Bold opening: When the world feels chaotic, it’s tempting to collapse under the weight of bad news—but you can still choose how you respond. And this is where many people miss a crucial shift in perspective.
Why Tho? Current events keep pulling me into an anxious spiraling nightmare
- Advice (https://www.oregonlive.com/advice/)
Published: Mar. 03, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
By Lizzy Acker | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Dear readers,
About a year ago, I revisited this column. Today feels like a fitting moment to bring it back into the conversation.
Dear Lizzy,
How can I cope with all the horrifying actions our government is taking and still function productively in daily life? I’m carrying a thousand sorrows, and the weight of current events keeps yanking me away from the present reality into an anxious, spiraling nightmare.
Scared and Worried
Dear Scared and Worried,
You’re not alone. Last week, two readers told me they recently visited a doctor and found it difficult to answer those classic depression-screening questions, such as, “How many days in the last week have you felt hopeless?” in a way that wouldn’t trigger immediate concern.
We’re living in a time of widespread chaos—in politics, the environment, emotions, and finances. And this feeling isn’t new to many of us; I’ve been hearing from anxious readers since I started this column. Can anyone remember a period that felt truly calm? When the news was simply good, and no one faced oppression or unhappiness?
Maybe when we were kids—but that’s often because we didn’t have access to news.
I’m not saying things aren’t exceptionally intense now, because they clearly are. But I doubt there has ever been a moment in human history when everything was completely, unequivocally perfect.
And yet, people kept going. They persisted through living in caves, through predator threats, through the absence of indoor plumbing. Humans have endured volcanoes, wars, plagues, and countless scary events, and somehow found meaning and hope.
So how did they do it? Likely by leaning on each other—supporting our communities, shaping homes that feel comfortable, creating music, and savoring good food.
When you start to spiral, redirect your energy toward these anchors. You can’t flip a Supreme Court ruling, nor alter the Pacific Ocean’s temperature, but you can plant flowers in a garden or a pot. You can craft a sign and join a protest. You can volunteer to teach a child to read or pick up litter in your neighborhood. You can call a friend for a walk. You can lean on your spiritual practices. If you want to learn guitar, watch a tutorial on YouTube while you practice. You can bake cookies.
These actions won’t fix the world—nothing truly will. But life is short, and you get to decide how you spend it. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you respond.
Good luck!
Lizzy
Have a burning question? Email me at lacker@oregonian.com. If you prefer anonymity, you can submit it via this Google form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrCBLX7Dtaae7VjcLClB2PaReYBXCDxZpUx-ay498s7cVXhw/viewform).
Read more Why Tho? here. (https://www.oregonlive.com/whytho/)
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- Why Tho? When ‘I want to take you out for a meal’ doesn’t mean what you think it means (https://www.oregonlive.com/advice/2026/02/why-tho-when-i-want-to-take-you-out-for-a-meal-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-it-means.html)
- Why Tho? Women clap back on advice to stay out of cheating man’s relationship (https://www.oregonlive.com/advice/2026/02/why-tho-women-clap-back-on-advice-to-stay-out-of-cheating-mans-relationship.html)
Lizzy Acker is a reporter on the Innovation Team and the author of the advice column, "Why Tho?" She covers topics from ice cream to extreme weather to car-free travel. She joined The Oregonian/OregonLive...
Note: This rewritten piece preserves all key information from the original while presenting it in fresh wording, with added clarifications and accessible language for beginners. If you’d like me to tailor the tone further (more formal, more casual, or more provocative), tell me your target audience and preferred vibe.
