How to manage anxiety when the news is terrifying

[Indiaplain]

I'm really struggling with anxiety at the moment- it's all consuming, shaking, shivers etc.
It's related to current world events. I just dont know if it's better to be aware, and read the news - I sometimes can't stop and get sucked into rabbit holes. I then end up reading threads/comments on the news. I'm so scared about a war happening and an having catosptropic thoughts.

Any advice on how to manage my anxiety would be welcomed. Should I just avoid the news? Sometimes though my thoughts are worse than the news. Is information power or not? I keep spiralling. Any help appreciated.

I would recommend stepping away from the news for a while, at least until you are feeling a bit better
This is the same advice I give to my husband, and I also had to do this during 2020.

I hear you OP My anxiety is also going nuts at the moment. I’ve decided not to read or watch the news for the time being. I think I will also have to avoid Facebook and Twitter for a while so as not to see any discussions about the current news issues. When I get like this my husband reminds me to just ‘fetch wood, carry water’, in other words, just go about my day, think about the basics and what I can do day to day for myself and my family. Keep it simple. You have my sympathies.

I consider myself a rational person but fuck me, the news has made me cry today. Not just for the poor sods in Ukraine, but the impact on World markets/economy/life in general.
I don't plan to put the news on at all...not because I'm sticking my head in the sand, but I can't hear hourly updates. I'll see headlines once a day so I'm in the loop

Thanks all, Im kind of glad to know I'm not alone, but this kind of anxiety sucks doesn't it. My husband is also prone to the same and can be v pessimistic so I avoid talking to him about it as it makes me feel worse, which means I internalise alot.
I like the advice of fetch wood, carry water. Thank you.

Re reading just the headlines - sometimes they are the worst bit, and v sensationalist. So I do try to read the whole story to get some context. I dont know what's for the best.

I struggle mentally with news too, and am easily panicked, even at the best of times. Today I am unfollowing Instagram accounts apart from safe topics like fashion and home decor. Also hiding people on Facebook who might make comments which alarm me. Then I’m going to bury my head in the sand for a bit, watch on demand tv, go for walks etc. Try to concentrate on work. I find mumsnet one of the worst places for people adding scary comments so be careful what you read on here.

Reading this thread is reassuring for me too. I am experiencing massive anxiety and will follow the 'fetch wood, carry water' advice too. Thanks for posting.

I was just going to post a thread like this. My mental health is not good at the best of times and just as I was starting to feel better, this comes along. I am terrified. I just feel like what's the point in anything. I was suppose to be going out to choose my new kitchen today. I cancelled.

Step away from the news for a while. Stop reading the headlines, they are designed to be sensationalist to generate clicks and, therefore, revenue.

If you want to stay up to date then something like The Week might be a helpful way to get news? It tends to give quite a balanced, unbiased view from a few different sources and is easy to digest. Means you won't feel totally out of touch but your anxiety isn't being influenced by the more dramatic publications and you can keep that exposure to a relatively short time once a week. It's what I do when my anxiety is bad but I don't want to tune out the news completely.

Otherwise, accept that this is out if your control. That's really hard, I know, but a lot of times anxiety is about control and this isn't something you can really do anything about (unless you're a senior Government official, in which case I apologise for my assumption). Your worrying about it influences nothing other than the effect on your own life. I do understand, I'm stressed and feeling myself sucked into an anxiety spiral over it too, but I'm trying really hard not to let it take over completely. What will be will be, for now I'm trying to get on with living my life as it is whilst we wait to see how this plays out.

I'm sorry people are t struggling.

However, if you are in the UK it is unlikely to have a direct effect on us. It may affect fuel prices and hopefully we will accept a large quota of refugees if necessary.

I prefer to know what is going on and in fact find it very interesting but others may prefer to avoid the news for a while. I was scared of The Bomb in the 80s but refuse to start worrying again.

I just started a thread on this I wish I’d seen this one first but nothing came up when I searched.
Sympathy op I’m feeling exactly the same. My anxiety is so much worse now I have DS. He’s only two, much wanted, much loved and yet I find myself thinking what kind of world have I brought you into and what will your life be like? :(

@youhadmeatjello I'm the same. I feel much more anxious as I have young children. I keep looking at them and crying.

Definitely limit intake of news. I read it this morning, cried, and now and trying to limit how much I read again today. There is nothing we can do by reading it over and over again. It is horrifying and I hope that message has got through loud and clear but massive increasing anxiety is not going to help!

Also anxious - wasn't the pandemic enough? Now this? I feel like we are all living in a perpetual state of emergency. News is off in this house.

Yes I agree op . Have just seen heartbreaking pictures of families with children trying to leave Kiev…poor innocent people just like the rest of us . Am going to avoid watching or reading for a few days …what a screwed up world we are living in !

Beta blockers. Highly recommended!

Yep I’m the same. World events are my anxiety “thing” , ie I’ll happily go about my daily life, work , travel, kids, health stuff with no problems - but all the big stuff - pandemics, wars … I just can’t deal with. First half of 2020 I had to completely come off Mumsnet (soz Mumsnet ) and to be honest I think I’ll have to again after threads I’ve seen today
I have beta blockers which do calm down the physical symptoms of anxiety, but mentally I’m in a bad place today.

What's helped everyone stay calm today? For me:

• methodically cleaning my kitchen
• avoiding the headlines but finding informative explainers and keeping in the loop with events
• drinking water
• looking after my son who has a sickness bug - good distraction

But yep, same, world events are a real trigger for me. I just have a wedge of anxiety/panic lodged in me. Sometimes it lifts and I can feel blissfully detached but then it comes back.

Also.. avoiding the 'chat' section of mumsnet! This thread has been nice though

@Indiaplain

Also.. avoiding the 'chat' section of mumsnet! This thread has been nice though

I agree with this. I can watch the news about Ukraine or read about it in the papers and remain relatively calm. However if I read a few of the trending threads on Mumsnet and my anxiety is sky high!!

I’m a bit obsessed with watching the news, particularly when there’s a big story on. Usually it isn’t something that affects as many people as this though! I’m a worrier at the best of times and I’ve done the same thing in the last hour of going down a rabbit hole online and suddenly I know how long it would take for a missile to reach us from Russia 🤦🏼‍♀️ I felt like with covid I wasn’t so bad because a) I was in a relatively lower risk category and b) I had some control to an extent because I could just be really careful and most likely be able to avoid it

This time it’s not like that because we have absolutely no control over any decisions the UK takes or actions/consequences as a result of any of it. There’s no right or wrong either, Boris is an idiot at the best of times but I don’t know who would actually know how to tackle this one 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’d love to say I won’t watch the news but I know I will because I feel like I just have to know everything! It’s also bugging me that I’m telling friends about it and they’re kind of shrugging it off. Either they’re in denial or they don’t know what’s actually happening. The thing I just can’t fathom about the whole thing is the fact those people (and animals) are innocent. They haven’t done a thing and are just harmlessly living their life, fully unharmed and healthy for an attack just to be launched on them and leave them either dead or with major injuries and most likely no medical facilities available. It’s so so sad. Why can’t people just live and let live? ☹️

I definitely think keeping busy helps to some extent. I was thinking today there must be other people like me out there feeling like this just now. Hopefully it doesn’t come to anything and is miraculously solved very very quickly

Don't watch it. Delete all your apps. Avoid social media.

Hard but it works.

My anxiety is increasing too. I feel suffocated by what's going on.

It's sad that so many innocent people will be affected at different levels regarding this war.

Thanks for this supportive thread x

@D0lphine

Don't watch it. Delete all your apps. Avoid social media.

Hard but it works.

I hate that this gets pedalled out as the be all and all to any anxiety. Many people rely on support groups on social media. For many, to just delete it all means cutting themselves off from everything. I use social media... mostly for things that help, and for things that will not contribute to my anxiety.

I hate that this gets pedalled out as the be all and all to any anxiety.
Many people rely on support groups on social media. For many, to just delete it all means cutting themselves off from everything.

I hate that people think we're all the same. I have very bad anxiety and that helps me.