The past few days have been a hell of a tragedy overload worldwide. It’s hard enough dealing with life’s daily problems, but what do you do when life insists on reminding you of how much pain exists in the world? Here are some tips I’ve figured out while coping myself.
1. Express your Feelings
It is normal to feel all sorts of feelings when you hear about something that upsets you. When I heard about the recent tragedy in Norway, I felt repulsed at what humans are capable of, I felt angry that such a thing could happen, and I felt guilty that I couldn’t do anything to help. Chatting with my friend online helped me to feel understood and supported. If you don’t feel like talking about your emotions, find another way to express them like through listening to music, writing, doing art, or exercising.
2. Protect Yourself
External traumas are horrific and affect us all in deep ways, but if you are feeling overwhelmed, take a break from the news or twitter or other things that may trigger you. Surround yourself in aspects of your own life that you find comforting; relish what you have in your life that you are thankful for. Comforting yourself doesn’t mean that you don’t care about the rest of the world, but rather that you know that to best help others, taking care of yourself has to come first. Remember those instructions for airplane emergencies? Put on your own oxygen mask first, then help others with theirs, because if you pass out you won’t be help to anyone.
3. Take Action
When you have comforted yourself enough to feel safe and still want to help those affected by external traumas, think about what is realistic for you to do. Some crises have relief funds you can donate money to and others allow you can write to the survivors. If you are too far away or can’t directly help victims of external traumas, think more locally. If the problem on your mind is world hunger, what could you do in your own community to feed the hungry? Volunteering or joining a group with similar concerns to your own can be very motivating and rewarding. Every bit helps!
4. Hang on to the Positive
An unfortunate truth in the world of news casting is that bad news sells more papers than good news does. The front page stories of the paper and the first twenty minutes of the tv news are usually about things that spike fear in people so they will keep reading or stay tuned. Opening the paper to the entertainment section first or turning on the news halfway through can expose you to good news that will help you feel better about the world. Or, check out the following websites and look for more in the same vein. I guarantee they will lift your spirits.
and when all else fails, Cute Overload will make you smile no matter what!
Comment below with your own tips for coping AND links to sites that make you smile. :)
-by Erin
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