Episode #20: Managing Anxiety When The News Is So Scary (A message from me to you)

 

Hi there guys!  I couldn’t finish the day without checking in with you and sending you my support after such a difficult day.   This podcast was not planned and I kind of threw it together at the last minute.  I hope it is helpful.

For anyone in Las Vegas or Puerto Rico or any other place where there is destruction and pain, please know that I am praying for you and I hold you in my heart.

These scary events can trigger our already high anxiety, so please listen for some tips and tools to manage your anxiety about the current events and affairs in the news.

A couple of important points:

Anger Sadness and Anxiety/Fear are all very human responses to these horrific events.

Obsessions to look out for:

• “Will this happen to me, or a loved one?”
• Intrusive Imagery (Mental images of people suffering from traumatic events, shootings, hurricanes, earthquakes etc)
• Intrusive sounds (Gun shots, people crying, sobbing, screaming, sirens etc)
• For those with Harm OCD:  “Am I capable of doing such an act?”

Compulsions to look out for

• Mental Review or Mental Compulsions about the event or possibility of this happening to you or a loved one
• Reassurance Seeking (checking news, checking phones, asking a loved one if they will be ok etc)
• Avoidance (future vacations, work, school, thought blocking, etc)
• Increase in physical behaviors/compulsions.