Five Useful Strategies to Cope with the Reality of Humanitarian Crises
We’ve all seen the news recently - it seems to be full of crisis, after crisis, after crisis. Feeling helpless, anxious, and powerless is a common response when so many disasters are happening outside of our control. A million questions rush through our minds: Why is this happening? How do we help? Can we help? What if people we’re close to disagree with our opinions? What if things get worse?
Feeling Powerless
Feeling powerless can have a severe impact on us. When we feel powerless, it can often lead to feeling hopeless, helpless, and inadequate. A lot of times when we see distressing imagery or read about a humanitarian crisis, it activates our sympathetic nervous system and puts us in fight-or-flight mode. This can affect sleep quality, mood, and our ability to make decisions. Furthermore, the realization that we cannot do anything directly to help the crisis in the moment may cause us to feel defenseless.
We are constantly exposed to news stories showing us destruction and suffering, and many of us feel discouraged and unable to spark change. This continuous cycle of seeing things we cannot change and feeling helpless can lead to things like compassion fatigue, learned helplessness, vicarious trauma, or depression.
How Do We Cope with Humanitarian Crises?
There are many ways that one could manage the stress of seeing different humanitarian crises everyday.
Bring awareness to how much time you spend engaged with news.
If the first thing you do in the morning is open your news app, social media, or turn on the TV to watch the news, it might be helpful to give yourself time away from stressors like that to start your day. Consider how much time you spend scrolling through social media and the type of content you are consuming.
Focus on reputable sources.
Often we can read a headline that sounds completely horrific, but the article doesn’t have a source. Consider the COVID-19 pandemic; there were articles emerging almost daily that described the spread of new variants and possible new sources of the virus. However, these articles rarely cited credible sources.
We can apply the same concept to reading about human rights violations, government policies, and healthcare acts. It’s important to stay informed, and even more so to be correctly informed.
Take action.
When humanitarian crises occur, they often feel too big for a small number of people to do anything about. It’s important to remember that all change starts with one action. One action can turn to a few, and then into several, and then into an entire movement. Engage with your community, call your representatives, sign petitions, or whatever it is that makes you feel like you’re making a difference towards a cause you believe in.
Regulate your emotions mindfully.
Whether it’s a friend, a family member, a professional, or someone in your community, finding support is essential. There is strength in numbers and having someone to talk to about the anxiety, stress, and helplessness can feel liberating.
Being able to calm down when dysregulated is beneficial both mentally and physically.
This can look like…
stepping away from an intense conversation
practicing breathing exercises
journaling to process your emotions
It’s also important to remember that emotional expression is healthy. If you feel powerless while witnessing a crisis and it makes you want to scream and cry, it’s ok to scream and cry. Sometimes feeling rage is appropriate. If having a breakdown keeps you from breaking apart completely, then do that. Be mindful of what you need, and avoid suppressing your own emotional reactions to the crises you see.
Speak with someone.
Whether it’s a friend, a family member, a professional, or someone in your community, finding support is essential. There is strength in numbers, and having someone to talk to about the anxiety, stress, and helplessness can feel liberating.
The Art of Emotional Management
With everything going on in the world today, managing feelings of powerlessness takes practice. Using any of the aforementioned tips can be helpful in trying to navigate a complex existence. It is certainly challenging to both stay informed on world issues while keeping up with self-care!
Remember: You are not powerless, you are just doing your best to be present while overwhelmed.
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