When the World Is Burning: Bearing Witness Without Burning Out
In an age of 24/7 media, we can witness the horrors of genocide and violation of human rights in real time—often before we’ve gotten out of bed. The immediacy and intimacy of modern news coverage mean that global tragedy is no longer something that exists “out there.” It streams directly into our living rooms, our beds, and our minds. While staying informed can be important, chronic exposure to this kind of content can have profound effects—not just on our nervous system, but on our sense of safety, our spiritual wellbeing, and even our fundamental beliefs about life and humanity.
The Nervous System Under Siege
First off, let’s get one thing straight: our nervous system was not designed to respond to constant threats happening to every person and community across the globe. We evolved to concern ourselves with the problems happening in our immediate environment and tribe (think between 50-100 people), as those are the threats we would need to react and respond to for survival. When we perceive danger—whether it’s a car swerving toward us or footage of a bomb being dropped in Gaza—the brain’s threat-detection center, the amygdala, can’t always tell the difference between direct and indirect danger.
Fight/Flight Activation: Graphic images, urgent headlines, and emotionally charged narratives can send our sympathetic nervous system into overdrive. Heart rate quickens, breathing becomes shallow, and the body prepares for action—even when no action is possible.
Freeze and Shutdown: When the exposure is relentless and overwhelming, we may shift into a dorsal vagal “freeze” response—feeling numb, detached, or hopeless.
Cumulative Stress Load: The nervous system isn’t designed to sustain ongoing activation without relief. Chronic stimulation from distressing news can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and even somatic symptoms like headaches and digestive issues.
This isn’t weakness—it’s biology. We are wired to care and respond, and that wiring is being hijacked by constant exposure.
The Spiritual Toll
Beyond biology, there’s a more subtle cost: the erosion of our spiritual and existential stability.
Loss of Awe and Wonder: Continuous focus on human cruelty can dim our capacity to see beauty and goodness in the world.
Disconnection from Meaning: Faith in humanity, or a higher purpose, can feel shaken when confronted daily with brutality and suffering.
Compassion Fatigue: What begins as deep empathy can, over time, harden into numbness. This isn’t moral failure—it’s a protective response to overwhelm.
Moral Injury: We may feel complicit or powerless in the face of injustice, leading to shame, guilt, or despair.
These are not just psychological experiences—they are deeply spiritual wounds, challenging our relationship with meaning, purpose, and connection.
The Existential Questions
When confronted with sustained images of suffering, we may find ourselves asking:
What is the point of all this?
Is humanity capable of goodness?
How do I live in a world where such things happen?
This existential destabilization can be disorienting. But it also presents an opportunity: to consciously decide how we will hold the reality of suffering alongside the reality of beauty, love, and possibility.
Finding a Healthier Way to Stay Informed
Staying aware and engaged without sacrificing mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing requires intentional boundaries.
Set Containment Windows
Limit news consumption to specific times of day and avoid early-morning or late-night exposure, which can disrupt sleep and increase anxiety.Diversify Your Inputs
Pair news with stories of human resilience, kindness, and creativity. This isn’t avoidance—it’s balance.Engage in Grounding Practices
Breathwork, time in nature, physical movement, and creative expression can help regulate the nervous system.Transform Witnessing into Action
Channel distress into tangible acts—donating, volunteering, advocating—so your system feels a sense of agency.Nourish Your Spirit
This may mean meditation, getting into nature, connection to community, or simply time spent in quiet reflection.
A Final Word
It is a radical act to care deeply in a world that is hurting. But caring doesn’t mean consuming suffering without pause. Your nervous system, your spirit, and your sense of meaning all require tending. You are not turning away from injustice when you rest—you are ensuring you have the capacity to bear witness and respond effectively for the long haul.
You can hold the truth of what is happening and the truth that there is still good, still beauty, still love. And sometimes, protecting your nervous system is the most revolutionary thing you can do.
