It feels that the news has been overwhelming and scary for a long time now

We had two years of Covid, followed immediately by the war on Ukraine. But in the last few days, the news from The Middle East seems to have reached another level of upsetting.

We should be used to this right now right? No. No we shouldn’t.

TikTok and Instagram are full of videos of horrific acts, especially those involving children, and there is a level of uncertainty that can be very hard to deal with, especially if you’re someone who struggles with your own mental health.#

How to Take Care of Yourself

One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to stay informed, but know your limits. There is a difference between understanding the situation, and just bombarding ourselves with upsetting content. There is very little that we, as young people in Ireland can do to help at this point. We can have compassion and empathy, and still care for ourselves.

If you want to change the world, the best way to do that is to focus on your own education and growth, so that when you leave school, you can use your voice and your power to speak out against injustice or to be one of the heroes who helps those who are displaced or traumatised by war.

If the current news is impacting your ability to do that, take a step back and refocus your attention on the things that you can control, such as

• What time you go to bed and wake up, and what you eat and drink.
• How you spend your free time including your hobbies and activities
• What you choose to read or post about, and how much time you spend online
• Where you direct your energy throughout the day

 

Understand that the media has its own agenda, which is to get clicks, and nothing gets more clicks than upsetting content. If you wish to stay informed, find a reputable news source which does short but clear updates, some podcasts are good for this. Images will stay with you for a lot longer and can cloud the facts.

There are a lot of bad actors in the world, but there are also amazing people and organisations doing important and life-saving work. Try to balance your news with some positives.

Let those doing good inspire and empower you in the future.