60 Second Health Break 3 Simple Ways To Cope With Tragedy

Every few weeks it seems like there is a new tragedy or massacre occurring somewhere in the country. Even though the news cycle moves from one incident to the next, major tragedies such as these aren’t processed that fast and it can be hard to know how to channel our emotions.
​
How do we cope with tragedy?  60 seconds is not enough time to even scratch the surface of this question. One thing’s for certain, no matter who we are, no matter what our initial reactions (anger, fear, despair, disassociation - at the bottom of it all is pain.
Below are three simple tips for staying positive in the face of challenging news.

1. Limit Your Intake – Make an effort not to spend hours researching a specific event or crime. Once you learn about it, try not to obsessively follow every update and fallout. It can just lead to hours of research that will most likely make you feel worse and not leave you time to emotionally process the information.
2. Find Someone You Can Talk With – Talking is an acknowledgement. When we say something out loud, we feel it differently. If there are others in a group that have been affected, you might want to get together and all have a time to share and talk about your feelings. If you can’t meet in person, you could call, Skype, or e-mail them. The point is just to open a dialogue.
3. Self Reflection and Self Care – It is challenging to maintain a level of peace during turbulent times. As human beings, most of us have a level of empathy regarding the suffering of others. Such empathy can render us stressed and unproductive in other areas of our lives. Spiritual meditation or other positive actions such as exercise, yoga, taking 5 minutes for meditation or reflection can go a long way.

In the wake of so much suffering, may our grief continue to break open our hearts, keep us tender, and see that underneath all of our pain is ultimately love and the wish that all beings be safe, happy, and free.
In Good Health
Elanita, Laurie, and Dawna