im really scared of war. all i see nowadays is headlines about the rising world tensions and it feels like i cant get away from it. i feel trapped; im unable to do anything to stop it, im scared for my life and the people around me’s lives and im just really scared.
if you have any advice please help as i cant seem to find any good advice anywhere.
thanks
Sam
Hi there,
Watching the news can make it feel like only bad things are happening in the world. Whilst lots of upsetting and worrying things are happening every day, it's important not to be overwhelmed by it. Worrying about things that are out of our control can be difficult to cope with. Every now and then you should switch off from what's happening in the world and try to focus on positive things closer to home.
A war that would directly affect life here in the UK is very unlikely to happen. We’re involved in wars in other parts of the world, which can affect you if you have family or friends in the military. You might know people who live in countries that are affected by war which can be very worrying. No matter what, it can still be hard to think about people suffering in other countries, even if it doesn't affect you directly.
When we have worries about the world they can quickly start to affect our day to day lives and can make us feel trapped or helpless. When this happens it's important to talk about worries with those around you. Family and friends can be a good place to start, such as talking to an adult you trust - or you can chat to a Childline counsellor. Letting feelings out is an important step to take when learning to cope with them.
Thoughts play a big part in our feelings. When you’re thinking about things like wars and tragedy, it will have an effect on how you feel. If you're watching the news a lot or reading things on social media all the time, it's difficult to turn your thoughts away from all of the bad news in the world. You could try having regular times when you don't have any outside influence on your thoughts. Perhaps a couple of days each week you can have a "no news day" where you focus just on you and the people you care about. You could use this day to take care of yourself and learn ways to feel calmer.
It might be a good idea to think about how you can cope with anxiety and see if other people on the message boards have good tips on how they cope with worrying about the world.
Thank you for sending me this letter, I hope it's helped.
Take care.
Sam
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