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Surviving uncertainty: When the World Feels Like a Trauma Response

Writer's picture: Gemini ThomsonGemini Thomson

Updated: 2 days ago




Lately, everything feels unstable. The cost of living keeps climbing, the news is a relentless cycle of crisis, and the future feels more uncertain than ever. You might find yourself exhausted, anxious, or just…numb. Maybe you’re pushing through, staying busy, or telling yourself that others have it worse. But beneath the surface, something doesn’t feel right.

If you’ve experienced complex trauma—growing up in chaos, neglect, or never quite feeling safe—this moment in history might feel eerily familiar. The unpredictability, the waiting for the next bad thing to happen, the feeling that there’s no solid ground to stand on. Even if you’re not consciously thinking about the past, your nervous system remembers.

For many, the current political and economic climate isn’t just stressful—it’s triggering. It activates old survival patterns: overworking to feel in control, detaching from emotions to avoid overwhelm, or feeling powerless like you once did as a child. When everything feels unstable, those old protective parts of you can take over. Maybe you shut down. Maybe you scroll endlessly. Maybe you try to fix everything and everyone around you.

The truth is, we’re not meant to live in survival mode forever. The world might be chaotic, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep bracing for impact. Noticing these patterns—how they show up, how they shape your choices—is the first step in reclaiming some sense of stability. Because while we can’t always change what’s happening out there, we can find ways to anchor ourselves here, now.

If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. The world feels heavy right now. But you don’t have to carry it the way you always had to.


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BABCP stands for the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies. It has been the lead organisation for CBT in the UK since 1972. BABCP members work in the NHS, social care, education and universities.

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