Finding Stability Amidst Global Anxiety

Media Links

Website: delvepsych.com

Instagram: @delvepsychchi

YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20

Substack: delvepsych.substack.com

 

Participants

Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya

 

Overview

·        Episode 10 of Delve Podcast, hosted by Ally(therapist) and Adam (clinical director).

·        Delve Psychotherapy offers individual, couples,group, and family therapy — see delvepsych.com and their Substack.

·        Hosts aim to share helpful, healing ideas — notseeking fame — and encourage sharing the podcast.

·        Main topic: Reddit user overwhelmed by globalcrises, anxiety, fear, and doomscrolling.

·        Hosts validate the panic as a normal response tomodern stressors.

·        Adam highlights long-term global progress inhealth and technology.

·        Humans have a negativity bias — it’s easier tonotice danger than improvement.

·        Psychological experience is internal; emotionslike fear and hopelessness are parts we can relate to.

·        Key idea: “Be afraid and do things anyway.”Action doesn’t have to wait for relief.

·        Rather than stopping bad habits, startvalue-driven behaviors aligned with GNVs (goals, needs, values).

·        Positive psychology myths (“you should alwaysfeel good”) are unrealistic.

·        Despair is seductive, but small, consistent actscan influence the world.

·        Power isn’t zero — everyone holds a“17-billionth” of global impact.

·        Avoid the savior complex — healing begins within(“put your mask on first”).

·        “Do your dishes”: small acts (like volunteering)make collective change possible.

·        Powerlessness feels real, but it’s largely a lie— we have agency.

·        Ending quote: “The winds they do be blowing.” Wecan’t stop the chaos, but we choose how to respond.

·        Temporary withdrawal is okay, but chronicshutdown may call for professional help.
References & Further Reading

· John Green, Vlog Brothers– referenced for theconcept of “the seduction of despair.”

·   Zeynep Tufekci, sociologist – cited for herinsights on collective action and the metaphor of “doing the dishes.”

·   Buddhist philosophy – invoked to highlight theidea that healing begins within.

·   Positive psychology – critiqued for promotingunrealistic emotional expectations.

·   Historical data – referenced by Adam tocontextualize modern anxiety (e.g., declines in child mortality, disease).

·   Delve Psychotherapy Substack – hosts recommendtheir blog for further thought-provoking content.