Constant stress because of terrible news: psychologist reveals two effective methods against fear
Created: 03/21/2022, 16:13
By: Juliane Gutmann
The news situation is currently affecting many people.
© Antonio Guillem/Imago
New horror stories from Ukraine flood the screens every day.
Some choose to withdraw messages for self-protection.
But there are other ways.
One catastrophe after the other: This is the impression you get if you regularly deal with world news.
But the fact is: The good news rarely makes it onto the front page of the newspaper or into the news ticker of the news apps – but it still exists.
If you search specifically, you will find it.
This is how many are currently dealing with the current news situation: Targeted information instead of letting yourself be sprinkled*.
A good method to "
create a bit of air between events and one's own feelings", quotes Deutschlandfunk from the psychiatrist Mazda Adli.
In the FOCUS interview, Felicitas Heyne, qualified psychologist and family therapist, lists two other sensible ways of dealing
with current events
.
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Locking yourself at home sad or in despair does no one any good.
Such behavior even promotes mental illnesses such as depression.
"It's no use to the people in Ukraine if things are bad for us," says Felicitas Heyne.
That's why, conversely, we don't need to have a bad conscience when we're doing well, according to the psychologist.
In order to remain psychologically stable, it is important to “
regularly replace the horrifying news images in your head with positive ones and thus consciously create a counterpoint
”, says Heyne.
Another good way to deal with the current situation is to become active.
"There are so many ways to get involved - be it through
donations, collecting clothes, toys or medicine
and taking them to aid organizations or taking in refugees yourself - everyone can do something," says the psychologist.
Taking action and becoming active helps against feelings such as fear and powerlessness.
In general, Heyne advises moderate media consumption
: "Especially for people who suffer greatly from it, it is currently important to set a time limit for media consumption so that you don't get lost in it".
(jg) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.