How to be OK in a world that isn’t

How to be OK in a world that isn’t

From All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

May 5, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how to cope with anxiety and uncertainty in a world facing multiple crises, featuring insights from clinical psychologists and researchers.

How can we feel ok in a world that isn’t? With multiple global crises going on at the same time, it can make many of us feel very uncertain and anxious. But why are we affected by events happening so far from home - and what can we do to help ourselves feel better in difficult times? Clinical psychologist Linda Blair and Channel 4 News international editor Lindsey Hilsum share their wisdom. And should we plan in 20 minutes a day just for worrying? That’s the idea of a “worry window”, where we block off a time to get all our worrying done in one so we can enjoy the rest of our day. Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds, brings us the evidence. Also this week, can we really be addicted to social media? Claudia tasks Andy Przybylski, professor of human behaviour and technology at the University of Oxford, with answering this surprisingly tricky question. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt Editor: Ilan Goodman Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Studio engineer: Steve Greenwood Details of organisations offering support with some of these issues are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

People in this episode

Host: Claudia Hammond

Guests: Linda Blair, Lindsey Hilsum, Daryl O’Connor, Andy Przybylski

Topics covered

  • mental health
  • global crises
  • anxiety
  • social media addiction
  • psychology
  • self-help

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • worry window
  • social media addiction
  • mental health
  • global crises
  • psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Leeds, University of Oxford, Channel 4 News, BBC Radio 4

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