How to stay present as a parent with global anxiety?
Constant exposure to catastrophic news triggers intense panic and a sense of grieving an uncertain future while trying to care for young children. This background dread makes it difficult to focus on work or stay present for day-to-day parenting responsibilities.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to stay present as a parent with global anxiety?
- 1Looking up survival gear onlineDid this help you?
- 2Calling representativesDid this help you?
- 3Stepping away from the internet and seeking grounding activities like walking, visiting coffee shops, or spending time with communityDid this help you?
- 4Accepting uncertainty and making peace with lack of controlDid this help you?
- 5Seeking therapy and medication for anxiety or OCDDid this help you?
- 6Getting off the internetDid this help you?
- 7Focusing on the immediate family and the child's daily life rather than trying to solve global headlinesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Since reading “a whole civilization will be wiped out…” I have been panicking.”source ↗
“I’m supposed to be working but I’m online looking up survival gear. Worried about how are we going to deal with our 2 year old and protect him if something happens whether here or elsewhere.”source ↗
“Anyone else anxious to be a parent with all this doom, fear mongering, climate crisis denial, crazy tech overlords and politicians always looming over our heads?”source ↗
“Can’t help but feel like I’m grieving the future”source ↗
“How do you stay present with your children day to day with these worries in the background?”source ↗
“I’m 30, and a new parent. I’ve been flooded with anxiety about the future of our world, and the impact it’ll have on my child’s life.”source ↗
“Is there any hope? How do people cope with this when all the headlines and reports seem so depressing?”source ↗
“All this talk of the El Niño has my spiraling.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7What to do when a student threatens or assaults you at school
- 4How to stop replaying a near-miss accident with your child
- 6Why am I constantly worried my house is falling apart?
- 2How to talk to students about a sudden national crisis
- 4How to handle financial anxiety during major life transitions
- 98How to stop letting accounting stress ruin my life?