Therapy can help for people struggling with current news and world events
The past few years have arguably seen an upturn in the number of ‘negative’ news stories which we read and see on a daily basis. The list is long: the pandemic, the economy, the war in Ukraine and increased tensions between the East and the West.
As a journalist, I am always keen to encourage people to engage in reading, listening or watching the news. Current Affairs is often described as the first draft of history and there can be no doubt that we are ‘living in interesting times.’
But on how many occasions in the past few years have you heard people say that the news is ‘too much’? That it has simply become ‘too negative’? The phrase ‘doom and gloom merchants’ is (sadly) almost synonymous with journalism.
For some people, avoiding the news is becoming key for their mental health and wellbeing.
Pheidippides was the messenger who sprinted through Greece to deliver news of the Battle at Marathon. He was the first recorded ‘marathon’ runner.
I would happily argue he was also one of the first journalists. His reporting of a key event saw the news travel far and wide.
The mileage he covered became a symbol for long distance runners and eventually lead to the creation of the marathon itself and the magical distance of 26.2 miles.
As a brief aside, it’s believed the 0.2 part was added in 1908 London Olympic Games so that runners could start at Windsor Castle and finish immediately in-front of The Royal Box in Central London.
Anyway, the point of the Story of Pheidippides highlights how news is crucial in allowing us to respond quickly to unfolding events.
The town crier at the village gate may spark everyone’s primitive brains into action, but, in doing so, those who would heed his warning were able to rapidly respond to impending disaster.
It’s easy to look at anecdotal evidence showing that news might have an adverse effect on some people’s mental wellbeing.
In other words, some clients may find themselves in a perpetual state of alertness which, in turn, causes their primitive brains to start to overreact to certain situations.
As a hypnotherapist, your skillset will allow you to rationalise potential negative perceptions to events – and provide a suitable response for a client.
‘A problem is a nuisance wrongly considered’
Putting things into perspective can be a useful when we look to see what evidence supports the primitive brain’s response to a problem, which, perhaps, can be seen as being more of a nuisance than a real issue.
When we engage our pre frontal cortex then we tend to find there is no reasons for us to conclude that the worst case outcome will become a reality.
That said, we sometimes need the help of a qualified therapist to be able to see the reality from the fiction.
Constantly reading ‘worse case’ outcomes in the daily newspapers and allowing it to have a ‘dripping’ effect on your subconscious probably won’t be helpful for our wellbeing – unless we consciously put things into perspective.
Looking back to my earlier metaphor and it’s also true to say that we should heed some of the warnings provided by the Town Crier.
In other words, the primitive brain sometimes gets stuff right! It’ll rapidly respond to the snake slithering across the floor which is useful in the wild but, perhaps, less so when we see it on the telly.
At a practical level, a smoking client who’s come to see us as they recognise the health issues around smoking is, perhaps, listening to their own subconscious mind.
By responding with calmness and reassurance then we can help put someone at ease. In other words, we can normalise some situations and stave off feelings of ‘catastrophising.’
To do so means we need to ‘practice what we preach’ and ensure our own ‘stress bucket levels’ are nice and low.
Reciprocal treatment with a colleague can be beneficial, or, perhaps, you can have your own supportive regular ‘anchor point’ with a supervision session. Either will allow you to have a positive dose of some TLC!
Whatever you decide to do, it’s good to remember aspects of your training can really help you as you approach the next month in a calm, confident and relaxed manner.