This is a summary of the article “What to do about that pit in your stomach in this terrifying American moment” from USAToday.com.
If you’re scared and anxious, you’re not alone.
Maybe you’re afraid about what happened last week, what will happen today, or maybe you’re afraid because you’re playing the tape even further forward.
There does not seem to be a single word to describe what we are experiencing.
“This is an unprecedented moment and people have every right to feel the way that they’re feeling, but we have to take care of ourselves even when things are bad,” said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. “It’s about focusing on what’s in your control – your thoughts, your feelings, your behavior – and it’s about doing a check-in with yourself and asking, ‘how am I doing and how can I assert some control in a situation that feels out of control?'”
How to Cope During Turmoil
| Focus on what you can control Anita Kanti, author of “Behaving Bravely: How to Mindshift Life’s Challenges.” |
This moment offers both uncertainty and opportunity to continue to navigate a new normal in which we recognize how tenuous it all is. How tenuous it always was. The only certainty we have is around our own attitudes and behaviors. This perspective, can help us not feel disempowered with outward chaos. |
| Look at the Big Picture Afton Kapuscinski, director of the Psychological Services Center at Syracuse University˜ |
Watching the chaos on TV, the chilling images on loop, it’s easy to catastrophize, in those moments it can be helpful to look at the big picture. The justifiable emotions we feel can leave us paralyzed or overwhelmed and contribute to hopelessness and mental health difficulty at a time when we are already dealing with so many challenges as a nation. We feel stuck. A pitfall that often increases the likelihood of being ‘stuck’ is failing to look at the full picture and focusing more narrowly on a single event or series of upsetting events. There is a way to acknowledge the magnitude of this moment while also taking into account other data points that suggest things like our democracy are still functioning – courts have found our election processes are fair and counts are accurate, and most lawmakers desire to uphold the will of the people. “If you are struggling emotionally today, try to ‘zoom out’ and see if you are neglecting any important hopeful, positive indicators,” she said. |
| Take a Break Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association |
When stressful situations begin to impact basic functioning, it’s important to enforce limits. If you’re having a visceral reaction to watching or reading the news – that pit in your stomach, for example – consider shutting down. Take a walk. Read a book. “You should take breaks from watching the news, especially now because what we’re seeing are the same images over and over again,” Wright said. “Even if you feel you’re going to learn something new, you’re probably not. This includes social media too.” Also be mindful of activities you engage in right before bed. If you want to check the news one more time, make sure to give yourself at least an hour to calm down. |
| Ground Yourself Mary Alvord, a licensed psychologist in Rockville, Maryland |
This will look different for everyone. It can be breath work, holding your breath in for a full count and letting it out for a full count. It can be dinner with family, a watch party with friends, or a phone call to someone you know will make your feelings a priority. Reach for what centers and de-stresses you. “You need to calm down, so that you can come back and have some perspective,” Alvord said. |
| Practice gratitude Afton Kapuscinski, director of the Psychological Services Center at Syracuse University |
This may seem counterintuitive in the midst of multiple national crises, but research indicates gratitude practice improves well-being in the face of adversity and distress. “Examine your life and context at micro and macro levels and identify what is going well rather than what is going wrong,” she said. “Gratitude is not about minimizing tragic or difficult events, rather, it is about elevating and enjoying the positive ones.” |
This is a summary of the article “What to do about that pit in your stomach in this terrifying American moment” from USAToday.com.