The world today is plagued with negative news, from economic turmoil to political unrest, and it’s easy to get caught up in the negativity and feel overwhelmed. This might be hard to believe, but it’s not the world events that are causing anxiety, but how you think about them.

The good news is, you have control over your thoughts and can shift your mindset to overcome anxiety over world events.

One of the main reasons why people feel powerless over world events is that they believe that these external events are what creates their anxiety. But in reality, it’s the way you think about what’s going on in the world that determines whether or not you feel distressed and hopeless. The constant exposure to negative information and news that we face today has never been seen before in human history, and this exposure is not doing any good for your mental or physical health.

Constant exposure to negative news creates a state of hypervigilance within the body, which narrows your window of stress tolerance and creates states of chronic agitation. Your mind begins to believe that your world is an incredibly unsafe place, and will keep you in a state of chronic fight or flight. This can lead to health problems and physical symptoms related to constant stress. Therefore, for the sake of your health, it is imperative that you monitor your exposure to negative information and protect yourself from a constant influx of frightening news.

It should be clear to you now that being in a constant state of anxiety over what’s going on in the world is not a good idea. But what do we do about it? There’s a lot of scary things going on out there, right?

To overcome anxiety over world events, you need a shift in your mindset.

Here are six steps to help you overcome your anxiety about the state of the world:

1. Acknowledge that 95% of what goes on in this world on a day-to-day basis is actually good.

2. Modulate your exposure to negative news while increasing your exposure to positive news. Seek out and focus on people who are making a difference.

3. Understand that it’s your thoughts about future world events that are creating the anxiety and not the events themselves.

4. Acknowledge that while you can’t control external events, you do have control over your inner narrative. If you keep telling yourself negative stories about the future, you will feel depressed and anxious. But if you acknowledge that you are strong enough to handle whatever comes, your negative thoughts won’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

5. Realize that feeling anxious about the world is draining you of energy that you could use to be a part of the solution. 

6. Find a way to contribute to society and create positive change. If you’re worried about the environment, you can recycle, start a compost bin in your backyard, and support sustainable agriculture. If you’re worried about the economy, you can create a plan to get out of debt and stay out of debt. If you’re worried about your health, you can create a list of healthy habits and stick to it.

In conclusion, anxiety over world events is a common problem, but the real problem is your thinking. 

By shifting your mindset and focusing on positive news and solutions, you can overcome anxiety and become a part of the solution to the problems the world faces.

So what are you planning on doing today to shift your mindset, and be a part of the solution?