The exponential improvement and integration of AI into our personal and professional lives has been almost startling. Like the cell phone, the Internet, and ATM cards, AI is here to stay.

The Wall Street Journal (Bindley & Blunt, 2024) reports that companies now assess AI fluency during hiring, and annual reviews increasingly factor in how well employees use AI to increase productivity and cut costs. Some organizations even award bonuses to those who help others work smarter.

When I recently rescheduled a medical appointment with an AI agent, efficient, courteous, and surprisingly “human,” I wasn’t put off at all. That moment clarified something important: the question is no longer whether AI will change your life. It already has.

1 in 3 workers report anxiety about being replaced by AI

85% of companies factor AI fluency into performance reviews

∞ new roles being created for those who adapt to AI

AI as a Perceived Threat to My Job and Personal Life

Many people understandably perceive AI as a threat to their jobs and way of life. But how a person responds to a perceived threat matters enormously. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) offers a clear lens: you can react in a healthy, self-enhancing way or an unhealthy, self-defeating one.

“

AI is a tool like a scalpel. Either you learn how to use it, or you will get cut by it.

— REBT Perspective

We are not stopping this wave. The goal is to manage your emotional reaction to the profound changes AI will introduce, so you don’t get left behind.

Feeling overwhelmed by rapid change? A therapist trained in cognitive behavioral approaches can help you build the flexibility to adapt. Find a therapist near you.

How to Turn AI Anxiety into Healthy Concern

REBT distinguishes between healthy concern, which motivates us to cope, and unhealthy anxiety, which leads to avoidance and retreat. When the stakes are high, it is easy to slip from concern into anxiety, especially when we hold rigid attitudes toward change.

Two Paths Forward

How you respond to AI’s rise determines your outcome

✗ Unhealthy Anxiety ✗Avoids learning new tools ✗Rigid “this must not happen” thinking ✗Catastrophizes job loss ✗Trades future security for short-term comfort

✓ Healthy Concern ✓Engages and prepares proactively ✓Flexible “I can adapt” mindset ✓Accepts change as inevitable ✓Invests in skills that compound over time

Four Common AI Anxiety Traps and How REBT Reframes Them

Below are four rigid attitudes that fuel AI anxiety, each paired with a healthy, flexible alternative.

1	Job Security

“AI will steal my role at work”

âš  Anxiety-Provoking AI will steal my knowledge and my role. That must not happen.

✓ Healthy Alternative AI will change what employers need, but the only constant is change. By mastering AI as a tool, I can flourish in an AI-driven economy.

2	Obsolescence

“It will be awful if AI makes me obsolete”

âš  Anxiety-Provoking It will be awful when I am made obsolete in the workplace by AI.

✓ Healthy Alternative It would be quite bad, but layoffs have happened before. I will accept reality, study AI, and commit to becoming the go-to person in my organization.

3	Future Fear

“It’s too threatening to think about surviving an AI world”

âš  Anxiety-Provoking It is too threatening to think about how I will survive in an AI-run world.

✓ Healthy Alternative It is uncomfortable, but not unbearable. With psychological flexibility, I can adapt to whatever the future holds.

4	Relationships

“AI companions will make human relationships obsolete”

âš  Anxiety-Provoking AI companions could make human intimate relationships obsolete. This is awful.

✓ Healthy Alternative A tool or service is just that. Proceed with an open mind and healthy skepticism. Perhaps it is not either/or, but both/and.

The inner critic can amplify AI anxiety. Learning to quiet rigid self-talk is a powerful skill. Read: Silencing the Inner Critic: The Power of Self-Compassion

A 3-Step REBT Reset for AI Anxiety

When anxious thoughts about AI arise, use this simple process to shift from rigid fear to flexible action.

1	Notice the Thought Catch the rigid belief: “AI will destroy my career and that must not happen.” You cannot challenge what you cannot see.

2	Dispute the Belief Ask: “Is this thought realistic? Helpful? Is there evidence for it?” Most catastrophic AI fears are exaggerated and unprovable.

3	Replace with a Flexible Belief Adopt a balanced alternative: “Change is difficult, but I have adapted before. I can learn AI tools and protect my value.”

Ways to Use AI Effectively

Below are some of the ever-expanding ways you can put AI to work in your professional and personal life, generated with the assistance of ChatGPT to illustrate the practical range of AI applications (OpenAI, 2023).

Productivity and Knowledge Work

Research Summarize articles, suggest sources, and generate bibliographies in seconds.	Drafting & Editing Draft emails, reports, or essays, then refine for clarity and style.	Learning & Tutoring Explain complex concepts and offer personalized feedback in any subject.
Data Analysis Analyze datasets, identify trends, and visualize information for professional projects.	Time Management Optimize calendars, set reminders, and automate routine tasks.	Emotional Support AI chatbots offer empathetic conversation for those seeking nonjudgmental interaction.

Creative and Visual Work

AI is reshaping creative fields in profound ways. Tools like DALL·E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion open new possibilities for anyone willing to engage with them.

Image Generation Create original visuals from text descriptions using DALL·E, Midjourney, or Stable Diffusion.	✨ Style Transfers Apply artistic styles to photos, upscale low-resolution images, or restore old photographs with AI tools.
Design Assistance Generate logos, concept art, and visual mockups that speed up the creative design process significantly.	Creative Brainstorming Artists increasingly use AI as an ideation partner to explore new visual concepts before committing to final work.

A Practical Checklist: Using AI Responsibly

AI Usage Best Practices

Work smarter, stay ethical, and protect yourself in the process.

✓	Be specific with prompts. Detailed instructions yield better, more useful results.
✓	Verify information. Always fact-check AI output, especially for sensitive topics.
✓	Use AI as a tool, not a replacement. It enhances, not replaces, your critical thinking.
✓	Protect your privacy. Avoid sharing sensitive personal data with AI tools.
✓	Stay ethical. Do not use AI to plagiarize, deceive, or create harmful content.
✓	Iterate and refine. Rephrase prompts and ask follow-up questions when results miss the mark.
✓	Understand limitations. AI may make mistakes, misunderstand context, or lack current knowledge.
✓	Stay informed. Keep up with AI developments to use the latest features and best practices.

★ Key Insight

By leveraging AI, adaptive individuals can increase productivity, enhance creativity, improve a wide range of skills, and make more informed decisions.

Adopt flexible, non-extreme attitudes toward the changes AI will bring. Nothing is constant but change.

Looking for support in navigating change? A therapist can help you build the psychological flexibility to adapt and thrive. Learn how to find the right therapist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about AI anxiety and how to cope with it.

Q: Is it normal to feel anxious about AI?

A: Yes. AI anxiety is a widely reported response to rapid technological change. REBT and other evidence-based approaches can help you shift from rigid, extreme reactions to flexible, adaptive ones.

Q: Will AI really take my job?

A: AI is changing roles across many industries but also creating new ones. People who learn to work with AI are more likely to stay relevant. The biggest risk is avoidance, not AI itself.

Q: What is REBT and how does it help with AI anxiety?

A: REBT helps people identify and challenge rigid beliefs that cause emotional distress. Applied to AI anxiety, it replaces catastrophic thinking with flexible attitudes: “This is challenging, but I can adapt and thrive.”

Q: What are practical first steps to overcome AI anxiety?

A: Start small. Spend 15 minutes a day exploring an AI tool like ChatGPT. Curiosity is the antidote to fear. The more you engage, the less threatening AI becomes.

Q: When should I seek professional support for technology-related anxiety?

A: If anxiety about AI is interfering with your work, relationships, or daily life, speaking with a therapist can help. Find a therapist near you.

Resources

	NIMH: Anxiety Disorders Overview	→
	APA: Anxiety – What You Need to Know	→
	APA: Building Your Resilience	→
	GoodTherapy: Silencing the Inner Critic with Self-Compassion	→
	GoodTherapy: How to Find the Right Therapist	→

About the Author Walter Matweychuk, PhD Licensed Psychologist & REBT Specialist Dr. Walter Matweychuk is a licensed psychologist and one of the foremost practitioners of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in the United States. He trained directly under Dr. Albert Ellis, the pioneering psychologist who developed REBT, and worked at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York for many years. He teaches graduate psychology courses at New York University and works at the University of Pennsylvania. In his private practice in New York City, Dr. Matweychuk helps individuals and couples overcome anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges using the evidence-based principles of REBT. View Profile >

References:
Bindley, K., & Blunt, K. (2026, Feb. 24). Tech Firms Aren’t Just Encouraging Their Workers to Use AI. They’re Enforcing It. The Wall Street Journal.

The battle between hope questing vs doomscrolling defines our digital age. We’ve all been there. With the best intentions, we head to bed ready for a full eight hours of sleep. We go through our routine, crawl into bed, set the alarm (on our phones, of course), and notice a notification. We click on it “just for a second.” Then suddenly, 20, 30, even 40 minutes later, we’re still scrolling.

The time slipped away and instead of feeling calm, we’re now more anxious. Our feed was filled with war updates, political arguments, misinformation, posts that spark comparison, or reminders that we weren’t included in a friend’s plans. By the time we put the phone down, our minds are buzzing with stress. Sleep will come, but not easily.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. That late-night spiral has a name: doomscrolling. And while it often feels impossible, or worse even wrong, to look away, the toll it takes on our mental and physical health is very real.

But what if there’s another way to stay connected without getting pulled under? That’s where hope questing comes in.

Ready to transform your relationship with social media? Browse our directory of therapists who specialize in anxiety and digital wellness to get personalized support for your mental health journey.

What is Doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling is the compulsive habit of consuming an endless stream of distressing or negative content online. The name says it all, it feels heavy, frightening, and unrelenting.

To be fair, it’s not all bad. Doomscrolling does keep us informed about global and local issues we may not otherwise know about. Much of what we’ve learned about injustices, humanitarian crises, or social movements have come through social media. Doomscrolling can also make us feel less alone by connecting us with others who share our fears, perspectives, or experiences.

But the negatives often outweigh the benefits. Doomscrolling heightens anxiety, stress, anger, and hopelessness. It floods the nervous system with “threat signals,” leaving us stuck in dysregulation. And because social media algorithms are designed to keep us hooked, the cycle becomes self-perpetuating: we scroll to feel informed and in control, yet the more we consume, the more powerless and overwhelmed we feel.

Research from the American Psychological Association highlights the correlation between high social media use and poor mental health among adolescents, while systematic reviews have found that the use of social networking sites is associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.

So, what is Hope Questing?

Hope questing is the intentional act of seeking out uplifting, inspiring, or solution-focused stories, media, and resources. This doesn’t mean pretending the hard stuff isn’t happening or putting on rose-colored glasses. Instead, it’s about choosing to balance our perspective: recognizing that while there are crises, injustices, and suffering, there are also acts of kindness, progress, innovation, and resilience happening every single day and opportunities for you to be a part of them.

Of course, there are risks if hope questing is taken too far. We might run the risk of avoidance – putting our head in the sand and pretending that the bad things aren’t happening around us. We also run the risk of toxic positivity which is truly one of this therapist’s biggest pet peeves in our current culture. Toxic positivity is the belief that people should always maintain a positive mindset no matter how difficult, painful, or complicated their circumstances are, or the circumstances of the world may be.

It’s the “just look on the bright side,” “good vibes only,” “Pollyanna,” or “everything happens for a reason” approach that dismisses or minimizes real feelings of sadness, anger, grief, or fear. At its core, toxic positivity suggests that there’s no space for “negative” emotions, and that if you just think positively enough, everything will be fine. While it’s important to find the path toward positivity, toxic positivity leaves no room for the complexity of human experience.

Struggling with social media anxiety? Learn more about how social media affects mental health and discover evidence-based strategies for healthier digital habits.

Healthy hope questing is about balance: allowing space for the hard truths and giving ourselves permission to refill our cup with reminders of joy, progress, and possibility. When we find hope, our optimism increases which in turn boosts our confidence and motivation to take action toward creating change. It also helps us to regulate our nervous systems by reminding us of joy, progress, and possibility. While doomscrolling activates the nervous system, hope questing helps regulate it, reminding us that even in dark times, there are glimmers of light and pathways forward – it can inspire action rather than paralysis.

The Science Behind Hope Questing vs Doomscrolling

Social media platforms are popular venues for sharing personal experiences, seeking information, and offering peer-to-peer support among individuals living with mental illness. However, research shows that teens who felt a lot of pressure to use social media sites experienced more symptoms of depression and anxiety, lower self-esteem, and more difficulty getting quality sleep.

The good news? Studies suggest there’s a “sweet spot” for digital media use. Well-being increases as screen time increases up to a particular point. After that point has been exceeded, well-being starts to decrease. This means that moderate, intentional use of social media can actually benefit our mental health when done mindfully, a key principle in hope questing vs doomscrolling.

Need help setting digital boundaries? Explore our resources on setting healthy boundaries with news and social media to protect your mental well-being.

Practical Strategies: From Doomscrolling to Hope Questing

The internet will always offer us an endless feed of stories. What we choose to consume matters for our mental health, our relationships, and our sense of self agency. Here are some tips for how to help balance knowledge and curate the accounts you follow:

1. Listen to Your Body

Pay attention to your body while you are scrolling – Do you feel tense? Calm? Inspired? Heavy? Happy? Your body tells you whether a feed is nourishing or draining.

2. Curate Trusted Information Sources

Find accounts that you trust for information. Follow accounts that provide accurate, thoughtful information about our country and the world. Quality journalism and fact-based reporting can help you stay informed without the sensationalism.

3. Add Joy and Lightness

Make sure you follow accounts that bring you something fun. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good dog account or one with beautiful photos of places near and far. You can find the accounts that spark joy for you.

4. Seek Inspiration and Growth

Find accounts that uplift you. Identify what will inspire, encourage, expand your perspectives, or excite you. Having your feed filled with things that educate, create diversity, and share creativity might balance out the overwhelming feeling of the information you are taking in.

5. Balance Reality with Hope

Stay informed, but balance news and critical issues with accounts that highlight solutions, resilience, or everyday positivity. This is the core of hope questing – acknowledging challenges while actively seeking stories of progress and possibility.

6. Audit Your Feed Regularly

Consciously think about each account that shows up in your feed. Does it bring you joy? Does it bring you accurate information? Do you feel good when you see their posts? Is it an account of someone you love and shows you the same love back? If the answer is no, think about unfollowing, muting, or snoozing the account.

Ready to take control of your digital habits? If you’re struggling with social anxiety or FOMO, our therapist directory can connect you with professionals who understand the unique challenges of our digital age.

7. Reset Your Algorithms

Consider resetting your algorithms. Each platform gives an option for doing so and sometimes this is just what you do to shift the information you are taking in.

8. Limit Comparison Triggers

It happens to all of us, we follow the influencer with the style we want to emulate, the chef who always puts healthy meals on the table, the parent that has just the right tips to make your child do what you want, or the personal trainer who promises you will look just like them in 6 weeks. We follow these accounts looking for inspiration but instead we find ourselves in the comparison game that often leads to guilt or shame. If certain content or accounts makes you feel “less than,” consider unfollowing or muting.

9. Be Mindful of Your Engagement

Pay attention to the videos and photos you watch, like, and share. That is how your feed is defined by the apps themselves. I know I have gone down some WILD rabbit holes and then suddenly see these things popping up more. Choose to not engage with that content and they will eventually fall away.

10. Set Time Boundaries

Even the most uplifting feed can overwhelm. Use app timers or boundaries to step away and ground yourself offline. After a certain point in the evening, usually an hour or two before bedtime, winding down is your chief order of business. Avoid scrolling on social media during this time to help you fall asleep sooner and get better rest.

11. Regular Check-ins

Your needs change, what inspired you last year might drain you now. Audit your feed every few months to ensure it still serves your mental health goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hope Questing vs Doomscrolling

Q: What’s the difference between hope questing and toxic positivity? A: Hope questing acknowledges difficult realities while intentionally seeking balance with positive content. Toxic positivity dismisses negative emotions entirely and insists on maintaining positivity regardless of circumstances. Hope questing creates space for all emotions while actively choosing to include uplifting content in your media diet.

Q: How much social media use is too much for mental health? A: Research suggests limiting social media use to around 2 hours per day for optimal mental health. However, quality matters more than quantity – mindful, intentional use of uplifting content can be beneficial even within reasonable time limits.

Q: Can hope questing help with anxiety and depression? A: While hope questing isn’t a replacement for professional treatment, it can be a helpful coping strategy. By regulating your nervous system through positive content and reducing exposure to distressing material, you may experience reduced anxiety symptoms. However, persistent mental health concerns should be addressed with a qualified therapist.

Q: How do I start hope questing if I’m used to doomscrolling? A: Start small by unfollowing one account that consistently makes you feel worse, and follow one that makes you feel hopeful or inspired. Gradually audit your feeds, use platform algorithms reset options, and be mindful of what content you engage with through likes and shares.

Q: Is it okay to unfollow news accounts completely when practicing hope questing vs doomscrolling? A: You don’t need to eliminate news entirely. Instead, choose 1-2 trusted, quality news sources and balance them with solution-focused journalism that highlights progress and positive developments alongside important current events. Hope questing vs doomscrolling is about balance, not avoidance.

Q: How can I practice hope questing without becoming uninformed? A: Hope questing doesn’t mean ignoring reality. Stay informed through quality sources, but intentionally balance difficult news with stories of human resilience, scientific breakthroughs, community support, and positive change. Set specific times for news consumption rather than constant exposure.

Take Action: Your Journey from Doomscrolling to Hope Questing Starts Now

So, the next time you notice yourself doomscrolling, pause. Ask: What would hope questing look like right now? You might be surprised at how much lighter, steadier, and more capable you feel when you give yourself permission to seek out hope alongside the hard truths and curate your feeds to meet your needs. Remember: You are the curator of your digital environment. Choose content that nourishes your mental health, not just fills your time.

The transformation from doomscrolling to hope questing isn’t about perfection, it’s about intention. It’s about recognizing that in a world full of challenges, we can choose to also amplify stories of resilience, innovation, and human kindness. This doesn’t diminish the real problems we face; instead, it provides the emotional resources we need to engage with them constructively.

Ready to transform your digital wellness journey? Connect with a mental health professional who can provide personalized strategies for managing social media anxiety and building healthier digital habits. Your mental health deserves the same care and attention you give to your physical health.

External Resources for Digital Wellness

For additional evidence-based information on social media and mental health, explore:

• National Institute of Mental Health’s research on social media and adolescent mental health
• American Academy of Pediatrics media guidelines for families

In the demands of productivity and high stress at work, it can be difficult to find time to support your mental health needs.  Busy workdays filled with back-to-back meetings, managing difficult work dynamics, the lack of time for self-care, or pushing through your day without taking a break, may be part of the norm.  This can impact you because your work environment can be a place where you spend the majority of your time.  You may find that there are relational dynamics that come up with coworkers, bosses, or within your own process.  Maybe you have been successfully able to compartmentalize these dynamics and move on with your work day. Maybe you have found that the emotional pull is so strong that you cannot avoid the feelings that come up.    

When you feel anxious or overwhelmed at work, it may be challenging to find time for your own mental health needs, especially when the expectation is to keep engaged and productive.  Even so, it is important to find time within those demands to take care of your own mental health. Here are some strategies that can be helpful.   

Practice Self-Care 

The concept of “self-care” sometimes has the association with being unattainable or connected to the idea that it has to be done in a specific or idealized way.  I view self-care as a practice and intention.  The idea is to create a space in your life that feels good and where you have some ease.  I hold the view that self-care can include, but isn’t only limited to, activities such as doing yoga, meditation, exercise, or healthy eating.  Sometimes self-care looks like immersing yourself in a good TV series or a movie, to allow your mind to distract from the problems of today. Sometimes it is taking a step out of a meeting or during your workday to check in with yourself. Going to get water, going to the restroom, or even looking outside the window of your office, could be forms of self-care. The idea is to take care of your- self.   What works for someone else may not work for you.  Holding yourself with compassion that you matter and having grace for yourself can be an important step in self-care.   

Work Identity and Time Outside of Work 

Your career can be a big part of who you are as a person. There are many things that make up your identity. Work can be a place where you feel grounded and secure. When things do not go well at work, that sense of identity may be under question and you may find yourself wondering who you are.  Your work self is a part of you, albeit an important part. Remembering that there are other parts of you as well can help you to have another source of identity.    

Think about aspects of your work identity that you value and feel rooted in.  You can explore this by spending time thinking about why you feel this way and the positive aspects of this.  Then consider what other parts of your identity do you wish you had time for? Finding the other parts of you that might need expression and space could allow you to feel more balanced.  Think about aspects that you might have felt connected to in the past. Maybe you have painted in the past or you enjoy dancing or singing. Maybe you enjoy writing or going for walks. Does socializing help you feel more connected to your sense of self or do you prefer quiet time to reflect? Even the thought of what you could do outside of your work role could be an interesting exploration.  

Remember You Are Human 

We can’t do everything all the time.  We all have limits.  When the work demands are high, it can feel impossible to get it all done.  Pushing forward while feeling overwhelmed is difficult.  We can only do things one thing at a time, even when there are ten things that are due.   

It can be helpful to explore some questions: How do you know when you feel overwhelmed? Do you ask for help? How much do you take on? What are some indications that you need an emotional break?  What are some things that help you to feel good, supported, and valued?   Do you push beyond those limits or are you able to take a step back and regroup?  How do you react when you are less than perfect? How do you motivate yourself? What standards do you hold yourself to? How do you honor and recognize your own humanness?   

Taking Time to Reflect 

Professional relationships in the workplace can have an impact on your work experience and your mental health.  There might be dynamics in these relationships that make it difficult to be engaged in your job.  It can be helpful when you feel the pull towards taking action or the pull to be reactive, to instead turn towards yourself and to remain curious about your experience without immediately acting on those feelings.  One suggestion is to be curious as to why you feel as you do, while still acknowledging the impact that the other person or situation may have had on you.  It might be a completely legitimate response to the situation; however, the emphasis is to remain curious about your response.  This practice may give you the insight into how to support yourself within these relationships.   

On the other hand, you may have work relationships that feel supportive and uplifting.  These relationships may have supported you in being resilient and give you the encouragement you needed to persevere.  Reflecting on those attuned relationships may positively impact your mental health.  

How Therapy Can Help 

When you are at work, you may find few opportunities to express your emotional side or to process the interpersonal dynamics that come up. The work environment is typically a space where thinking (intellectualization) is highly valued. Giving yourself permission to have a set time every week to freely discuss your feelings and how things are impacting you can give you space for your own emotional and interpersonal needs.  Often when we are in a situation, it is difficult to see it clearly.  Seeking out a therapist who is trained, skilled, and compassionate can help to create a safe space to allow yourself to be seen and understood. 
  

This blog is for general information purposes only. It is not meant for a substitution for medical or mental health advice or treatment. Please see a licensed professional for medical or mental health advice and/or recommendations specific to your needs.