How to Regain Your Well-Being
Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world?
by Jennifer Walter –
You’re not alone, and more importantly, it’s not your fault.
Discover practical strategies to stay engaged without burning out.
Dealing with the Attack
The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump’s first days exemplifies Naomi Klein’s “shock doctrine,” using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn’t just politics as usual, it’s a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.
Media theorist McLuhan shared this: “When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.”
When multiple, major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can’t keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage. The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.
Political Burnout is Real: How to Change the World Without Breaking Yourself
The Best Strategy
Set boundaries. Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can’t track everything – that’s by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.
Use aggregators and experts. Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.
Practice going slow. Wait 48 hours before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context
Build community. Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.
Remember, they want you scattered. Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Your focus is resistance. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.
Jennifer Walter is a Sociologist and Mental Health Expert. Every week she blends critical thinking with compassion, mental health with a dash of rebellion, and personal healing with collective change on her podcast “Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health Conversations for Perfectionists.” Listen and learn more by going to www.jenniferwalter.me/the-scenic-route-podcast.
