Surviving Emotional Overwhelm During Times of Tragedy
Being highly sensitive in today’s world seems to be getting more and more difficult. The emotional toll of witnessing tragedy and suffering (mass shootings, wars, social injustice, racism, global pandemic, climate change) on a nearly daily basis is beyond heart-wrenching. Personally, I feel myself reaching a “saturation point” at times and often wonder how much more stress and uncertainty I can withstand.
What can you do to stay afloat amidst heartbreaking and anxiety-producing world events when you are a highly aware, highly empathetic, and highly conscientious person? No HSP will have the exact same response to these events, the same needs for survival, the same interest in staying informed, or the same amount of energy to get involved. You may need to withdraw completely, feel compelled to take action, struggle with guilt, or anywhere in between.
When it comes to staying up to date on current events, more is not better. The amount of engagement doesn’t determine the impact you or anyone else will have, so it will be important to find the right pace for you.
As a former activist, I have a difficult time not staying highly engaged in what’s going on in the world, but I’ve come to realize this just isn’t sustainable for me. My empathy easily gets depleted as I worry about the people involved (especially since I work as a therapist), my anxiety levels will kick way up, and then I start to feel hopeless about the future. My energy goes out, up, and then crashes, leaving me feeling completely empty. I’ll end up hibernating in the dark versus being able to self-soothe and take care of myself in healthy ways.
A Little News Goes a Long Way
During my activism years, social media was just getting started and I mostly got my information from printed news and discussions with friends. Now, there is so much more visual input and competing info - photos, video, audio, news tickers. Engaging in these highly stimulating, fast moving forms of media is too much for my sensitive nervous system! The same is probably true for yours too. If you’re already overstimulated from daily life and trying to keep up with everything, you may not realize just how much being constantly inundated with social media and news is affecting your well-being.
I’m not saying to disconnect completely, although it may be necessary for a time to recharge or heal from burnout, but be mindful of what you’re taking in and how it’s impacting you. Consider limiting the amount and type of information you’re consuming. You’ve probably heard me say this before and I cannot stress enough how important it is! When you start to get overstimulated, it becomes harder to return to your baseline, to feel emotional balance, to withstand stress, to show up how you want to in the world. Just imagine a cup overflowing - the more water you put in, the more overflows onto the table. You have to pause to empty the cup before refilling.
Let Out Your Feelings
It’s one thing to feel overstimulated because you’re in a bustling public space or you’ve had to multitask all day at work, but what we’re talking about here is absorbing emotionally triggering material which threatens safety and stability. You’re worrying for yourself, your kids, your family, your community, and the world as a whole. It’s too much. Not only are you physically overstimulated, but emotionally distressed.
If you are like me and either value or need to stay informed, be intentional about how you go about doing that and for how long. For example, read articles for 30 minutes rather than watching the news or scrolling social media for an hour. Give yourself space to notice and reflect on the emotional impact - the feelings of anxiety, fear, hopelessness, grief, despair, and anything else that may arise. Call a friend, journal, cry, punch a pillow, scream out loud, make art, go on a nature walk, run. Do whatever you need to connect with and process your emotions in that moment.
You may also want to check if you are engaging from a place of anxiety/worry or a place of capacity to receive information? On the same note, are you withdrawing from a place of collapse or intentional rest? These are good questions to ask yourself.
If you are feeling anxious, that may be the right time to take a break and engage in some self-soothing activities instead. If you’re feeling withdrawn and have zero capacity for new information, that will be the right time for rest and may also be the right time to reach out for support from a friend, loved one, or therapist.
Take Time for Rest
Everything that’s happening around you can be scary, overwhelming, enraging, senseless. As a highly sensitive person, you are biologically wired to notice the dangers in their smallest form to alert the rest who are not as perceptive and attuned. Now that the fires are literally and figuratively raging all around, you are on alert! Your abilities as an HSP at times like these can feel like a burden or you may feel honored to play this role as a deep feeler and seer.
Although HSPs are wired to notice and put the puzzle pieces together so the non-HSPs can jump into action, you may feel called to take action as well. You probably feel frustrated or angry about not being heard or that no one is taking the dangers seriously, and feel compelled to step outside your societal role of noticing and advising. If you do reach that point of action, please rest along the way. I know slowing down can feel hard sometimes, but it’s the only way to keep yourself afloat over the long-term.
Living through these hardships will never be easy and I desperately wish I had the magic formula to help you be immune to feeling the magnitude of these events. At the very least I can validate how you feel and remind you to take care of your sensitive nervous system - whether you’re staying tucked away in bed or moving into activism mode. It’s okay to react slowly, feel deeply, think before acting, or focus on educating rather than fighting. That is your purpose, dear HSP - notice, feel, advise. Along the way, be intentional about media consumption, retreat to quiet/dark spaces every day, feel your emotions, focus on activities that nourish your soul, and engage in activities that help you feel safe. I’ll be there with you.
