How to Cope With Stress From Current Events and Constant Bad News

Distress Tolerance Skills are Essential during these Distressing Times

It is near impossible to avoid the stressful news about the things going on in our world. It might feel like wherever we turn our heads, we get a reminder of the difficulties that are present today. News headlines increasingly point to rising loneliness, declining social connection, and a sense that global instability and financial pressures are intensifying. Sometimes in ways that can feel uncomfortably close and personal. Since it is likely inevitable that we will be exposed to upsetting news, our ability to manage that discomfort is as important as ever. This article explores the impact of repeated exposure to stressful news and ways to improve our distress tolerance to help prevent things such as burn out, compassion fatigue or exacerbated mental health symptoms.

Source: Everyday Health https://www.everydayhealth.com/stress/guide/effects/

In what ways do you feel the effects of stress on your mind and body? Stress can have a significant impact on our brain and nervous system that can potentially manifest in ways that are challenging to experience and subsequently manage effectively. When we experience a situation that results in feeling stressed, our brain can react to that situation by releasing numerous stress related hormones that impact our body’s ability to function, also known as physiology (Harvard, 2011). The immediate impact that we can feel on our body’s physiology can be experienced as muscle tension or an increase in heart rate (UC Riverside, 2024). Chronic or prolonged stress can have long-term effects on the body, such as weakening the immune system and subsequently causing signs of premature aging (UC Riverside, 2024). The physiological effects can in turn impact our mental health in a negative manner. Therefore, making it essential to address how stress impacts us.

Source: Medium https://vociferouswriters.medium.com/importance-of-mental-health-and-stress-management-fc28a0ad3818

All aspects of our health are interconnected. Intersections among mental and physical health are especially significant. Some anxiety symptoms can manifest into physical sensations caused by a dysregulated nervous system, such as restlessness and perspiration (Mayo Clinic, 2025). Exposure to stress can activate the amygdala, the area of the brain that is associated with emotional processing. The amygdala can interpret experienced stress as danger and will send a

signal of distress to the hypothalamus (Harvard, 2011). The hypothalamus is commonly referred to as the ‘command center,’ of the brain and can impact the body’s heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and many more essential bodily functions (Cleveland Clinic, 2022 ). When the hypothalamus receives a distress signal from the amygdala, the hypothalamus interprets that message as an imbalance that needs to be addressed (Harvard, 2011). This can result in the uncomfortable physical symptoms associated with experienced dysregulation of the nervous systems, such as increased heart rate, muscle tensions and restlessness.

The world events that can create feelings of stress are out of the control of individuals but the management of the stress is in the control of individuals and are essential to prevent negative health outcomes. Listed below are various approaches to engage in practices that increase your ability to tolerate distress through attempts to re-regulate a potentially dysregulated nervous system.

Strategies

TIPP (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation) -A DBT-based approach that uses redirection or counters distressing physical sensations

that are commonly associated with experienced stress to aid in re-regulation of the nervous system. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of therapy that focuses on creating a more balanced perspective with two seemingly opposing forces, such as logic and emotion, to access our most insightful and effective selves (Mckay, Wood, & Brantley, 2019).

TIPP	When to use this skill:	Examples of implementation:	Potential benefits of implementation:
Temperature	Increase in body temperature, feeling flushed or when sweating uncomfortably	Hold an ice cube Splash face with cold water Press a cold damp towel onto pulse points	Slows heart rate Acts as a distraction from distressing thoughts

Intense Exercise	Excess energy felt in the body after an emotional response, such as anger or agitation	Brisk walk for 10 minutes Jumping Jacks or High Knees for a minute	Burn off excessive energy Release of hormones that can lower stress levels
Paced Breathing	Chest tightness, racing heartbeat, or muscle tension	1. Box Breathing 2. Belly Breathing	Increase oxygen intake Lower blood pressure and heart rate
Progressive Muscle Relaxation	Muscle tension, discomfort within the body or difficulties sleeping	Tightly form a fist with both hands for ten seconds and release Raise both shoulders up towards your ears for ten seconds and release	Release of tension can trigger a relaxation response in the body Acts as a distraction from unpleasant experienced physical sensations

Stress-Buffering Hypothesis

Image: RVA Counseling

This hypothesis states that when an individual has more access to social support and resources they are more likely to be able to effectively cope with experienced stress. The hypothesis claims that positive social support acts as a kind of barrier between stress and the potential negative effects of stress on an individual’s mental and physical health (Cohen & Wills, 1985). An individual that has friends, family, coworkers, and other forms of meaningful connections can help the individual diffuse the potential negative impact of the distress they experience in their life.

Bilateral stimulation

An EMDR-based intervention that can aid with distress tolerance. EMDR is a type of therapy that helps people process trauma with the ultimate goal of alleviating the distress produced by the experienced trauma. Bilateral stimulation is an activity that utilizes both sides of the brain and body (Niep, 2024). Bilateral stimulation can trigger a relaxation response in the body by reregulating the nervous system. Bilateral stimulation can take many forms, such as walking or bilateral tapping. Bilateral tapping is shown in the image below and depicts the nine

points on the body to target with tapping. The rhythmic tapping on these areas of the body has been found to reduce experienced distress through a release of dopamine in the brain (Purdue News, 2023) . Routinely regulating the nervous system can lower the baseline of how stress can impact us and increase resilience over time. Try tapping the starred areas below next time you are feeling the negative effects of stress.

https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/9-pts-600px.jpg

Conclusion

Current events are ongoing reminders of factors outside of our control, but this article highlights agency in how/what we do to manage the emotional pain it may trigger. Allowing ourselves the time to notice the impact of stress on our body can be a great starting place towards effective management of stress. Once we are aware of the impact stress can have on us, then we are able to have a target approach that gives some degree of relief. Through development of effective coping strategies, such as TIPP techniques, engaging in bilateral stimulation and utilizing social support systems we can discover how much power we hold as individuals. With practice, stress management skills can turn matters that were once overwhelming into opportunities for building resilience.

Citations

Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Hypothalamus: What it is, function, conditions & disorders. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22566-hypothalamus

Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.

Mayo Clinic. (2025). Anxiety disorders. Mayo Clinic; Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

Mckay, M., Wood, J. C., & Brantley, J. (2019). The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: Practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance (2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Niep, L. (2024). Hard-to-Treat traumas and painful memories may be treatable with EMDR – A trauma therapist explains why it is gaining popularity. Cuanschutz.edu; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/hard-to-treat-traumas-and-painful-memories-may-be-treatable-with-emdr-a-trauma-therapist-explains-why-it-is-gaining-popularity

Purdue News. (2023). Emotional freedom technique: Research supports benefits of tapping for mental health. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/2023/Q3/emotional-freedom-technique-research-supports-benefits-of-tapping-for-mental-health/

Understanding stress: Physiological and psychological perspectives and effective coping strategies. (2024). Graduate Student Resource Center. https://gsrc.ucr.edu/blog/2024/09/ 11/understanding-stress-physiological-and-psychological-perspectives-and-effective

Understanding the stress response - Harvard Health. (2011). Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/understanding-the-stress-response