Roe v Wade: How to Deal with Current Events
Today is a sad day in the United States. Roe v Wade, the decision that was made by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 to protect a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, was overturned.
Maybe you’re not feeling sad.
Maybe you’re feeling angry and hurt about the seeming lack of consideration for women and for children born into potentially dangerous and unhealthy environments and about having this control placed over women’s autonomy.
Maybe you’re frustrated with this step back in time and now you’re left wondering, what will they overturn next? Maybe you’re scared for your physical / mental health and future, or for the health and future of your children and other loved ones.
Maybe this decision has triggered a trauma response for you. And maybe you’re tired, just tired of it all.
Whatever you’re feeling, it’s valid and important to honor your feelings and whatever you need during this time.
It's hard to take in all of the suffering that happens around the world without being impacted by it in some way. Especially when your own day-to-day struggles continue to pop up and can make it feel that much harder to take it all in.
I hear you. It’s not just Roe v Wade. There has been a lot happening in the world for the past 2+ years.
There has been a lot happening longer than that, but modern media outlets, including social media, have really put all of the information (and misinformation) at our finger tips. We can be privy to all of that information, anytime and all the time, but should we be?
Should we have access to all of the suffering that happens? Does knowing the gritty details of this suffering help end it? In most cases, no. Instead, it leaves many people who watch or read about this suffering feeling more stressed, depressed, anxious, and overwhelmed.
We were not meant to hold all of this, all the time. If you're feeling an increase in anxiety, stress, or depression, you're not alone. It's likely because you have been paying attention to what's happening.
Whenever you can, take a break from it.
If you take a break from social media, turn off the news, or tell someone you don't want to talk about the latest tragedy anymore, it doesn't make you a "bad person" or mean you care any less.
It means you are doing what you need to do to survive and take care of yourself. The same likely applies to others who are doing those things, too, so be mindful of respecting others’ boundaries around current events as well as your own.
Aside from taking a break from the media, how else can you cope with the stress and heaviness of current events? Here are a few suggestions that you may find helpful to use for healthy ways to manage stress, anxiety, and mood levels:
Ways to cope with it all:
Turn off your notifications for news related apps
Focus on what you can control
Use mindfulness or meditation
Get outside
Move your body
Do things you enjoy
Deep breathing exercises
Practice gratitude
Donate money to worthy, related causes, if you can
Take action in other ways that feel safe and right for you (ex. protests, writing letters to your state representatives)
Keep a journal to process your thoughts and feelings
Practice self-compassion and compassion towards others
Reach out for support from trusted loved ones and or a mental health professional
Set boundaries around when, how much, and with whom you discuss these topics
With constant news cycles on every platform, it’s hard to escape current events. However, by being mindful of how you feel and your own limits, honoring your needs, and using healthy ways of coping, you can digest an amount of news that is healthy for you. For some people, that may be just enough to stay informed, and for others, that may be watching news every evening. There is no wrong answer, but if you find that you are being negatively impacted by your current news intake, it may be time to reassess the quantity of your news intake and how you can incorporate more ways to cope with the associated stress, anxiety, and mood levels.