Managing Anxiety In The Aftermath Of Mass Shootings

I have had a lot of people reach out feeling disconnected, confused, scared, hopeless and many other emotions. Mass shooting events have become all to common and it often leaves people wondering how can I cope with these intense feelings after these events occur. Some of us feel like we are afraid to go out in our own communities. Some of us feel depressed or shut down.I want to talk about honoring those emotions and helping us manage in our everyday lives.

Talk about it

Yes, simply talking about your feelings and expressing your anxiety can really help. By simply acknowledging and holding a space for the feeling we can move some of those emotions from the fight or flight part of our brains to our more logical processing part of our brain. Share with your loved ones what you are feeling and encourage others to do the same. This can also be a great opportunity to show your kids healthy ways to talk about emotions after traumatic events.

Limit Media Consumption

This can look different for everyone, and of course it can be important to get some of the information and know what is going on in our world and communities. Just be mindful of how much media consumption is too much for you. Too much consumption can overwhelm the nervous system and make it difficult to function in your day to day. Take a step back and focus on some of the little elements of self care in your life and routines.

Self Care

Take care of yourselves! It is easy to become overwhelmed and bombarded with new information. Take some time to relax, take a bath, take a long walk, read a book or really do anything that makes you feel like YOU. Giving your body time and space to heal itself is important and can ultimately make your window of tolerance a little bit wider to be able to take in difficult information when it comes.

Do something

Get involved! There are so many different ways to get involved after traumatic events. Some ideas could be writing or calling representatives, joining an organization that works to help prevent future events from happening, talking to your friends about what you can all individually do to help. You could also donate supplies or money to the communities affected. The opportunities are endless, but sometimes the action we take can help reduce that anxiety by giving us back a little control.

Remember, the feelings you have after an act of violence are NORMAL. If you start to feel like you are struggling to go in public and maintain your daily activities, make sure you reach out to talk to someone who can help. We all are dealing with these emotions far more than we could have ever imagined, so make sure you are taking steps to be mindful of what your mind and body are experiencing so you can take care of yourselves and others