Finding Hope When The World Feels Out Of Control: Lessons from the Star Thrower in Times of Turmoil
- Carolyn Morris, LCSW
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
In moments of global unrest and constant negative news, many of us feel overwhelmed and powerless. The flood of troubling headlines can make it seem like individual actions are insignificant. As a therapist, I am often asked how to cope when the world around you is in crisis, feels chaotic, unstable, and unsafe. While there is no easy answer, nothing that will solve this for you, there are still some things you can do to hang on to your hope, manage your anxiety and make a difference. Your actions may feel insignificant, yet even small efforts can ripple outward and create meaningful change. The story of the Star Thrower, shared by Loren Eiseley, offers a powerful metaphor for how one person’s actions can matter, even when the problems seem vast and unmanageable.
The Star Thrower Story and Its Meaning
Loren Eiseley, an American anthropologist and writer, tells a simple yet profound story in his essay The Star Thrower. The story goes like this:
While walking along a beach after a storm, Eiseley noticed thousands of starfish stranded on the sand, slowly dying under the sun. A man was picking up starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Eiseley approached the man and said, “There are too many starfish. You can’t possibly make a difference.” The man smiled, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the water. “I made a difference to that one,” he replied.
This story reminds us that even when problems seem overwhelming, individual actions can still have value. It encourages us to focus on what we can do, rather than what we cannot control.
For those interested, the full essay can be found here.
Managing Anxiety When Your World Is In Crisis
News cycles often bombard us with stories of conflict, disaster, and uncertainty. This constant exposure can increase anxiety and feelings of helplessness. Here are some ways to manage those feelings:
Limit news consumption: This is not to suggest that you ignore what is happening around you. Ignorance may be bliss, however if everyone just ignores this then how do we make a difference to stop it? And equally important to consider is that if you don't limit your exposure, you are likely to become overwhelmed and your nervous system will move into FREEZE. When that happens, you can't help anyone, not even yourself. Finding that balance of knowledge and limits is crucial managing the crisis and to your survival amidst the storm.
Set specific times to check the news instead of constant updates. This helps reduce overwhelm. When you check the news, consider the sources and find the most factual reports to help you focus on the information and less on the emotional aspects. For some people, reading the news is more comfortable than watching clips online. Clips can include graphic content that is unexpected and triggering for us. It can leave images in your mind that last well into the night.
Focus on what you can control: In times of unrest and upheaval, there are so many parts that you cannot control. When focusing on what is out of control, you feel overwhelmed and insignificant. Instead, identify areas where your actions can have an impact, no matter how small. This doesn't always have to have a direct connection to the issues you are seeing in the world around you. Any area in which you can have a positive impact leads to other positive in the world.
It's the efforts of planting good in the world so that it grows and multiplies. Find something that is in your control - add some extra groceries to your cart for the food pantry, donate gently used blankets to a nearby shelter, pay for someone else's coffee at the coffee shop - and know that your action is a catalyst for others and will multiply outward.
Practice mindfulness and self-care: Activities like meditation, exercise, or hobbies can reduce stress and improve mental clarity. They act as a way to regulate your nervous system, often dysregulated from the stressors in the world around you. You need a space for you to feel calm, safe, and entertained amidst the chaos of your surroundings. These are feelings that are important even in times of disaster and unrest. Meditation, exercise, and hobbies can offer the restoration we need to energize us to continue to manage the emotions brought out by the environment.
Connect with supportive communities: Sharing concerns and efforts with others can provide encouragement and reduce isolation. Unfortunately, more often when we feel overwhelmed, and our nervous system is over-activated, we isolate to reduce any more activation. But that is not what soothes us, we need connection in order to regulate our nervous system. That connection can look any way you want, online, in person, through groups, or exchanging texts with a friend - but it doesn't happen in isolation.
By managing anxiety and other big emotions with the above strategies, you can create space to channel your energy into meaningful actions. Stay tuned for our next blog post outlining ways you can take small actions to create a difference!
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