'A train wreck ... I can't stop watching': Canadians grapple with anxiety around Trump's tariff chaos

Feeling frustrated and helpless in the face of the chaos surrounding tariffs and politics in general these days? Well, there's a valid reason for that, and you're not alone. 

Between Canada's current political situation and U.S. President Donald Trump boasting about his "swift and unrelenting action" since taking office, his on-again-off-again tariff war targeting Canada and his threats to make this country the "51st state," it's enough to make anyone feel like they've aged a decade in the last few months. 

CBC News has heard from plenty of people sharing the anxiety, dread and fears they feel about the tariff war, Trump's policies and what seems like an unending onslaught of bad news. 

"I get completely obsessed with the news and my anxiety goes through the roof," said Saskatoon resident Tracey Collins, 58.

Collins says she wants to stay informed, but finds the news so upsetting that she has to be careful not to become consumed by it. Lately, given the amount of change and uncertainty, Collins says she's needed extra medication for anxiety.

"My biggest fear is we are heading toward a dictatorship if Trump remains in power," she said.

In Fort Erie, Ont., directly across the border from Buffalo, N.Y., dual citizen Maria Lirio said she feels torn. When she shops in New York, for instance, she says Americans who notice her Canadian licence plates apologize to her on behalf of the country. And in Canada, she says, everyone is just angry.

"I'm torn between the two countries that I love," Lirio told CBC News Network.

"I belong here and I belong there. Please, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President, work it out. We're neighbours. We love each other."

Recent studies have found that exposure to political stress is linked with poorer physical and emotional health, and that most therapists report that their patients discuss politics in their sessions. Other studies have found that, after the 2020 presidential election, people reported election-related post-traumatic stress.

Just last fall, the American Psychological Association (APA) warned that election stress can harm your health. In the U.S., 77 per cent of adults in the APA's Stress in America report cited the future of their nation as a significant source of stress. 

"In general, we know that chronic stress harms psychological well-being and physical well-being. It takes a toll on our bodies," Brett Ford, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who studies the link between emotions and political engagement, said in the APA's news release.

"There's a strong case to be made that for many people, politics is a form of chronic stress."

Another study of U.S. psychotherapists conducted during Trump's first presidency found that they reported their patients who weren't Trump supporters experienced decreases in positive emotions after the 2016 election. The opposite phenomenon was found for patients who did support Trump.