Are you feeling overwhelmed by the news right now? Feeling down? Sad? Fed up? Scared? Angry?
If you are, it’s no surprise and it’s ok to say so. Every emotion you have is legitimate and it’s okay to admit how you’re feeling. In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s actually important because it’s better to talk than to hold emotions inside.
I Feel Overwhelmed by the News Sometimes
I’m normally an optimist. I try to be positive. I get up in the morning and put a smile on my face even though I’m in pain and I wear that smile with pride for most of the day.
But recently I’ve found it hard to smile quite so much. And it’s got nothing to do with my pain. There have been times when I’ve felt very overwhelmed by the news.
Deadly Pandemic
The last few months have been a nightmare for everyone. In April, I wrote a post on my blog about 2020. I said that I wanted to press a restart button. Oh, how I wish we could.
We’ve had a deadly pandemic that has taken far too many lives and caused most people stress, fear and anxiety.
I’ve stayed at home and managed to avoid catching it. But like most people, I know of a few friends and relatives who have been affected badly by it. A friend’s Mum and Dad were both in hospital with the virus, and sadly, her Dad didn’t survive. One of my relatives has just got home after being in hospital for three months. He was in intensive care on a ventilator for several weeks. Fortunately, he is on the mend now but he has a very long recovery ahead.
COVID-19 is Not Just the Flu
“But it’s just the flu,” is a phrase I’ve read often online. And it’s a phrase that makes me angry. For some fortunate people, it might be just like the flu or maybe not even as bad as that. But for others, it’s much worse. My other bugbear is the “But it only affects old and sick people” phrase. For a start, that’s wrong. It can affect young and healthy people. But what is that statement saying to those of us who aren’t so healthy? That we don’t matter?
COVID-19 is a seriously deadly virus that can affect anyone. It attacks multiple organs making some people extremely ill. It can leave people with a long-lasting or permanent illness. And in too many cases, it kills people.
I get annoyed at people who go against government guidelines on hygiene, mask-wearing and social distancing. I tell myself that I shouldn’t let it upset me because it doesn’t affect me. But the truth is, it could affect me. What other people do could very well make me or someone I know very ill or possibly worse.
Stay Safe
The lockdown is being reduced in most places now and this worries me. I know we need to get back to some kind of normality but the virus is still out there and it will take off again.
I shuddered when I watched the news this morning and saw footage of ridiculously crowded beaches and football supporters gathering en masse. Have people forgotten that the virus is still at large or do they just not care?
It feels as though they are sending COVID-19 an open invitation. Their actions will affect other people. There will be a second wave before the first one is over.
Please, stay safe and help others to stay safe.
In Other News…
As well as the pandemic, we’ve witnessed some horrendous scenes in the news in the last few weeks – it’s difficult not to feel overwhelmed.
Just last weekend, a man randomly stabbed and killed people who were enjoying an afternoon in a park in Reading, in England. The attack has been classed as a terrorist incident. Thankfully the attacker, who was already on the police watch list, has been held by the police.
And who will ever forget the images we saw of George Floyd being brutally murdered by police officers in America? People throughout the world were understandably shocked and angry and began protesting about police brutality and racism.
We Need to Eradicate Racism
It’s hard to believe that racism still exists in 2020, but sadly it does. I will never understand how anyone can judge a person based on the colour of their skin.
I’m not normally an angry person but in some instances, anger is justified. In fact, every decent person in the world should be angry about injustices and prejudices.
Turning Anger into Action
If you feel strongly about something, you might want to let your voice be heard. It’s not always possible to protest, but there are other things you can do. Here are some ideas:
- Write to politicians
- Post on social media
- Write a blog post
- Send letters to newspapers
- Speak out to let people know your thoughts and feelings
- Don’t ignore injustices or racism
- Donate to a cause
However, don’t feel guilty if you don’t or can’t do anything. Don’t burden yourself with guilt.
What to Do if You Are Feeling Overwhelmed by the News
Feeling overwhelmed by the news just now is understandable. However, it’s not good to hold on to anger and it’s not good to let ourselves be bogged down by negative emotions for too long. If we do, it could have a detrimental effect on our well-being. So what can we do to help ourselves?
Step Back, Switch Off and Breathe
Take a step back, switch off from the world and breathe because you need to focus on yourself. Some of the following ideas might help if you are feeling overwhelmed:
- Give yourself a break from what’s going on. Limit how much news you watch and don’t watch it before going to bed or it might play on your mind all night.
- Writing about how you’re feeling can be very therapeutic. Writing can get your thoughts out of your head so that you can then relax and focus more on yourself. Nobody needs to read what you’ve written unless you want them to.
- Talk to friends, relatives, a doctor or therapist. Sometimes emotions can eat away inside therefore it’s better to get them out in the open by talking about them.
- Take a social media break or reassess your friends lists if you are seeing too many upsetting posts.
- Take a look at some good news stories to remind yourself that good things are still happening.
- Connect with friends in person or online or send them a card or letter. This could help them as well as yourself.
- Listen to music. Music is a useful tool to keep in your self-care box because it can help calm you, distract you or cheer you up.
- Get reading. Take yourself into another world by reading a good book.
- Watch your favourite movies or tv shows.
- Absorb yourself in a hobby or take up a new one.
- Get outside and breathe in some fresh air.
- Appreciate the small things in life because they are often the big things. Spend some time enjoying nature. Smell flowers, watch birds flying and listen to them singing and chattering to each other.
- Exercise if you’re able to. A short walk could clear your head.
- Laugh. Find things which will make you laugh. Youtube clips, funny movies, sitcoms or comedy shows could do the trick.
- Have some ‘me’ time. Lie in a bath, stand under a hot shower, meditate or get a massage so that you can wind down and try to forget about what’s going on in the world.
Read this post for some more distraction ideas
It’s Okay to Say You’re Not Okay
I hope that something in this post might help you if you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Please rest assured that you’re not alone and, remember, it’s okay to say that you’re not okay.
Liz, I never would have said I had a great mind but I still have to say here that great minds think alike – the post I said I’d drafted has some similarities to yours, but you’ve said it far better. I think my post is a bit too long, so by the end of it people may feel more stressed than when they started! I’ve also included being proactive and taking control, so I LOVE that you’ve put suggestions on how to make our voices heard and feel like we’re making a difference, even in small ways because everything counts. All the news is has been getting to me too, plus everything I’m seeing and hearing when I go out. I don’t want to be super negative and angry, especially as I’m not an angry person, but I feel I reached a tipping point recently. I know you know what I mean and I know this has affected you a lot too. I’m not surprised with it all hitting you, because you’re kindhearted and smart, and you know that the reality and logics aren’t quite matching up with the virus situation, nor with the violence of the current protests. It’s very, very worrying.
I don’t see how much has changed since the beginning of the pandemic and now; the virus is still there, and it won’t be not-a-risk until it’s gone. Taking a break from the news and taking ourselves away from the thoughts and emotions around what’s going on in the world is so important for our mental health, and our mental state can negatively impact us physically too with flare ups of symptoms.
Fab post lovely! I hope you can read this back when you need to so you can also ease some of the overwhelm  ♥
Caz xx
I’m glad you enjoyed this post, Caz. I loved yours. And yes, we do have great minds ? (Maybe nobody else will say it, so we better say it ourselves!)
Liz, this post just says what most of us are thinking, it’s hard to feel overwhelmed when the knock on effect of that can seriously affect our illnesses, in the first week of George Floyd I admit I stepped away from social media, not because I didn’t want to support it was just too much to deal with for me.
I added a highlight to Instagram and keep adding to it but I didn’t have the strength to protect while still trying to process the thought of coming out of lockdown.
COVID-19 hit me very early on as my friend lost her brother to it and very nearly her sister in law so it has always been at the forefront of my mind how serious it is.
I just realised I used your comments to waffle, I do apologise, 🙂 take care xx
No need to apologise, Rachael. It’s been a very tough time lately for so many people. I’m so sorry about your friend’s brother. I really think some people still think COVID-19 is just a bit of a cold. It’s worrying.
Such a powerful reminder for us to take a step back, breathe, and go forward. I loved the tips at the end 🙂