Are You Overwhelmed by World Events?
I was at dinner the other night with some friends and the conversation turned to Palestine, Sudan and Congo.
I was giving a (passionate) response to a question that a friend asked me and she commented that she was surprised I was as involved as I was.
The conversation continued on but that comment stuck with me for the rest of the evening and into the next day.
I assumed she meant that she was surprised I was as involved as I was as a highly sensitive person because of the intense, dysregulating and dystopian nature of the genocides / humanitarian crises we continue to witness but I didn’t want to assume.
I value direct communication and I love and respect this person so I gave them a call the next day to clarify what they meant.
I was correct in my assumption that her surprise came from the fact that because she too is highly sensitive, she didn’t understand how I was able to be as involved, passionate and outspoken about any of this as I had been.
I really appreciated the conversation that we had because it shed light on what I notice amongst people, especially highly sensitive folks, during these times and it mirrored similar experiences I myself have had to work through.
One of the things that my friend shared was that it’s hard to look at images or read what’s going on because it stays with her so intensely throughout the day and brings her into a place that’s hard to shake off because she feels so impacted by what she sees / reads / hears.
She also didn’t feel like anything she did would make a difference.
The underlying experience that wasn’t directly being said but was still being communicated was a sense of overwhelm and helplessness.
Overwhelm at the emotional experience of witnessing such violence and brutality and helplessness at feeling like there was nothing she could do to stop it.
We’ve been witnessing a genocide be live streamed for over 7 months along with countless other atrocities…………but so many people are also just trying to survive their own lives and make it through the day.
Overwhelm and helplessness are absolutely par the course.
It can feel impossible at times to think / feel / operate beyond what is right in front of us at any given moment.
And because of the way the highly sensitive nervous system is set up, the emotional dysregulation that can happen from seeing or hearing violence can actually quite literally be more intense than for someone who is not highly sensitive.
It’s also important to note that from the moment we enter this planet, capitalism is set up to make us feel isolated, helpless and focused on our survival only. The individual winning over everything else.
All that to say yes, it makes sense, whether you are highly sensitive or not, that the response would be to want to block it all out but…….
This can create a dangerous dissonance that disguises itself as safety and/or comfort.
What do we risk when we avert our eyes and shut down our hearts in the face of great suffering? When we choose the comfort of ignorance over the discomfort of truth? When we believe the lie that we are helpless?
Because that’s what it is, a great lie that is fed to us consistently over and over again until we just accept it as some obvious undeniable truth.
How often do we ourselves think/say or hear other people say “Well, what can I do about it?”
There is always something that can be done. Action, no matter how small, is a powerful antidote to helplessness.
I think part of the reason we fall into this trap or stay stuck in the haze of dissonance is the fact that everyone is exhausted.....like soul tired.
Second, there is the toxic wellness and societal culture of “high vibe” and wanting to stay away from the things that can cause us to feel less than joyful and comfortable, especially when so many are struggling to find their own joy in every day life.
Why make it harder?
Finding and staying in our bubble of “good energy” feels like the safe thing to do because we only have so much energy to give (which is true).
And for highly sensitive people, I believe another part of the reason is related to the fear of being swallowed up, burning out or experiencing ‘compassion fatigue’ when tuning into the suffering or injustice going on around us.
And yes, that can of course happen if we don’t have boundaries, understand how to have proper energetic hygiene or get ourselves back into some state of emotional regulation.
But I think we need to start being ok with not being ok.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that every moment of life be turned towards the needs and suffering of others (and ignoring your own life, needs and desires).
I am not suggesting that you should only seek out suffering and ignore pleasure, fun and joy.
None of that is sustainable and usually borders on the unhealthy side of empathy.
What I am genuinely asking is what are we losing by choosing to look away? By believing that we cannot handle the discomfort of truth? That we are helpless/powerless to make a difference?
I can’t answer that for you and besides, this is Gemini season. This isn’t about getting answers so much as it’s about asking different questions and gathering information.
But what might be better to ask is, what do we have to gain? By (healthily) turning towards the things that cause us discomfort and yes, sometimes dysregulation?
I would say we have everything to gain. That’s why all of this matters.
Our humanity: when we continue to make space to witness the suffering of others without needing to turn away or try to fix it, we allow our hearts to expand (I would recommend the practice of Tonglen).
Our personal power: when we stop believing the lie that we are helpless, we can start taking action in all areas of our life, including the creation of a better, safer world for ourselves and others.
Our liberation: when we stop focusing on only our comfort / wins / success and also include the collective, we expand what’s possible not only for ourselves but for our communities and world beyond us.
Here are some things + reminders that have helped me move through helplessness:
1.) EFT / ‘Tapping’ for Helplessness:
Helplessness often stems from the Freeze stress response. The more we can release energy and stress the more we can get ourselves into sustainable action (around anything).
2.) Intentional Social Media Time
I don’t keep social media on my phone. When I check it, I allow myself a certain amount of time and do not go past that. I go to certain accounts that I know have well thought out and reliable information beyond click bait.
Are there boundaries you can set so your time is intentional?
3.) Energetic Hygiene
Part of getting out of helplessness and creating sustainable action is making sure that you’re not constantly accumulating the energy of others as well as what you are picking up online.
You can use this video to get yourself centered and grounded after watching something that felt like you couldn’t shake off
Also, put your feet in grass. Or dirt. Or any Earth. You’d be amazed at how that can both regulate and cleanse you.
4.) Designated action time
We have full a** lives. While I would love to take an action daily, it’s not always feasible or reasonable so I have one time during the week where I know I will take dedicated actions
I try to make time to connect with the actions I feel will make a difference like donating money, calling reps, emailing and also supporting people who are already starting to build the world I want to see
Also, praying is a whole action.
5.) Community Support
This has probably been the most important piece for me because YES, it can absolutely be overwhelming.
I have people I am close with in my life that share similar values, passion, courage and empathy and we turn to each other frequently whether it’s to support one another emotionally with processing grief, rage, disbelief (and helplessness!), or to brainstorm, ask questions, or reflect
We also will take actions together (both in solidarity work and just for life in general)
Sometimes we have to be selective about who we draw our support from as not everyone will be on the same page or even the same book as you (and that might be something to grieve in itself)
6.) Rest
Ceasefires, stopping genocides, creating a safer world is urgent and at the same time, this is a marathon…..like for life. Rest as much as possible, when possible, for yourself and for the world.
What’s one small step you can take today to shift from helplessness to action?
With love and solidarity,
Bianca