Coping with More Mass Murder
Jul. 4th, 2022 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogCW: This is about me and my own trouble dealing with the news from Highland Park in the USA today. I'm sorry to center myself in light of this mass murder, and if you're having trouble with this yourself, please don't feel like you need to read it.
I've been fighting, with varying degrees of success, anxiety and depression for years now. It's hard enough even when everything external is ok.
There've been so many mass shootings in the US lately. I've reacted to a lot of them with a sort of numbness and resignation at not being able to do anything. Maybe it's selfish, but this one in Highland Park that's affected people I know personally is one too many or something. Not one too many for the country: one is one too many. But one too many for my brain and my ability to be a mostly functional human being.
And today's news is pulling up the two-year-old memories of the rioting and violence in Kenosha, where my brothers and parents live and I feel so scared for so many people I care about. Scared and angry and powerless to do anything but have crying spells as I scroll through Facebook.
I saw the news this morning and felt the usual numbness and resignation. I was managing that. But seeing so many people I know personally talk about this thing that was a part of their life today, I'm not managing that. I feel so scared for people I love and care about.
I'll probably be as ok as I ever am these days tomorrow. But I'm really glad I don't have any schoolwork I need to do today, because there's just no way right now.
I've been fighting, with varying degrees of success, anxiety and depression for years now. It's hard enough even when everything external is ok.
There've been so many mass shootings in the US lately. I've reacted to a lot of them with a sort of numbness and resignation at not being able to do anything. Maybe it's selfish, but this one in Highland Park that's affected people I know personally is one too many or something. Not one too many for the country: one is one too many. But one too many for my brain and my ability to be a mostly functional human being.
And today's news is pulling up the two-year-old memories of the rioting and violence in Kenosha, where my brothers and parents live and I feel so scared for so many people I care about. Scared and angry and powerless to do anything but have crying spells as I scroll through Facebook.
I saw the news this morning and felt the usual numbness and resignation. I was managing that. But seeing so many people I know personally talk about this thing that was a part of their life today, I'm not managing that. I feel so scared for people I love and care about.
I'll probably be as ok as I ever am these days tomorrow. But I'm really glad I don't have any schoolwork I need to do today, because there's just no way right now.
