Five Strategies to Cope with the Effects of Future Shock and Manage Fear and Anxiety
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 10
- 6 min read
Julie A. Christiansen is a leading authority on anger and emotional mastery. She is known as "The Anger Lady" and founded the Anger Solutions Program, the best evidence-based alternative to anger management. She is the author of The Rise of Rage (2024), and the host of the Free domology podcast.
Five years ago, we foolishly believed that COVID-19 marked the worst of all times. After nearly two years of constant quarantine, social distancing, and spending major holidays apart from our families, the return to normalcy felt like a welcome relief. Yet that relief was short-lived. The housing boom that accompanied the pandemic quickly turned into an economic bust as inflation soared worldwide, while issues like homelessness and opioid addiction emerged as pressing crises.
Then came a wave of geopolitical instability, from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas to labor injustices in the DRC and contentious elections in Venezuela and the United States. In just five years, the world has experienced dramatic shifts, and now it feels as though the very ground beneath us is shifting. Are you feeling anxious yet?
Reflecting on today’s world, it’s clear that the uncertainty in our political landscape, looming tariff threats, economic concerns, and even strains with our closest allies have left many of us mentally and emotionally overwhelmed. Whether it’s anxiety over the safety of our families, worries about our finances, or the struggle to balance work and life, so much is happening to fuel our collective unease.
At its core, all anxiety is rooted in fear, the fear that our circumstances are spiraling beyond our control. Yet while many aspects of life may be unpredictable, one thing remains firmly within our grasp: the power to steer our own thoughts. Rest assured that by shifting your mindset, you can boost your resilience and better navigate the stressors we face every day.
Even though many factors drive our collective stress and anxiety, there are practical strategies we can adopt to navigate these turbulent times.
Gain clarity on the situation
First, it’s important to recognize that the emotions we’re experiencing amid rapid change are entirely normal. In fact, they often stem from two familiar phenomena: future shock and hurry sickness.
Future shock is a concept introduced by futurist Alvin Toffler to describe the overwhelming sense of disorientation and stress that occurs when individuals face rapid, accelerating change. In today's fast-paced world, technological advancements, societal shifts, and constant streams of new information can leave us feeling unmoored, as if we’re struggling to catch up with an ever-evolving reality. This overload of change can make it challenging to process our experiences, often resulting in anxiety, fatigue, and a sense of being out of control.
That leads us to the notion of hurry sickness. Hurry sickness is a term used to describe the cluster of symptoms that emerge when we’re constantly rushing through life, always feeling pressed for time. One definition calls it “a behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness,” while another describes it as “a malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time and so tends to multitask to the point of forgetting one of the tasks.”
John Mark Comer identifies ten common symptoms of hurry sickness, which include:
Chronic busyness: A persistent feeling of being overwhelmed by tasks with no time to pause.
Racing thoughts: An unceasing mental chatter that prevents calm and focused thinking.
Difficulty focusing: Inability to concentrate on one task because the mind is scattered among many.
Forgetfulness: Frequently losing track of what you intended to do due to constant multitasking.
Restlessness: A deep-seated agitation and inability to sit still or relax.
Irritability: A tendency to become quickly frustrated or angry over minor delays or obstacles.
Physical tension: Manifestations of stress in the body, such as muscle tightness or headaches.
Impatience: An acute sensitivity to any delays, leading to a constant need for speed.
Inability to disconnect: Struggling to unplug from work or responsibilities, even during downtime.
Exhaustion: A feeling of burnout that affects both mental and physical energy.
How many of these symptoms are you experiencing right now? When you consider the personal and professional changes in your life, along with the broader political and economic shifts, it becomes clear that future shock and hurry sickness might be at the root of these challenges. The good news is that there are effective ways to counteract the effects of hurry sickness, allowing you not just to survive but to thrive during turbulent times. Below are five practical strategies you can start using today to strengthen your physical and emotional resilience.
Be mindful of your state
When we feel uneasy, anxious, afraid, or angry, we often seek out behaviors that temporarily soothe our discomfort. Sometimes, these responses are beneficial, like engaging in low-intensity exercise, practicing relaxation techniques, or connecting with friends, but more frequently, we opt for quick fixes. While these short-term solutions may provide immediate relief, they can ultimately lead to greater discomfort over time, such as nail-biting, hair-pulling, smoking, or the misuse of alcohol and drugs.
When my clients express feelings of distress about their tendency to gravitate toward quick fixes (self-soothing behaviors, anxious tics, stress spending, or angry outbursts), I encourage them to work through this process, which I first introduced in my e-book, Radical Positive Lasting Change.
Aware: Focus on the present moment and notice your actions, whether it’s wringing your hands, biting your nails, snapping at others, or stress-eating.
Acknowledge: Verbally recognize your behavior by saying things like, “I see I’m wringing my hands again” or “I notice I’m feeling irritable and snapping at others.”
Accept: Embrace your current actions without judgment. Rather than blaming or shaming yourself, accept what’s happening. If you want to change these behaviors, you can start planning alternative responses, all without self-judgment.
Assess: Take a moment to check in with yourself. Ask: How am I feeling right now? Am I anxious, nervous, bored, lonely, angry, sad, or tired? Is this behavior simply habitual? Consider whether changing your thoughts might shift your feelings and help stop the anxious behaviors.
Adapt and adjust: This is the phase where you actively replace the old, unhelpful behavior with a healthier choice, paving the way for positive change.
What strategies can we use to help us adapt and adjust away from unhealthy coping responses?
Five options for building resilience and coping with everyday stress
1. Pray/meditate
Engaging in prayer or meditation activates the relaxation response, reducing stress and anxiety. A meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindfulness meditation can produce moderate improvements in anxiety symptoms, with effect sizes comparable to those of some medications.
2. Hydrate
Proper hydration is essential for optimal brain function and mood regulation. The British Journal of Nutrition reports that even mild dehydration can impair cognitive performance and elevate feelings of anxiety and fatigue. For example, studies have observed that dehydration of as little as 1–2% of body weight can negatively affect mood and energy levels.
3. Move your body
Regular physical activity releases endorphins, natural mood lifters that help alleviate anxiety. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggests that just 20–30 minutes of aerobic exercise can significantly reduce anxiety symptoms, improve overall mood, and enhance well-being.
4. Connect and breathe
Deep, mindful breathing exercises have been shown to lower cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone, and reduce overall stress. Additionally, connecting with others provides social support, which is crucial for mental health. PLoSMed has linked strong social relationships to a 50% increased likelihood of long-term survival and reduced anxiety.
5. Get grounded
Grounding techniques, such as mindfulness practices, earthing, or simply spending time in nature, help bring your focus back to the present moment. Exposure to natural environments can lower cortisol levels by up to 15%, fostering a sense of calm and control in stressful situations.
The rapid pace of change and its effects, from future shock to hurry sickness, can feel overwhelming. But there’s hope. By understanding these challenges and trying out some practical strategies, you can start turning anxiety into resilience and find your balance again.
If you're curious to learn more, download my free e-book, Radical Positive Lasting Change. And if you’d like to chat about how I help people manage these effects, just visit here.
Read more from Julie A. Christiansen
Julie A. Christiansen, Speaker, Author, Registered Psychotherapist, Coach
Julie Christiansen has an extensive background in mental health counselling, public speaking that spans almost 30 years. She has authored fifteen books including The Rise of Rage. Julie's personal mission is to leverage people and organizations into radical, positive, lasting change. She fulfills this purpose with passion as a keynote speaker, podcaster, psychotherapist, and executive coach.
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