When the World Feels Too Loud: Coping with Political Distress

Political stress doesn’t just come from the news—it comes from what the news represents: threats against safety, justice, identity, and belonging. It’s the stress of living in a world that feels unpredictable, where helplessness creeps in and control feels out of reach.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) remind us that while our thoughts shape our emotional experience, not all thoughts are facts—and not all beliefs are helpful. When our internal dialogue becomes rigid, demanding, or catastrophic, distress intensifies.

💔 Stuck: When Cognitions Get Distorted

CBT teaches us that emotional suffering often stems from distorted thinking—automatic thoughts that feel true but amplify distress. REBT goes further, identifying the rigid demands beneath those thoughts: the “musts,” “shoulds,” and “have to’s” that Albert Ellis called irrational beliefs.

Common cognitive distortions include:

• Catastrophizing: “If this policy passes, everything will fall apart.”

• All-or-nothing thinking: “If someone disagrees with me, they’re part of the problem.”

• Personalization: “It’s my fault I didn’t do more.”

• Emotional reasoning: “I feel hopeless, so things must be hopeless.”

REBT adds:

• Demandingness: “This must change.” “People should know better.”

• Awfulizing: “This is unbearable.” “It’s the worst thing ever.”

• Low frustration tolerance: “I can’t stand this.” “I shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

  
  

These patterns are understandable—but they’re also unsustainable. They amplify distress and leave little room for nuance, self-compassion, or resilience.

🧭 Shift: Reframing the Inner Dialogue

Cognitive reframing is the practice of noticing how our thoughts shape our emotional experience—and gently shifting them to reduce suffering and increase flexibility. It’s not about denying reality. It’s about loosening the grip of rigid beliefs and catastrophic predictions so we can respond with clarity instead of collapse.

CBT invites us to challenge distorted thoughts like:

• “I can’t handle this.” → “This is hard, and I’m learning how to cope.”

• “Everything is falling apart.” → “This feels overwhelming, but not everything is lost.”

• “I should be doing more.” → “I’m doing what I can, and that matters.”

REBT goes deeper, helping us soften the demands beneath those thoughts:

• “This must change.” → “I strongly prefer change, but I can tolerate the discomfort while I work toward it.”

• “People should know better.” → “I wish people understood, but I can’t control their beliefs.”

• “This is unbearable.” → “This is painful, but I can survive it.”

These reframes don’t erase the problem. They create space to hold it with care. They remind us that we can care deeply without caving in. That we can stay engaged without being consumed. That we can think critically without being hijacked by urgency.

Reframing isn’t passive—it’s powerful. It’s the difference between being swept away and choosing how to stand in the storm.

🌿 Reframe: Building Cognitive Flexibility in a Rigid World

If the world feels like too much, it’s not because you’re broken—it’s because your thoughts are trying to make sense of chaos using tools that weren’t built for it. CBT and REBT offer those tools.

CBT helps us identify and challenge automatic negative thought loops that amplify distress. These thoughts feel urgent—but they’re often inaccurate or unhelpful. CBT invites us to pause and ask: Is this thought true? Is it helpful? Is there another way to see this?

REBT helps us uncover and soften the rigid beliefs beneath those thoughts. These beliefs create pressure, shame, and emotional exhaustion. REBT teaches us to replace them with flexible, self-compassionate alternatives:

• “I prefer to be informed, but I’m human.”

• “I can disagree without dehumanizing.”

• “I can care deeply without carrying everything.”

This isn’t about detachment—it’s about discernment. It’s not about giving up—it’s about giving yourself room to breathe.

Together, CBT and REBT help you build an inner refuge. Not a bubble. Not denial. But a place where you can feel, think, and choose—without being hijacked by the noise.

Because coping isn’t about numbing out, it’s about staying connected to your values, your breath, and your ability to respond with clarity—even when the world feels unclear.