{"id":22156,"date":"2017-11-05T09:21:53","date_gmt":"2017-11-05T08:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rogerdarlington.me.uk\/nighthawk\/?p=22156"},"modified":"2017-11-05T09:21:53","modified_gmt":"2017-11-05T08:21:53","slug":"how-can-you-cope-with-brexit-trump-north-korea-and-all-the-crazy-things-happening-in-the-world-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rogerdarlington.me.uk\/nighthawk\/?p=22156","title":{"rendered":"How can you cope with Brexit, Trump, North Korea and all the crazy things happening in the world right now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A feature<\/a> in the\u00a0colour supplement of this weekend’s “Guardian” newspaper concludes with five pieces of advice.<\/p>\n

1 Look after yourself
\n<\/strong>\u201cSelf-care\u201d has become a cliche, but while it is far from the panacea it is sometimes claimed to be, it is a crucial ingredient in staying sane. You may be surprised how frequently even the most dramatically apocalyptic thoughts and feelings turn out to be down to insufficient food or sleep. Meanwhile, plenty of research testifies to the enormous psychological benefits of even a small amount of time spent in nature.<\/p>\n

2 Limit your exposure<\/strong>
\nThe straightforward advice issued by the American Psychological Association during the US election campaign \u2013 \u201cIf the 24-hour news cycle is causing you stress, limit your media consumption\u201d \u2013 still applies. Every news update trumpets its own importance, but it hardly follows that each one matters.<\/p>\n

3 Stop fighting reality (or your feelings)<\/strong>
\nAccording to several schools of psychotherapy, a great deal of the unpleasantness we attribute to external events, or to our emotions, arises from resisting them. It is worth remembering that \u201canxiety and similar feelings are fairly appropriate reactions, normal responses, to completely abnormal things going on,\u201d says therapist Paul Saks. There is no need to feel bad about feeling bad.<\/p>\n

4 Take real-world action<\/strong>
\n\u201cSolidarity is huge and being active really matters,\u201d says therapist Emmy van Deurzen. Any actions you consider meaningful will start to replace feelings of helplessness \u2013 which are closely associated with depression \u2013 with a sense of agency. If possible, keep the emphasis on those involving direct interaction with other people, rather than online \u201cslacktivism\u201d.<\/p>\n

5 Keep a sense of perspective<\/strong>
\nNone of this means the end of the world. (Well, probably not \u2013 and not just yet.) \u201cKeep in mind that there\u2019s a longer game to be played,\u201d Saks says. Especially in the current climate, news that seems monumental today may not seem very significant in a month or two, let alone a year or more. \u201cNot to negate the fact that real harm is being done now, but we\u2019re resilient and, in the long run, this will pass.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"