It is really hard to understand what is going on in the world at the moment. The news headlines bring us details of tragic events, conflict and division. Undoubtedly, everyone who is directly affected by these awful events will experience significant trauma, anxiety and sadness, and will require support.
When tragic events occur, and division is evident, we are all affected – directly or indirectly. Why? Because we are social creatures – our health and well-being rely on a sense of safety, a sense of belonging and a sense of community.
When we see and hear about things which are upsetting and divisive, this leads us all to feel anxiety, fear and sadness, as well as confusion. We need to ensure we are being open about how we feel and are offering support to those directly affected – especially vulnerable people.
It can sometimes feel like hope is hard to hold on to, and our attitude to life or others can change as a result. This is a natural human reaction but we do need to take steps to ensure we are dealing with what we see and hear in a healthy way.
How do we do this?
Process
Seeing upsetting events reported can make us feel a range of emotions – sadness, confusion, anger, anxiety and hopelessness. It is really important to notice how you feel in that moment and how it makes you feel afterwards. Talk about how you feel with someone else, give yourself space and time to reflect on this and get the appropriate support you need. Sometimes activities like running or exercising, journaling, getting out in nature or listening to music can help you process your feelings in a healthy way and allow you to have some space. We can feel sometimes like we have no place to cry for someone or something that does not directly affect us, but we do and you can. We are all human beings and our sense of empathy and compassion leads us to need to express emotion. If you need to cry then this is more than ok and if you need support, then ask for it. We also need to comfort ourselves when we see challenging and difficult things, however old we are. What do you need to feel comforted and safe? It might be a hug from someone, an early night, a warm blanket or a cup of tea. These might sound simple, but they work in helping us feel comforted.
Notice the helpers
Sometimes when we see a lot of things that are distressing, we can get the impression that everything is wrong and it becomes difficult to see anything that is right. But it is important to not just focus on the event itself, but also the people who are trying to make things right. Try to find the stories of people and organisations who are making a difference and who are supporting those affected. This inspires hope and positive action towards things getting better, and helps us see that there are others who feel the same way as us, so we are not alone.
Help where you can
Do what you can to support others and to ensure you’re living and behaving according to your values. A sense of positive action and doing something to help in distressing circumstances allows us to feel that what we do matters, and that we can change things for the better. This is so important when it comes to healing and recovery not just for us, but for our communities and the wider world.
Maurice Saatchi: I used to adore capitalism – then I had lunch with Margaret Thatcher