Geopolitical Stress, Collective Grief, and Emotional Overwhelm: When the World Feels Heavy

Many people are carrying emotional distress connected to ongoing world events while continuing to go to work, parent, study, care for others, and function through daily life. For immigrants, refugees, and individuals with family overseas, geopolitical events can feel deeply personal and emotionally overwhelming.

You may notice:
• constant worry or overthinking
• difficulty concentrating
• emotional numbness or shutdown
• guilt for being safe while loved ones are suffering
• panic, anxiety, or nervous system overwhelm
• trouble sleeping
• grief, helplessness, anger, or emotional exhaustion
• feeling emotionally “on edge” after consuming news or social media

These responses are not signs that something is “wrong” with you. They are human responses to chronic stress, uncertainty, grief, displacement, and witnessing suffering.

For many people, immigration can also carry layers of grief that are not always visible — separation from family, cultural disconnection, pressure to stay strong, and the emotional impact of watching difficult events unfold from afar while feeling powerless to help.

As a trauma-informed counsellor in Coquitlam, I support individuals navigating:
• geopolitical stress and collective grief
• immigration and settlement challenges
• anxiety and chronic stress
• burnout and emotional exhaustion
• grief, loss, and life transitions

My approach is warm, culturally responsive, relational, and non-pathologizing. Therapy can provide space to process emotions, regulate the nervous system, and make sense of experiences within the context of your life, culture, relationships, and the systems you navigate.

📍 In-person counselling in Coquitlam
💻 Virtual counselling across BC
🌿 Counselling available in English & Farsi
📞 Free 15-minute consultation

Maryam Counselling Services