How To Channel Anxiety When The Headlines Turn Tough

By many measures, this has been a tough week for the U.S., with violence dominating the headlines. And many Americans are now feeling a tension the nation hasn't experienced in a long time.

It struck first with the deaths of two black men by police – one in Louisiana, and one in Minnesota – both of which were caught on video.

And it continued Thursday night when a sniper killed five law enforcement officers and injured seven others at a peaceful rally in Dallas.

So we wanted to take a step back from the headlines and and take a few minutes to dissect the potential emotional impact of these events on a more personal level.

WFDD's Sean Bueter talked to Dr. Sam Gladding, who says even for those far away from Dallas or Baton Rouge, the pain can be real.

Interview Highlights

On experiencing anxiety, even for those not directly involved in an event:

“There's such a thing as post-secondary trauma. And I think I'm feeling that. I think a lot of people are feeling that. It comes with watching violence that has occurred that you know is real. And we become much more anxious, we become much more aware, we feel much less safe than we felt before.” 

On how the current climate compares to other national tragedies:

“I worked in 9/11 after that happened in New York City, and I saw a lot of stunned and shocked people, and sad people at that time. Now we have some similar feelings going on that people wonder why this is happening. And the fact that we have such good news coverage these days, some people become almost addicted to staying with these events and trying to make sense of it, even though that's a slow process and sometimes, it just doesn't make sense.”

On how to get through times when so much news seems so bad:

“One is to be informed, but not over-informed. And so if I'm going to listen to or watch the news, limit it to a certain time each day. It's like the internet: if you stay on it, you kind of become addicted. And if you overdo your exposure to the news, you'd probably become more depressed and anxious than you would be.”

Gladding also recommends making a point to connect with family and friends, playing games and sharing meals, and getting more involved in community conversations.