominant” or “dorsal vagal collapse” states. In sympathetic dominance, one feels anxious, agitated, hypervigilant; in dorsal vagal shutdown, one feels numbed, disconnected, and hopeless. In either case, achieving serenity and a regulated emotional state becomes biologically challenging, not merely a matter of “thinking positively.”
It is vital to remember that for most of human history, our nervous systems were adapted for localized, face-to-face communities. Jonathan Haidt notes that the human brain evolved to manage social networks of approximately 150 individuals, not the tragedies of seven billion people streamed continuously to our devices (Haidt, 2024). Prior generations were not less compassionate simply because they were unaware of every global event. Instead, they invested deeply in their immediate relationships and environments, fostering tangible community bonds and direct action.
This historical reality raises profound therapeutic questions: Must we forfeit our mental health to validate our compassion? Does chronic worry about events outside our sphere of influence make us better humans, or does it incapacitate our capacity for meaningful engagement? Consciousness, as understood in Buddhist psychology and echoed by contemporary therapeutic thought (Espiau, 2013), involves cultivating equanimity, clarity, and responsiveness—not compulsive worry or informational overload.
As therapists, part of our sacred work is helping clients understand that serenity must be cultivated intentionally. Inner peace does not emerge spontaneously from intellectual understanding; rather, it must be nurtured through mindful practices that ground the nervous system, secure attachment experiences, authentic connection, and regulated media exposure. It is important here that we define the difference between happiness and serenity from a liberation psychology perspective. Happiness depends upon things going my way. Happiness is subjective and depends upon whether people like me and whether outer events affect my inner state in the way that I want them to. Serenity is quite different, it is an inner state of consciousness that does not depend upon thinking states or mental evaluations. Serenity is the experience of feeling the consciousness separate from thought processes and mental evaluations. Accessing serenity is connected to the understanding of what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is an objective form of self observation. Observing without judging or condemning or evaluating what we’re observing.
Another client, Daniel, a mid-thirties professional, presented with generalized anxiety disorder severely exacerbated by obsessive news monitoring. Together, we implemented a “media diet,” inspired by Dr. Maté’s suggestion that “protecting the mind is as essential as nourishing the body” (When the Body Says No, 2003). Daniel limited his news intake to fifteen minutes per day and shifted his focus towards community volunteering, investing energy in tangible acts of service, things that he can do to change the world in a small way. The media diet along with a mindfulness practice made a huge difference and within six weeks, his anxiety symptoms, sleep disturbances, and rumination patterns dramatically decreased, illustrating the profound impact of reclaiming agency over one’s informational environment.
It is not ignorance or moral failing to protect one’s serenity; rather, it is an essential act of self-respect and social responsibility. As Gabor Maté wisely states, “The attempt to carry the world’s burdens is itself a form of unconsciousness” (The Myth of Normal, 2022). “Consciousness”—true presence—is not synonymous with relentless mental engagement or emotional exhaustion. It is a state of grounded, responsive being. It is activated by observing our attention and noticing that our attention is the action of our consciousness. Through noticing how our attention is being directed during the day, by actively paying attention to how we pay attention we begin to experience consciousness in a very different way.
In our therapeutic work, we must emphasize again and again: consciousness is presence, not panic. Awareness, when combined with serenity, enables meaningful action. Anxiety, in contrast, immobilizes. Our collective task is to cultivate inner resilience—to remain awake but not overwhelmed, informed but not imprisoned by fear, engaged but anchored in compassion rather than despair.
All client examples shared in this article have been carefully anonymized and used with explicit permission, honoring ethical standards in clinical practice.
References
Espiau, R. (2013). The True Origins of Psychology and the Influence of Euro-American Ethnocentrism.
Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press.
Khan, M., Walker, C., & Rahman, S. (2023). Nighttime news consumption and sleep disturbances: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(2), e13789.
Maté, G. (2003). When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress. Wiley.
Maté, G. (2008). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Knopf Canada.
Maté, G. (2022). The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture. Avery.
Petersen, R., Allen, T., & Kim, S. (2023). Doomscrolling and the dysregulation of affect: A correlational study. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 107604.
Walker, R. J. (2017). Understanding Mindfulness Through the Lens of the Nervous System. Durango, CO: Ruby Jo Walker Trainings.
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