self-care reminder (uspol adacent)
Is your physical safety at risk if you do not pay attention to the news right now?
If not, turn the fucking news off. Watching it won't change anything but make you feel worse.
If yes, are you sure you need the news? Consider monitoring local information sources and not national media. Trust what neighbors see out of their windows over what is being reported in the media.
Save your energy for when you can do something. Focus locally.
Stay safe. Stay strong.
uspol
I don’t feel like playing the violin when the proverbial Rome is burning. Watching, reading, participating, grieving fully, is what I wanna do. Probably gonna fall asleep on y’all b/c time zones. But until then.
uspol
As long as that works for you.
I don't expect the incident to directly change anything, either for the better or for the worse.
Since I don't expect any external change, there's no need to endure internal turmoil around it.
I try to say no to Sisyphean emotional labor.
If I'm wrong, it'll likely be like 9-11. Everyone will get so worn down by watching the news, that when the real horrible stuff comes to town -- and locally -- everyone will be ready to accept it.
uspol
@yam655
I’m not saying everyone is mandated to watch. Sometimes turning off the news can be a really, really, really good choice.
But emotional labor: that’s it, exactly. Learning to face things instead of distracting ourselves away from them.
The advice I generally give is to (and it’s best to have done this ahead of time, where there is no crisis) have some good, soothing distractions as a fallback, a safety net, a consolation, a vent, an escape. And then… instead of using them… being with the emotion fully. Neither stoking the flames inside nor quashing them, just being with them, the fear, the worry, the grief. And switching to the distractions when we can’t even. Maybe going back and forth between the awareness pracfice and the soothful oblivion. I am really grateful to have been taught this.
I don’t want to imply that I’d be guilt-tripping anyone who wants to turn off. They can.♥ I’m just not on board with the categorical imperative to turn off. Esp with the fash smashing cameras, assaulting media. I wish you’d’ve reminded people of the option, rather than mandated them.
9/11 news addiction became an issue after a while. After a few days let’s say, when nothing new was happening, 24h news channels just grinding on fear. But this is history unfolding now. The events are unfolding now.