Feeling Anxious About Climate Change or Global Conflict? IFS Therapy Can Help
Do you feel overwhelmed when reading the news? Maybe you find yourself spiraling after hearing about wildfires, rising temperatures, or violent conflicts around the world. You’re not alone – global issues can have an impact on our well-being. But there is a way to understand and manage these emotional reactions.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy helps us make sense of the anxiety we experience in response to stressful world events. It helps us explore the internal “parts” of ourselves that react to what’s happening around us and shows us how to respond in control.
What is IFS Therapy?
IFS therapy explores your internal world – the different “parts” that make up who you are. We all have parts that want to protect us, that carry pain or fear, and parts that we’ve denied.
When external stressors like climate change or war are occurring, these internal parts can get activated in overwhelming ways. For example, one part of you may panic and another may shut down. These internal parts are responsible for how we make meaning of the world around us and produce our everyday reactions in the form of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours. IFS helps you tune into these parts, understand where they come from, and develop a healthier response.
Three Signs Your Internal System Experiences Anxiety
You Feel Easily Overwhelmed
Say you’re juggling errands, your friend isn’t replying to your texts, and your family asks you for a favor. Instead of calmly problem-solving the situation, you freeze, text in a panic, or shut down.
This is a sign that an anxious part of yourself feels overwhelmed – and it’s trying to manage everything at the same time. IFS therapy can help you listen to that overwhelmed part, give it what it needs, and respond with clarity.
You Jump to Conclusions
Maybe your boss says, “Let’s talk tomorrow,” and you assume you’re in trouble. Or a teacher corrects you in class, and you feel like everyone thinks you’re stupid.
These thought patterns come from internal parts that are sensitive to rejection or uncertainty. They’re not necessarily wrong, as they’re just trying to protect you. IFS therapy helps you work with these parts instead of letting them take over you.
You Catastrophize Small Events
One small trigger, like someone cancelling plans, can build up into a disaster in your mind. If your boss wants a quick chat, your brain may go from “Did I do something wrong?” to “I’m getting fired and won’t be able to pay my bills.”
This kind of spiraling is driven by internal anxiety parts that expect the worst. IFS therapy teaches you how to step back and ground yourself in the present moment.
Anxiety Exacerbated with Modern Events
Small, daily events can already lead to feeling easily overwhelmed, jumping to conclusions, and catastrophizing. With the current state of the world, our internal sub-parts experiencing anxiety are only inflamed and made worse. Constantly hearing about negative news such as conflict overseas or events related to climate change is difficult for everyone but can be especially heavy on those who already have underlying internal anxiety. Without support, this can lead to burnout, hopelessness, and disconnection.
How IFS Therapy Can Help
It can be hard to assess how our reactions to big or small life events are caused by an unconscious internal part of ourselves that experiences anxiety. But you don’t have to ignore what’s happening in the world to feel at peace. With IFS therapy, you can learn how to allow your emotions without becoming consumed by them.
At Healing Voices Psychotherapy, our Registered Psychotherapists can help you understand your anxiety parts, build internal safety and resilience, and respond to world events with compassion instead of panic. If you’re feeling hopeless about the state of the world, IFS therapy can help you learn to manage anxiety in a way that feels empowering. Reach out to learn more about internal family systems therapy for anxiety and book a free 15-minute consultation to get started on your journey toward healing and understanding yourself more deeply.
