Permacrisis: Practical Strategies To Protect Mental Health
Understanding permacrisis: how constant crises affect mental health and coping strategies.
What Is a Permacrisis?
In recent years, it seems as though the world has lurched from one crisis to another without respite. Whether it’s global pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, economic uncertainty, or environmental disasters, the relentless stream of negative news has become a defining feature of modern life. This perpetual state of instability has earned its own designation: permacrisis.
Collins Dictionary recognized the significance of this phenomenon by naming permacrisis the word of the year in 2022. The dictionary defines it as ‘living through a period of war, inflation, and political instability,’ and more broadly as ‘an extended period of instability and insecurity.’ This term encapsulates the experience of navigating multiple catastrophic events that seem to follow one another without resolution or recovery periods in between.
The modern media landscape—characterized by 24-hour news cycles, social media algorithms, and constant mobile device notifications—makes it nearly impossible to escape from the negativity surrounding national and global events. This constant exposure to crisis information has profound implications for our psychological wellbeing and overall health.
How Does Permacrisis Affect Us?
The human body and mind are not designed to exist in a state of perpetual crisis. When we encounter threatening information, our nervous system activates an ancient survival mechanism known as the fight-or-flight response. Understanding how permacrisis impacts us requires examining both the immediate physiological reactions and the longer-term psychological consequences.
The Physiological Response to Negative News
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Marianne Trent, when we hear negative news, our bodies may react by releasing stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals prepare us to respond to perceived threats with fight, flight, or appeasement strategies. In some cases, if these responses prove unavailable, we may experience dissociation as an alternative coping mechanism.
When stress and crises are continually experienced over time, your body becomes locked in a sustained or constant fight-or-flight response—the hallmark of permacrisis. This prolonged activation causes significant mental and physical health issues, including elevated blood pressure, disrupted sleep patterns, muscle tension, and mood disturbances. Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which contribute to various health problems ranging from cardiovascular issues to cognitive impairments.
Psychological and Mental Health Impacts
The psychological toll of permacrisis manifests through several interconnected mechanisms. Constant exposure to pessimistic information primes us to have less optimistic expectations for events, fundamentally altering how we perceive the world and our place in it. This negativity bias becomes self-reinforcing, as our brains become increasingly attuned to threat and danger.
The mental health statistics are striking. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that the COVID pandemic alone triggered a 25% increase in the occurrence of anxiety and depression worldwide. More recently, in 2024, 43% of Americans report feeling more anxious than the previous year, with the majority attributing their increased anxiety to world events.
Constant bad news also triggers anxiety through a mechanism involving overthinking and worry circuits. As counselling professional Keri Hartwright explains, bad news encourages overactive imagination and overthinking, which highlights people’s fears and can set someone on a continuous worry circuit. With news repeated constantly throughout the day across multiple channels and platforms, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to escape this cycle of anxiety.
Vulnerability Across Populations
An important consideration is that permacrisis affects not only those directly experiencing traumatic events. Even people who usually maintain a positive outlook or are not personally experiencing something traumatic can be significantly affected by simply hearing about negative events happening to others or in distant parts of the world. This means that the mental health impacts of permacrisis are widespread and largely unavoidable in our interconnected global society.
How Do We Live With a Permacrisis?
While the psychological pressures of living through permacrisis are real and substantial, research and psychological practice have identified several evidence-based strategies to help manage its impact on mental health. The key is finding balance between staying informed and protecting your psychological wellbeing.
Managing News Consumption
One of the most practical approaches to managing permacrisis stress involves deliberately controlling your relationship with news media. Research highlighted in the SAGE study found that shunning daily broadcasts and updates had a slight positive effect on mental wellbeing. This doesn’t mean ignoring world events entirely, but rather being intentional about when, how, and how much negative news you consume.
Dr. Marianne Trent emphasizes an important psychological distinction: by choosing not to ‘doom scroll’ through endless negative news, you are not expressing indifference to negative events happening globally. Rather, you are making a conscious choice to prioritize your mental health and maintain your capacity to engage meaningfully with the world. This reframing removes the guilt that often accompanies stepping back from constant news consumption.
Focusing on What You Can Control
To strike the right balance between staying informed and protecting mental wellbeing, it is helpful to remind yourself that it is OK to focus on your own life and the things that you can control. During permacrisis, this approach becomes especially important. When global circumstances feel overwhelming and immutable, shifting attention to personal agency and local impact can provide a sense of purpose and control.
This might involve:
- Investing time in personal relationships and community connections
- Focusing on work, hobbies, and personal goals that bring meaning
- Taking action on issues where you have direct influence
- Reducing time spent on social media and news applications
- Setting designated times for news consumption rather than continuous checking
Stress-Reduction and Mindfulness Techniques
Beyond managing news consumption, psychological research supports the effectiveness of specific stress-reduction techniques. Mindfulness and breathing exercises can help offset the stress and anxiety caused by permacrisis. These evidence-based practices work by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the stress response.
Several specific techniques have demonstrated effectiveness:
| Technique | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Box Breathing | A structured breathing pattern (4-4-4-4) that can manage sudden stress onset from bad news | 2-5 minutes |
| Meditation | Focused attention practice that reduces anxiety and increases emotional regulation | 10-20 minutes daily |
| Yoga | Combines physical movement with breathing and mindfulness to center the mind | 30-60 minutes |
| Progressive Relaxation | Systematic tensing and releasing of muscle groups to reduce physical tension | 15-20 minutes |
Practicing mindfulness, such as meditation or yoga, helps you stay centered and focused, reducing the immediate impact of stress on your mind and body. These techniques are most effective when practiced regularly rather than only during moments of acute stress.
The Role of Neuroplasticity and Adaptability
Neuroplasticity is nature’s most powerful gift, enabling humans to adapt regardless of age, circumstances, or existing mental health issues. Research has consistently demonstrated the brain’s remarkable ability to rewire itself in response to experience and environmental changes. This dynamic nature of the brain is essential for thriving in an ever-changing world.
Adaptability—the capacity to remain calm and focused even in confusing and new situations—is rooted in the brain’s capacity for abstract thinking and emotional regulation. This capacity exists in all humans and even appears in mammals like dolphins. By developing adaptable thinking patterns, individuals can find stability and purpose despite stressful or novel conditions.
From a neuroscientific perspective, adaptability is critical for personal growth, allowing individuals to adapt and change to become better versions of themselves. Recognizing these neuroplastic principles provides a foundation for managing chronic stress and thriving in the face of ongoing challenges.
Protecting Children From Permacrisis News
Children present a particular concern during permacrisis. While research on children’s mental health during prolonged crises is still evolving, several principles emerge from developmental psychology and clinical practice.
Key considerations for protecting children include:
- Limiting children’s exposure to news media and social media content about crises
- Providing age-appropriate explanations of world events when necessary
- Maintaining family routines and stability despite external chaos
- Encouraging physical activity and outdoor time as stress relief
- Creating safe spaces for children to express concerns and fears
- Modeling healthy news consumption and stress-management behaviors
- Emphasizing the positive actions people take in response to crises
Research indicates that childhood mental health conditions, when they develop or worsen during extended crises, can persist over time and adversely impact adult mental health. Therefore, proactive protection of children’s psychological wellbeing during permacrisis has long-term implications.
Professional Support and Resources
For individuals finding that permacrisis is significantly impacting their mental health, professional support is available and effective. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has demonstrated particular effectiveness for treating anxiety, depression, and stress-related issues that emerge during extended periods of instability.
CBT works by making individuals more aware of the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, enabling them to develop more adaptive patterns and feel healthier and happier. Mental health professionals can also provide guidance on implementing the stress-reduction techniques discussed above and developing personalized coping strategies.
Moving Forward: Self-Compassion During Permacrisis
If you are experiencing the effects of permacrisis, an important first step is to be kind to yourself. While many crises and stressors are entirely beyond your control, acknowledging that it is normal and understandable to feel anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed is essential.
Living through permacrisis is genuinely difficult. The constant stream of bad news, the inability to escape negativity, and the sense of perpetual instability take a real psychological toll. However, by understanding how permacrisis affects us, implementing evidence-based coping strategies, managing news consumption deliberately, and seeking professional support when needed, we can maintain our mental health and resilience.
The capacity for human adaptation, grounded in neuroplasticity and our inherent resilience, provides hope. While we cannot control the crises happening globally, we can control our response to them, our media consumption patterns, and our commitment to psychological wellbeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What exactly is permacrisis?
A: Permacrisis is an extended period of instability and insecurity resulting from a series of catastrophic events occurring in rapid succession. Named word of the year in 2022 by Collins Dictionary, it describes the contemporary experience of living through continuous global crises with little respite.
Q: Can permacrisis affect people who aren’t directly experiencing crises?
A: Yes. Simply hearing about negative events happening to others or in distant parts of the world can trigger the stress response associated with permacrisis. Even those with naturally positive outlooks can be significantly affected by constant exposure to negative news.
Q: How much does news consumption contribute to permacrisis stress?
A: News consumption plays a significant role. The 24-hour news cycle, social media, and mobile notifications make it nearly impossible to escape negativity. Research shows that reducing daily news consumption has a slight positive effect on mental wellbeing.
Q: What are the most effective stress-management techniques for permacrisis?
A: Evidence-based techniques include box breathing, meditation, yoga, and progressive muscle relaxation. These should be practiced regularly to be most effective. Additionally, deliberately limiting news consumption and focusing on what you can control are important strategies.
Q: Should I completely stop consuming news to protect my mental health?
A: No. Rather than complete avoidance, aim for balance. It is healthier to set designated times for news consumption, be selective about sources, and ensure that negative news doesn’t dominate your daily experience. This approach maintains awareness without sacrificing mental wellbeing.
Q: When should I seek professional help for permacrisis-related anxiety?
A: If anxiety, depression, or stress related to current events significantly interferes with your daily functioning, relationships, or sleep, professional support is recommended. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proven particularly effective for these concerns.
Q: How can I help my children cope with permacrisis?
A: Limit children’s media exposure to news and social content, maintain stable routines, encourage physical activity, create safe spaces for them to express concerns, and model healthy coping behaviors yourself.
References
- Permacrisis: Navigating Uncertainty with Adaptability — Dr. Shimi Kang. Accessed January 2026. https://www.drshimikang.com/post/permacrisis-navigating-uncertainty-with-adaptability
- Permacrisis – The Impact on Our Mental Health — Luma³. Accessed January 2026. https://www.luma3.uk/blogs/news/permacrisis-the-impact-on-our-mental-health
- What’s a permacrisis, and its impact on our mental health? — Patient.info. Accessed January 2026. https://patient.info/features/mental-health/what-is-a-permacrisis-and-its-effect-on-our-mental
- Permacrisis is real – here’s how you can manage it. — AHC Health eNews. July 2025. https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2025/07/09/managing-a-permacrisis/
- Maintaining Positivity in the Permacrisis — Psychology Today. August 2024. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-global-lens/202408/maintaining-positivity-in-the-permacrisis
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