Media/social media distancing
- Get news/information from trusted, neutral sources.
- Limit the amount of time you’re on social media per day. There are timers you can set within your computer or phone settings.
- Limit the amount of news taken in a day (e.g. TV, radio, etc.)
- Utilize muted words/muted accounts features in Settings if you need a break for some time.
- Re-engage in offline/non-social media hobbies that you may have put to the side (e.g. reading books, arts & crafts, birdwatching, listening to music, video/card/board games, etc.).
- Remember to breathe and breathe deeply (belly breathing). As there is a tendency to hold our breath/breathing becomes more shallow when we’re feeling anxious.
- Acknowledge your emotions and physical sensations from those emotions (feelings). It doesn’t make you weak for doing so.
- Find support from family/friends who will genuinely listen and/or from a therapist.
- Turn off/put down electronic devices 30 minutes before bed; so sleep can be a bit less restless.
- Pay attention if you are eating, drinking alcohol, and/or using substances more often to cope.
How to notice if you are in distress:
- Feelings of numbness, disbelief, anxiety, or fear.
- Changes in appetite, energy, and activity levels.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares and upsetting thoughts and images.
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes.
- Worsening of chronic health problems.
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
- Anger or short-tempered.
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