Anxiety THROUGH THE ROOF - Russia

[bubble321]

Hi all, extremely sorry if this isn't the best section to post in but oh my gosh. I've just got the children to bed and cannot stop shaking and crying. My anxiety is sky high. I am so terrified of a world war 3 happening and I can't shake the idea. I've just pictured sending my kids off to be evacuated and keep having break downs. Aware to most people this probably seems OTT but I suffer with quite extreme health anxiety as it is. I have extremely minimal knowledge with all this talk on war etc. How likely do you think a nuclear war is? If I read a post like this from someone else I would be but I really don't know where else to worry/ look for reassurance

It's not 1939, war is very different now. My dd is a trainee officer in the military so yes I'm worried but not for people in the U.K.

@StrongCoffeAvalanche

Sorry I haven't read the full thread but want to give my ideas. I felt like this has been going on for ages. BJ was getting so much shit about his parties and that he should leave. He needed a distraction in the media and so this was ' bigged up' ti draw attention away from him. Also the general public may think 'yes he's a selfish twat who likes to party but he'd be stronger than the labour alternatives in a serious war'.

This is a really weirdly UK-centric take. It's major global news. Do you think media outside the UK are not also covering every development and possible angle? The potential escalation of conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a big story no matter where you are in the world. It's got nothing to do with petty domestic politics in the UK!

@janeseymour78

Apart from Crimea?

@TheUnquestionedAnswer

Hard to keep away from news when it flashes up on your phone (BBC notification).

I've felt sick since I read that when I woke up about 40 mins ago. When we were kids in the 70s, our main fear was Russia pressing the red button.

I'm thinking of deleting the BBC app now. Can anyone recommend a non scare mongering news app?

Just read the news on their website.

My anxiety is at an all time high. Russia being the main reason and this awful weather doesn't help. Just feel like what's the point. Russia is terrifying me

I'm so sad, angry, scared and anxious about another war.

I used to worry about stuff like this a lot. I remember spending a lot of time panicking about Iraq / Middle East and convinced there’d be an all out nuclear war. I wasted a lot of life doing that. Don’t waste anymore of your life worrying about something that’s not happened and you can’t influence. Do something enjoyable instead.

On the practical side with this situation. Nuclear war with Russia is incredibly unlikely, what would the point for anyone be? Putin wants power and wealth not nuclear desolation! There was even a summit in Jan where all the world leaders (including Putin) discussed and agreed the pointlessness of nuclear war.

NATO have also signalled very clearly that they will not defend Ukraine beyond sanctions. No troops on the ground. Let alone chucking a nuke at Russia.

A lot of what you hear reported on the news is governments ‘speaking’ to Putin - and importantly also to the people that keep him in power.

Go live your life. You might get run over by a bus tomorrow (also unlikely).

@Shadowsense

I used to worry about stuff like this a lot. I remember spending a lot of time panicking about Iraq / Middle East and convinced there’d be an all out nuclear war. I wasted a lot of life doing that. Don’t waste anymore of your life worrying about something that’s not happened and you can’t influence. Do something enjoyable instead.

On the practical side with this situation. Nuclear war with Russia is incredibly unlikely, what would the point for anyone be? Putin wants power and wealth not nuclear desolation! There was even a summit in Jan where all the world leaders (including Putin) discussed and agreed the pointlessness of nuclear war.

NATO have also signalled very clearly that they will not defend Ukraine beyond sanctions. No troops on the ground. Let alone chucking a nuke at Russia.

A lot of what you hear reported on the news is governments ‘speaking’ to Putin - and importantly also to the people that keep him in power.

Go live your life. You might get run over by a bus tomorrow (also unlikely).

Thank you for this post. It has calmed me down a bit.

Same newcarnewhouse - horrid anxiety today. I actually have news anxiety generally- every general election, any articles about climate change, Brexit etc. I just get proper panic, shaking anxiety to the point where I can barely open the news app, but I do it anyway as have to know. It's the worst feeling and guess I need to seek some kind of therapy to help me manage it better.

shadowsense your post has genuinely helped to calm me down a bit. I agree with you completely. Thank you.

Going to try and put down my phone and enjoy my evening...

The West is pushing, pushing, pushing Putin until his death, hastening his death.

Russian people are European after all. Many Russian people want a strong democratic society and have the means and skills to contribute and share in that. It is a waiting game. Putin is a decaying tiger.

The new "European Union" will rise out of this and Russian resources will compliment the new green and atomic technology.

Most oligarchs in London have nothing to do with Putin. London is a sink of Russian money, to be released and reinvigorated back into that region only when Putin is dead.

@GallopingHighRoad Could you please translate this for someone who has no idea what any of that means?🙈 I'm far from intellectual!

This is clearly a difficult situation, and Putin is a paranoid bully, but there is entirely pointless for any ordinary person in this country to worry about geopolitical events over which we have zero influence or control.

It was rational for many of us to worry about covid and to behave cautiously to avoid becoming infected until we were safely vaccinated. But nothing any of us can do will influence what happens in Ukraine. Worrying about it is literally a waste of time.

@Indiaplain

It's just awful isn't it. I had to delete the sky news app as the horrible notification sound it makes made me scared to death to look every time it went off. I'm generally an anxious person at normal times and was just overcoming covid anxiety and now we have this

OP I sympathise enormously with you. My d came home anxious as classmates had been saying world war 3 was going to start 🙄 so spent a good deal of time mitigating that one. Personally I deleted bbc news app years ago. Buying a newspaper & the 6 o clock news was the preferred choice in my childhood. Now we have very little choice as media companies spar to see who can put fear in to the most people as possible. It’s literally insane. I think the situation in Russia is very upsetting & I feel very sad for the Ukraine people & any wanting freedom from a corrupt, oppressive regime. Oligarchs have existed for millennia. One day let’s pray THEY become extinct eh? Not the animals on which they pose, riding😜. As so many have said, switch off those apps, practice mindfulness (yes it really does help in being alive in today’s madness) & maybe our children will pick that up & be the tolerant, cohesive & peaceful players to help mend the sh*t show that is unfolding. Siempre hay esperanza 🥰

I'm very anxious too OP.
But, while it's shit for Ukraine and Russian citizens, no world leader really wants a war, including Putin. Most of them will be trying to avoid actual conflict (I hope, anyway).
But all the talk of nuclear war etc has got me unnerved tonight, I must say.

@sadpapercourtesan

Nuclear war is absolutely not on the cards, OP. This is a lot of posturing and willy-waving which will, at the very worst, affect Ukrainians and Russians. It's awful for them, but the worst case scenario for us is the odd cyber-attack, or wonky energy prices for a bit.

This!

This is why sane countries hold nuclear weapons. I know people hate them but they are the best defence unfortunately, when crazy countries have them at their disposal. Any attack would provoke an immediate response. Mutual assured destruction. Absolutely not going to happen.

As far as I’m aware we don’t rely on Russia for gas (unlike Germany, which is why they’re falling to the dark side- at least they appeared to be last time I checked)

Well it’s not unreasonable to feel anxious given the stress of covid and now this. Of course it’s scary to watch, but all you can do is to protect your mental health, look after your corner of the world and keep the news turned off.
Start the meds? It’s hard to see how you will feel worse. Get some support in place. Live in the moment, let tomorrow take care of itself x

Don’t you have any anxiety about the UK? I mean… it’s not like it’s in the best shape ever. BJ partying while people losing jobs, people dying of coronavirus etc etc. What I mean is… there’s a hierarchy of worries and why don’t you worry about your immediate environment first.

I feel anxious too. I'm avoiding the news and trying my best to distract myself, but when Boris said at the weekend that 'Russia is planning the biggest war in Europe since 1945', my mind went into overdrive. I've got boys in their early 20's and I keep having thoughts about them being called up. My rational brain tells me this won't happen, but I can still feel the anxiety churning inside.

I'm a pretty anxious person, the sort who hides it from everyone. I refuse to be worried by this, as it's completely beyond any of our control. Instead I choose to ignore it and if something absolutely horrific happened, I would prefer not to know until as late as possible. Don't yet it steal any joy from today.

I don't know. I've been worrying all day. The problem for me is that I'm relying on the headline news rather than reading deeply on this matter. This thread has been helpful for making me understand the issues a bit better.

Let's hope Putin come's to his senses and backs down finally. He's probably seeing how far he can push things. Bully tactics.

Why on Earth would people be called up? Warfare isn’t fought with guns on the ground/ arm to arm combat much anymore!

Aren't they @Shadowsense ? I'm first to admit I'm very uneducated in this field so have absolutely no idea how anything would go down but your reply is very reassuring. Obviously still a rubbish situation

There were 3 Ukrainian women sat on a bench looking over at the shelling in the distance on the news last night.
They seemed pretty chilled.
It amused me that they were wearing masks, covid is the least of their problems now i think.