War news anxiety can shake your sleep, hope and sense of safety even when the conflict is far away. We look at its causes and everyday ways of coping.
It is past midnight, the lights are off and your phone screen lights up your face. As you scroll, collapsed buildings, people running and crying children pass before your eyes. It is past two o'clock; you know you should sleep, but you open the next video anyway. The next morning, on your way to work, there is a heaviness inside you that you cannot name; you even look strangely at your colleagues laughing by the tea urn. War news anxiety is a reaction that can shake a person's sense of safety, their sleep and the way they see the future, even when the conflict is thousands of kilometres away. In this article we look at why a distant war is felt so closely, the signs by which this anxiety shows itself and how you can live with it without needing to take sides or become numb.
What Is War News Anxiety?
War news anxiety is the combination of worry, fear, sadness and helplessness that arises after exposure to images and information about war and armed conflict. The person is not directly in the conflict; but through the news they witness that suffering every day.
Reacting in this way is a natural result of being a sensitive human being. Being unable to remain indifferent to the suffering of others is one of the qualities that makes us human. The problem begins at the point where this sensitivity turns into an anxiety that leaves the person sleepless, disrupts their functioning and drains their hope for the future.
This is not a diagnosis. In some people it is experienced as a short-lived jolt; in others it turns into a background tension that lasts for weeks and months.
Why Is a Distant Conflict Felt So Closely?
In the past, war news was just a segment of a few minutes in the evening bulletin. Today, the phone in our pocket brings images from the conflict zone, arriving within seconds, in front of us all day long. This all but removes the distance psychologically.
The immediacy of the images
Watching an explosion, a destroyed home or a child being pulled from the rubble without any filter directly activates the brain's danger system. The body cannot always distinguish between danger on a screen and danger encountered in reality. That is why the viewer may experience reactions such as a racing heart, muscle tension or nausea.
Geographical and historical closeness
Turkey lies in a region surrounded by conflicts that have gone on for many years. Wars in neighbouring countries, tensions in border cities and waves of migration are vivid in many people's memories. For this reason, even news of a distant war can easily raise the question "What if it spreads here too?"
Personal ties
For people who have relatives, friends or acquaintances in the conflict zone, the news is not abstract. Living side by side with people who fled war, in the neighbourhood, at work or at school, also makes this suffering concrete. And for a mother whose son is doing his military service, every piece of border news carries a particular meaning.
Economic repercussions
The effect of war does not stay on the screen. Fluctuations in fuel and energy prices, movements in the exchange rate and price rises reflected in supermarket prices bring the distant conflict all the way to the kitchen table. For families already struggling with the cost of living, every new piece of news about tension can also bring the question "How will we get by this winter?" In this way, anxiety turns into a burden in which sadness at the suffering of others and worry about one's own future are intertwined.
Overlap with the experience of the earthquake
For people who lived through or closely followed the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, images of collapsed buildings can bring back their own experience. Rubble, dust and sirens: similar images, even if for different reasons, can bring old traces back to life.
What Are the Signs of War News Anxiety?
This anxiety appears in different forms in different people. Common signs include:
- Scrolling news non-stop: watching news and videos until late at night, and being unable to stop even when you want to.
- Sleep problems: finding it hard to fall asleep, waking often in the night, dreaming about war.
- Images replaying in the mind: scenes watched during the day coming to mind involuntarily.
- Guilt: feeling guilty for being safe, for being able to laugh or for dealing with ordinary things.
- Helplessness and hopelessness: thoughts such as "The world is a terrible place" and "Nothing will ever get better".
- Anger: intense anger at the news, at comments on social media or at people you consider insensitive.
- Physical tension: headaches, stiff shoulders, changes in appetite, a constant sense of being on alert.
- Numbness: some people who are exposed to intense images for a long time notice that, after a certain point, they feel nothing at all. This too can be a kind of protective response.
Who Is Most Affected by War News Anxiety?
Not everyone who watches the same news is affected in the same way. Some people may be more vulnerable to this kind of news:
People who have lived through war or forced migration: For people who had to leave their own country because of war, the news can bring back the losses and fears they went through.
Those who have experienced distressing events before: In people who have lived through an earthquake, a serious accident or an experience of violence, similar images can trigger old experiences.
People prone to anxiety: People who find uncertainty hard to tolerate and who tend to think of the worst may experience even a distant conflict as a close threat.
Children and young people: Children cannot place the images they see in context the way adults can. Young people, meanwhile, come across unfiltered content on social media more often.
News and health workers: Journalists, translators, content moderators and humanitarian workers who work with these images constantly because of their profession may carry a burden known as secondary trauma.
How Does War News Affect Daily Life?
Think of a university student. Since the conflict began, she has been watching videos for hours every night and going to her morning lectures without sleep. While her classmates make weekend plans, she thinks, "How can they enjoy themselves with all this going on?" and distances herself from them. When her mother phones to ask what is wrong, she cannot find the words to explain. After a while she loses interest in both her lectures and her friends.
As this example shows, war news anxiety can spread over time into many areas of life:
- A drop in productivity at work or school because of sleeplessness and tiredness
- Distancing from activities you love and from social relationships
- Tense arguments in family and friendship settings, especially on social media
- Difficulty making plans for the future, the thought "What's the point?"
- Anxiety being passed on to children without your realising it
We discussed the effect of constantly scrolling through negative news on the mind in more detail in our article on doomscrolling.
How Can You Cope With War News Anxiety?
The aim is not to live unaware of what is happening in the world, or to become numb. The aim is to be able to keep your sensitivity while protecting your own mental health.
Reorganise your relationship with the news
Try following the news once or twice a day, at set times. Keep the hour before bed free of news. Choose written summaries instead of videos; text leaves far less of a mark on the mind than images. Turning off autoplay is also a small but effective step. You can also read about the weariness and exhaustion people feel in the face of the news in our article on news fatigue.
Choose your sources
In times of war, false and manipulative content spreads very quickly. Unverified videos, footage from years ago shared as if it were new, or fabricated content can make anxiety grow needlessly. Settling for a few sources you trust reduces both information overload and the emotional burden.
Calm your body
Notice the tension that builds up in your body after watching the news. Simple techniques such as a short walk, a few minutes of slow breathing, feeling your feet on the ground or counting five objects around you help the nervous system come out of its state of alarm.
Reconsider your guilt
Being safe, laughing or carrying on with your life does not mean you do not care about the suffering of others. Wearing yourself out brings no benefit to the people caught up in the conflict. In fact, people who can keep their own balance have more strength to help others too.
Turn helplessness into action
Think about the small steps within your reach: donating to a trusted aid organisation, volunteering, supporting migrant families around you. Being able to do something, however small, eases the feeling of helplessness. However, it is important to do this not by forcing yourself or to escape guilt, but because it fits your values.
Hold on to your everyday rituals
In times of uncertainty, small, repeated habits send the mind the message "Life goes on." Drinking your morning coffee on the balcony, eating dinner together as a family, meeting friends once a week, watching a series you love or making time for a hobby may seem ordinary. But these ordinary moments are important anchors that help the nervous system feel safe again. During periods when the news is intense, rather than giving up these rituals, try to protect them deliberately.
Talk, but do not get caught in a cycle of arguments
Sharing your feelings with someone you trust lightens the load. On the other hand, arguments on social media that go on for hours can increase anxiety and anger even further. It helps to keep in mind the difference between sharing feelings and fighting over opinions.
Feeling the suffering in the world makes you sensitive; not letting that suffering take you over completely is what keeps you standing.
Protect your children
Take care not to leave war footage playing in front of children. If they hear something and ask questions, give short, honest answers suited to their age, and emphasise that they are safe right now. Drawing and playing are natural ways for children to express their feelings.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
It is natural to be affected by war news. However, it may be helpful to get support from a professional in the following situations:
- If you have not been sleeping properly for weeks and tiredness is disrupting your daily tasks
- If images come into your mind involuntarily, or you are having nightmares
- If you cannot stop watching the news even though you want to
- If you have started to withdraw from your work, your studies or the people you love
- If feelings of hopelessness, meaninglessness and lack of motivation have lasted a long time
- If you have a history of war or migration and the news is bringing old experiences back to life
How Is War News Anxiety Addressed in Therapy?
In therapy, the first step is to explore the particular meaning the anxiety has for the person. For one person these news stories represent a trauma from their own past, for another a fear for their family, and for another a shaking of their basic sense of trust in the world.
In cognitive behavioural therapy, automatic thoughts that arise after the news, such as "Something could happen at any moment" and "Nowhere is safe", are noticed and their realism is assessed together. The way behaviours such as constant news-checking or complete avoidance keep anxiety going is examined, and a more balanced news habit is planned together. Skills such as relaxation and redirecting attention can also be part of this process.
Feelings such as guilt, anger and helplessness also have an important place in therapy. Noticing beliefs such as "If I can't do anything, at least I should keep watching" helps the person develop a more compassionate attitude towards themselves. Realistic, sustainable small steps in line with their values are identified together.
For people with a history of war or migration, distressing experiences from the past are addressed in a safe setting, at a pace the person is ready for. Work in the area of anxiety and panic is shaped by how far this kind of anxiety restricts daily life and sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal not to be able to sleep after watching war footage?
Having your sleep disturbed for a few nights after watching distressing images is an understandable reaction. Not watching the news before bed and building a calming evening routine usually helps. If sleep problems last for weeks, it may be helpful to talk to a professional.
If I stop watching the news altogether, does that make me an insensitive person?
No. Taking a break from the news for a while, or limiting how much news you consume, in order to protect your own mental health is not insensitivity. Sensitivity is measured not by the number of videos you watch, but by behaviour that fits your values.
Why do social media arguments about the war make me so tense?
War stirs up strong moral feelings and questions of identity. On social media these feelings are shared in a short, harsh and often decontextualised way. Arguments like these, however right you may be, usually increase anger and feed anxiety.
As someone who has migrated, the news brings back old memories. What should I do?
This reaction is a natural echo of the hardships you have been through, and you are not alone. Limiting your exposure to the news, staying connected with people you trust and using techniques that calm your body can be first steps. If the memories are intense and frequent, it can help to talk about these experiences with a professional in a safe setting.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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