Coping with Current Affairs without having all the answers

How are you coping with the world outside West Dunbartonshire at the moment? Do you consume a lot of current affairs content? How are you managing to process what you absorb? To me, the world has never been heavier with fear, rage and grief than it is now.

‘Current affairs’ can cover a multitude of topics in a short time. And now, we don’t have to wait, we have 24/7 access via smartphones and social media. Certain events will affect us directly, whether or not we learn about them, but what I want to discuss is this:

How do we cope, mentally and emotionally, with bearing witness to a constant stream of deeply upsetting news, at home and abroad, which seems never to have let up since 2020?

How should we deal with feeling powerless to help those suffering? And how can we process current affairs together, without falling out?

people using phone while standing — Photo by camilo jimenez / Unsplash

It’s not easy! I often sense that some folk reckon I take it all too personally.

Maybe I do.

Honestly, I haven’t been handling current affairs well recently, but that’s understandable. My heart truly breaks over many, many situations we have seen in the last few years. I know I’m not alone in that.

It seems wrong to talk about coping with ‘stressful news content’. I’m not a politician, a soldier, a parent. It’s not my loved ones trapped in dangerous places, nor have I lived through persecution, conflict and ruin.

However: I am human, I have loved ones, sympathy for strangers, I am hurting and sometimes I’m scared by what I see. It’s okay for any Earthling to be feeling pretty bleak right now. Don’t beat yourself up if you are, too.

You might be thinking “just switch off” but I can’t, not totally.

a shadow of a person holding a piece of paper — Photo by Steven Haddock / Unsplash

I’m not judging anyone who has disengaged. Sometimes it’s necessary for your sanity, but I can’t not care.

Plus, avoiding bad news is an impressive feat in the digital age, not to mention the unavoidable snippets heard at work, at school, on the bus, in the supermarket… everywhere, people are discussing really emotional subjects and it’s a minefield. Particularly if you struggle with mental health problems and self-regulation in public, or inside your own spicy brain, to begin with.

Sometimes I go numb from caring this much, and suicidal ideation steps forward (a condition I’ve struggled with for other reasons, since my twenties) so I did try coming off social media and not consuming any news, but it backfired.

I was blind-sided by important developments, got overwhelmed by what I’d missed, and ended up feeling worse. Guilty. And very isolated.

Living in a cosy, ‘ignorance is bliss’ bubble never lasts for me, and it’s not actually possible. Some events will take an interest in you, regardless.

aerial view of people walking at the park — Photo by Amos Elijah Lee / Unsplash

I don’t have all the answers, nobody does, but my approach to coping with current affairs while the world goes mad is now as follows:

Don’t ignore the news, but don’t obsess. Take wee breaks. Doomscrolling is not allowed
Have compassion for yourself and others, focus on your shared humanity above all
Consume a range of information from independent sources and retain critical thinking (look up Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s ‘Theory of Stupidity’ and thank me later!)
If you can take action to help, do it quickly. Write a post, send an email, sign a petition
If you can’t take action, send positive energy. Not fake platitudes - focused intention. This helps you, as well as the recipient
Making art of any kind gets your feelings out, and it doesn’t need to be seen by others
Boundaries, for when you do and don’t talk about current affairs with your circle, are good
Keep in mind, you can share how you’re feeling without deciding who’s right or wrong That being said, it’s also important to take a stand now and then (but especially now)
Hugging animal companions, partners and the occasional consenting stranger is therapy
Look at the sky and take comfort in the fact that we’re infinitely insignificant
Crying is allowed, no matter who you are. So is screaming into a pillow. But singing is best
Have faith in the good things out there. And read about them in the Clydesider!