AI Anxiety: 5 Tips for Managing Your Mental Health

Key Points to Know

Anxiety about artificial intelligence (AI) is natural. Uncertainty combined with rapid change can contribute to feelings of worry, overwhelm, and fear about the future.
The most powerful ways of managing anxiety include setting boundaries about how often you consume information, examining claims carefully, practicing simple self-care techniques, taking small steps to manage real risks, and staying connected to people who support you.
Professional support can also help. WellPower’s experts are here to help manage anxiety, as well as a full range of other mental health experiences. Call us at (303) 504-7700 to get started.

AI is developing at a pace that can feel difficult to absorb. New tools and updates arrive quickly, headlines make alarming predictions, and conversations about privacy, work, creativity and safety seem to follow us everywhere.

These changes can be energizing – even exhilarating – to some people. For others, this pace and the perception that we’re hurdling toward a dystopian future can cause a high amount of anxiety. If news about AI leaves you tense or worried about what’s ahead, your response is very understandable. Uncertainty naturally prompts the mind to scan for risks and search for control, particularly when we’re surrounded by encouragement to interpret those risks negatively.

You do not need to ignore legitimate concerns on the one hand, or become an expert on every new development on the other hand, to protect your well-being. These five tips can help you engage with the topic thoughtfully while keeping your mental health at the center.

Bonus: we’ll hear from Steve Fisher, LPC, director of clinical services, about his take on each tip, as well.

1. Set Boundaries Around AI News

When a subject feels threatening or uncertain, repeatedly checking for updates can create the illusion of control. In practice, constant monitoring often keeps the nervous system activated, which can contribute to symptoms of anxiety over time. Every alert becomes another invitation to imagine what might go wrong, even when the story offers little new or useful information.

Choose one or two reliable sources and set specific times to check them, for example once in the morning and again in the evening – but not right before bed. Turn off notifications so you aren’t prompted to check more often, and notice which accounts explain developments versus merely amplifying fear.

Boundaries are not the same as avoidance. You can remain informed while deciding how much attention the subject receives. If a story raises a practical concern, write down one question or action to revisit later, then return to what is in front of you.

“Being informed can help us make thoughtful choices, but constant exposure can make every development feel like an emergency,” Fisher said. “Setting limits around the news gives our minds time to process information instead of remaining on alert all day.”

2. Check the Facts Before Accepting the Fear

AI coverage often mixes current capabilities with speculation about the future. A possibility may be framed as inevitable, while an isolated demonstration of a new tool may be described as a transformation already affecting everyone. That gap can intensify anxiety.

Before reacting, ask what the source actually knows.

Is the claim based on peer-reviewed research, a company announcement, expert analysis, or is the source merely repeating a claim someone made on social media?

Does it describe something happening now, something being tested, or something that might happen at some point in the future?

Look for reporting that explains limitations and includes more than one informed perspective.

It can also help to name your emotional response to yourself before sharing or acting on a story: “This makes me afraid,” “This makes me angry” or “This leaves me confused.” Naming the feeling creates a pause between the headline and your next decision. It can also help engage different parts of the brain in processing the information, particularly regions associated with more logical than emotional thinking. The goal is not to dismiss risk; it is to respond to evidence rather than alarm.

“Fear can fill in the blanks when information is incomplete,” Fisher explained. “Slowing down to separate evidence from speculation helps us take real concerns seriously without treating every dramatic possibility as a settled fact.”

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3. Pay Attention to What Stress Is Doing to Your Body

Anxiety is not only a stream of thoughts. It can appear as a racing heart, tense shoulders, shallow breathing, headaches, stomach discomfort, irritability, or trouble sleeping. Long stretches at a screen – such as when doomscrolling for every AI update – can make these signs easier to overlook until stress feels overwhelming.

Pause periodically and check in with your body.

Unclench your jaw, lower your shoulders, do some gentle stretches, and take several slow breaths with a longer exhale.

Try a few rounds of box breathing.

Stand up, drink water, and step outside for a moment if you’re able.

A short walk or a few minutes of movement can interrupt the cycle of scrolling and worry.

Steady routines can also make a big difference. Regular sleep, nourishing meals, time outdoors, and meaningful activities remind the body that not everything is changing at once. These practices do not solve questions about AI, but they can create enough calm to think more clearly and regulate the body’s nervous system.

“Our bodies often recognize anxiety before our minds do,” said Fisher. “When we notice tension, disrupted sleep, a clenched jaw, or a racing heart, simple acts of regulation like intentional breathing or even walking in place can help us return to the present and regain a sense of steadiness.”

4. Focus on What You Can Influence

AI can raise broad questions about jobs, privacy, education, and even society in general. Trying to solve all of them at once can leave anyone feeling powerless and completely overwhelmed. Agency grows when we narrow our attention to the next decision that is actually ours to make.

If work is your main concern, you might ask how your organization plans to use AI, explore a training opportunity to learn more about how AI could support your current job, and identify the human skills most important in your role that would be difficult to replace with AI.

If privacy worries you, review the settings and policies of tools you use – a task that is admittedly becoming more challenging as more of the tools we use every day incorporate AI in some way.

If family members are anxious, begin a calm, age-appropriate conversation about what they have heard and how they can use some of the tips above.

“Anxiety often tells us that we have to solve the whole future right now, which can create a spiral of worry,” said Fisher. “Focusing on one meaningful action at a time can restore a sense of agency and help manage feelings of overwhelm. And, those small steps can add up – you might look back and see you’ve actually made a lot of progress.”

5. Stay Connected—and Ask for Support When You Need It

Fear grows in isolation. Talking with a trusted friend, family member, coworker, or community leader can help you distinguish realistic planning from spiraling worry. Another person may offer context, challenge an assumption, or simply make the uncertainty feel less lonely.

Connection does not require agreement about AI. A helpful conversation can begin with curiosity:

“What concerns you most?”

“What gives you hope?” or

“What would responsible use look like to you?”

Listening across different experiences can replace an abstract argument with a more concrete discussion about how AI actually affects you.

If AI anxiety makes it difficult to sleep, concentrate, work, care for yourself, or participate in daily life, consider contacting a mental health professional (just be cautious about the use of AI in therapy). Support can help you understand what is driving the distress and develop strategies suited to your circumstances. Reaching out is not an overreaction or a sign that you are falling behind; it is a practical act of care.

“We are better able to face uncertainty when we do not face it alone,” Fisher explained. “Honest conversation and professional support can help people move from isolation and fear toward perspective, connection, trust, and informed action.”

How to Get Mental Health Help for AI Anxiety in Denver

Whether you’re experiencing anxiety related to AI, or any number of other mental health concerns, WellPower’s Denver-area experts are here for you. Click here to learn about services at WellPower or give us a call at (303) 504-7700. We gladly welcome Medicaid members, and we accept a range of Medicare and commercial insurance plans.

If you or someone you know needs urgent support, call, text or chat 988, the Mental Health Lifeline. In Colorado, you can also visit a walk-in center for immediate, in-person help in a crisis. Denver’s walk-in center (operated by WellPower) is at 4353 E. Colfax Ave. Find another Colorado location closest to you here.

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