Choosing Your Battles: Finding Focus and Energy in a World of Social Unrest

The constant stream of news about social unrest can feel overwhelming. Every headline, every protest, every injustice pulls at your heart and demands your attention. But the truth is, you cannot care about everything all at once. Trying to do so drains your energy and leaves you feeling powerless. The key to managing anxiety during these turbulent times is learning where to put your energy and choosing the "battles" or causes that truly matter to you.

Finding calm in nature during social unrest

Why You Need to Choose Your Battles

When social unrest dominates the news cycle, it’s easy to feel like you must respond to every issue. But this approach leads to burnout and anxiety. Your energy is limited, and spreading it too thin means you won’t be effective anywhere. Instead, focusing on a few causes allows you to make a meaningful impact and maintain your mental health.

Glennon Doyle writes about this in Untamed, explaining how she stopped trying to care about everything and instead focused on what truly moved her. This shift gave her clarity and strength. You don’t have to solve every problem, but you can contribute to the ones that resonate with your values.

"I will not let the fact that I cannot do everything keep me from doing what I can" - Glennon Doyle in Untamed.

How to Decide Where to Put Your Energy

Choosing a cause to support can feel daunting. How can you say that one is more important than another or more deserving? Choosing one often feels like abandoning all the others, but this is not the case. Instead, trust that if everyone focuses their efforts on a small number of issues or causes, there is enough caring that all issues will gain traction. Doyle suggests that in a chaotic world, the goal is not to be a "good" (i.e., compliant or overwhelmed) person, but to be a "true" person, which requires narrowing focus to what is actually yours to fix or feel. Here are some steps to help you find your focus:

"Tell me what breaks your heart, and I'll point you toward both [purpose and connection]" - Glennon Doyle in Untamed.

• Reflect on your values

What issues align with your core beliefs? Whether it’s racial justice, climate change, or mental health, pick causes that feel authentic to you.

• Consider your skills and resources

How can you contribute? Maybe you have time to volunteer, money to donate, or a platform to raise awareness. Matching your strengths to a cause increases your impact.

• Start small and local

Sometimes the biggest change happens close to home. Supporting local organizations or community efforts can be more manageable and rewarding.

• Set boundaries

Decide how much time and energy you can realistically give. It’s okay to say no to some causes to protect your well-being. If you burn yourself out, you won't be of help to anyone, so protecting your energy is vital.

By narrowing your focus, you create space for meaningful action without overwhelming yourself.

Journaling to clarify personal values and causes to support

Using Glennon Doyle’s Example to Manage Overwhelm and Burnout

Glennon Doyle’s story in Untamed is a powerful reminder that caring deeply about everything is impossible. She describes the relief she felt when she stopped trying to fix the whole world and instead focused on her own healing and the causes she could influence.

This mindset helps reduce anxiety by:

• Lowering feelings of helplessness

You accept that you can’t control everything, which eases pressure.

• Increasing focus and motivation

Concentrating on specific goals makes your efforts more effective.

• Building resilience

Protecting your energy helps you stay engaged over the long term.

I’ve found that repeating this to myself during stressful times helps me stay grounded: I can’t care about everything, but I can care deeply about what matters most to me.

Community members planting trees together to support environmental causes

By following these steps, you can stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed. Be sure to read through the first post about Finding Hope When The World Feels Out Of Control: Lessons from the Star Thrower in Times of Turmoil and second post Managing Anxiety from Social Unrest: Small Actions to Create Lasting Impacts.