WHEN THE WORLD FEELS TOO MUCH: Motherhood, mental health and overwhelm from global news

Since becoming a mother, have you noticed how the news seems to land differently?

A story about children caught in conflict, families displaced, or babies facing hunger can suddenly feel unbearable. It’s as though motherhood has opened up a new chamber in your heart - one filled with fierce love, empathy, and sometimes, unbearable vulnerability.

The stress response to overwhelm from global news in motherhood

When we’re faced with bad news, our bodies switch on the stress response - fight, flight, or freeze. In moments of real danger, this is protective and even lifesaving.

But when the threat comes not from something right in front of us, but from distant, but constant, headlines on our phones, the stress doesn’t resolve. It lingers. And for mothers already carrying sleepless nights, recovery from birth, and the never-ending responsibility of nurturing little ones, this prolonged stress takes a toll.

Here’s what overwhelm from global news can look like when motherhood is added to the mix:

Physical

What you might notice: Deep fatigue, unexplained aches, gut issues, sleep disturbance

A “mum lens” example: You’re awake with your baby and carry a persistent backache or bloating you can’t explain

Mental

What you might notice: Brain fog, harder decisions, memory slips

A “mum lens” example: You can’t remember which appointments you scheduled or why you walked into a room

Emotional

What you might notice: Irritability, sadness, numbness, feeling stuck

A “mum lens” example: You snap over small things, or feel too heavy to even cry

These are not signs of personal failure. They’re your system’s response to sustained pressure.

Why it feels amplified in motherhood

Part of what makes overwhelm sharper for mothers is that our empathy has expanded. Once you’ve carried or cared for a baby, global events involving children don’t feel abstract anymore - they cut straight through. Seeing another child suffer can trigger your protective instincts and stir fears for your own baby’s future.

You don’t have to look far to see what’s tugging at hearts. Once you hold a child close, every threat feels bigger. The nuts-and-bolts of the world - climate, war, technology, inequality - aren’t “other people’s problems” anymore. They whisper, “What will our children inherit?”

What helps when you’re carrying a mother’s heart

You have to protect your system so you can keep loving and caring. Here are things I remind myself and share with the mothers I support:

• Recognise the cues - your body talks before your mind. When your back aches or your thoughts spin, it’s a signal, not a nuisance

  
  

• Ground yourself - holding your baby, leaning against a tree, feeling solid earth under your feet - even 3 deep breaths can bring you back

  
  

• Choose your news intake - pick one trusted news source and one time window. No news in the hour before bed, even if “just checking.”

  
  

• Channel into action - small acts matter: writing, volunteering, giving, teaching your child kindness. It shifts you from helplessness into purpose

  
  

• Rest is radical - you don’t “earn” rest. You need it. Taking time isn’t turning away - it’s recharging so you can show up

  
  

• Talk & reach out - share with another mother, a friend, or a counsellor who sees your double burden (mother + world-bearer)

A quiet promise to your mother heart

I believe that motherhood doesn’t weaken you - it transforms your empathy. It makes the world’s anguish feel personal. But your sensitivity doesn’t have to break you.

This World Mental Health Day, I honour the extra weight mothers carry in a restless world. And I remind you (and me): to care for your mental health is to care for your child and your community. Because when a mother is centred, her whole family breathes more freely.

📞 Crisis & Immediate Support in Singapore

If you’re in Singapore and need immediate support, here are trusted helplines you can call or text:

• National Mindline 1771 - Singapore’s 24/7 national mental health call & text line, available in English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. Call 1771, WhatsApp +65 6669 1771, or use webchat at mindline.sg

  
  

• Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) - 24/7 hotline: 1767 or 1800-221-4444. CareText WhatsApp: 9151 1767

  
  

• Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) - Helpline: 1800-283-7019, offering counselling and emotional support

  
  

• Care Corner Counselling Hotline (Mandarin) - toll-free: 1800-3535-800, available 10am–10pm daily (closed on public holidays)

Support within our Village

Overwhelm can show up as anxiety, exhaustion, aches, or just feeling stuck. Our Village brings together trusted providers who can help ease the load wherever you’re feeling it most:

Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

• Canvas of Calm - mindfulness and therapy to ease stress cycles and bring you back to the present moment

• Cascade Train Teach Learn - Vannessa helps overwhelmed mums reconnect with themselves, so they can parent with intention, calm, and clarity - and raise emotionally healthy kids without losing their own balance

• Conscious Connections Consultancy - coaching and counselling to cut through decision fatigue, overwhelm, and help you reconnect with yourself

• Psychology Blossom - professional care for a wide range of mental health challenges, giving you the tools to cope when life feels unmanageable

• Reiwa Health - Dr Angela supports mums with intimacy, libido shifts, and body image concerns during pregnancy and postpartum. She also guides dads in reconnecting with their partners through intimacy changes, strengthening parental bonds and creating a supportive environment for babies

• The Other Clinic - compassionate psychological support that helps mums manage anxiety, sadness, or feeling stuck

Body-based Support

• Bliss in Birth - hypnobirthing, breathwork, and Pilates to calm your nervous system, strengthen your body, and help you feel confident through pregnancy and birth

• Blys and Beyond - massage and body therapies that release tension and restore calm when stress shows up physically

• Breathe Pilates - mindful movement to rebuild strength, reduce tension, and help mums feel physically resilient and mentally grounded

• Inspire Mum & Baby - movement, aquatic therapy, and breathing techniques to ease pregnancy or postnatal anxiety, while strengthening the body and calming the mind

• Ohana Therapy - evidence-based, neurodiversity-affirming support across physical, psychological, communication, and feeding needs. By collaborating with mums and families, they ease the stress of navigating care so children can thrive

• Purely Family Chiropractic - chiropractic support to restore balance, relieve pain, and help your body handle stress more effectively

• The Osteopathic Centre - hands-on care to ease tension, improve mobility, and support postnatal recovery

• uMoya Yoga & Wellness - prenatal and postnatal yoga brought to your home (or in-studio), tailored to your needs, making self-care accessible even when life feels overwhelming

Overwhelm is real, but so is support. This World Mental Health Day, let’s choose to protect our minds as fiercely as we protect our children. When one mother takes a breath, the whole family breathes easier - and together, we build a calmer, kinder world for our kids.

Because your shouldn't have to Google motherhood