The world has gone through tremendous instability and turmoil in the last two years. From pandemic to a looming threat of World War III, many things have happened in the last couple of years.
When you hear about such distress and political issues, you can not help but feel powerless. This leads to heightened anxiety about war and other such catastrophes. But how to deal with the war anxiety.
Feeling anxious about yourself and the safety of your family and friends is a normal feeling, and you must not feel embarrassed.
When several incidents are happening in the world, it is normal for a person to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Even the soldiers or political leaders who face such issues daily often deal with war anxiety.
If you have been dealing with such anxiety, it is best to reach out to professional counselors to help guide you through your feelings. Seeking therapy is the most effective solution to deal with such anxious thoughts.
These days you can avail therapy through video calls or even phone calls. A professional counselor will be able to help you deal with anxiety related to war effectively.
Deal With The War Anxiety: Here Are Tips
Meanwhile, you must learn how to cope with anxiety. So, here are four tips to help you deal with the situation.
1. Do Not Use Social Media Extensively
The inadequate moderation on social media is arguably the best and the worst thing about it. While scrolling social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Meta, you might encounter some disturbing visuals or news that might trigger your anxiety.
Social media is riddled with misinformation and negativity, and there are no measures to cross-check the accuracy of the information on social media.
Moreover, the algorithms of social media platforms are designed so that whatever you pay attention to will show up more on your feed. So, if you watch a couple of videos related to the war, your social media feed will become cluttered with content related to war. This can become a trigger for your anxiety.
The best way is to set a time limit for yourself wherein you will not use the app after the time limit exceeds. You can use an app to check your time or manage it through IOS devices’ built-in time management application. Moreover, you must only follow people that have a good track record of posting valuable, relevant, and accurate information. If you use social media to read news and follow up on current events, it is best to follow only the verified pages.
2. Do Not Over-consume News
In these times, every news outlet is running news related to the conflict in Ukraine only. Herein, they do not pay much attention to other news. Often the news channels telecast the reruns of the same news even after one hour of its previous publication. So, no matter whenever you open a news channel, they will be showing information related to the war only and its re-runs.
If you watch the news channel beyond what is necessary, the regular programming and information about the war will instill fear.
Like social media, you must set a time limit for yourself and ensure that you do not exceed the limit while watching the news on television.
3. Self-care
Self-care is essential no matter what is happening around you. In conflict and war, caring for yourself becomes even more significant.
If done right, self-care can help you bring peace in your life.
You must indulge in activities or exercises that bring you some sense of relief, and the ideal self-caring methods are different for everyone.
This is why it is vital to seek therapy for war anxiety, as the counselors will help you identify the bright sides and be able to suggest some activities for self-care to regulate your emotions.
For instance, a counselor might suggest breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and calm your thoughts.
4. Identify the Triggers
Anxiety could be triggered by anything, and the triggers are different for each person. You must think about the last incident when you felt anxious and identify the cause behind the feeling.
When you seek help from a professional, they will assist you in finding out the triggers and recommend the best practices to deal with them in the future.
Feeling anxious is normal, and you must know that you are not alone. If you face any issue dealing with your feelings during such a tough time, then there is no harm in seeking help from professionals for anxiety related to war.
