The history of human beings hurting each other has never stopped.
Recent violence has been frequent.
Both the media and the public are adept at leveraging social platforms. For example, scary pictures, murder scene videos and even live broadcasts to record and report some hot events in real time.
Reports of these hot events have been conveying to us stories and images of suffering of all kinds.
During this time, looking at reports of violence and injuries has become a common practice for many people after getting up and before going to bed. The various voices that appear on the Internet are also seen more by us.
So far, I believe that most of us have been exposed to a lot of shocking video materials more than once, such as people who are on the run, blood stains left at the scene, and broken and dilapidated buildings.
This kind of exposure may not be what we want a lot of times.
Sometimes, we're just casually browsing posts on a social network and end up pushing a painful story about where and where violence happened.
1. How will "violent pictures" affect us?
There is plenty of evidence that trauma affects not only those who are experiencing it, but also those who are exposed to it.
Part of the reason is because humans are empathetic and social beings.
First responders, refugees, journalists, etc., although they have not experienced direct trauma, can still be affected by indirect contact.
Journalism is a way to indirectly engage with trauma, especially video news, because the truth is very substitutionary.
Studies have shown that exposure to news of terrorist attacks such as 9/11 can cause adults and children to have varying degrees of emotional responses, including but not limited to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Constant exposure to horrific news and images can also numb and desensitize people. This means that some people may become accustomed to being exposed to these horrific images for a long time.
What can we do to protect ourselves and our children from terrible news images?
2. How to protect yourself?
While getting information to reduce the negative impact, here are some practical methods for your reference.
1. Reduce exposure to negative news
People can also consciously limit their focus on negative news. Just understand what's going on.
If you already know about it, don't search for pictures or videos anymore; If you've already watched the pictures and videos, there's no need to revisit them over and over again.
Studies have shown that spending hours a day browsing news stories that track traumatic events can create mental stress.
You can watch the news once or twice a day and know what's going on in the world, and that's enough. In general, the content of news reports in different time periods is similar.
2. Reduce exposure to news reports with strong emotions.
The news media is born to report to the public "what is happening in the world", but it is inevitable that the reporter will have a strong subjective emotional color in the narrative process, especially when reporting disastrous news.
Reading news reports has less impact on the mood swings of the masses than watching TV and listening to the radio.
If you choose to watch TV or listen to the radio, choose as much as possible emotionally stable, relatively neutral and objective reports or voices.
3) Don't spend hours looking at images that make you miserable.
The pain you feel is not the same as that of the victims, nor does it alleviate their suffering, so you don't have to blame yourself for not paying attention to these tragedies continuously.
4. Give yourself a little rest.
If you really can't restrain yourself, at least give yourself a few hours to rest.
5) Don't ignore other positive news.
Continued focus on disastrous news can make you cognitively desirable.
6. Correctly recognize the limits of what you can bear.
In the face of the same news, everyone's sensitivity and vulnerability are different.
7) When you feel negative emotions such as anxiety and sadness, you should realize that this is a normal reaction of a person when facing the pain of others.
You can choose activities that allow your emotions to calm down and divert your attention. Like myself, I would choose to do some high-intensity exercise.
8. Talk to others
If your mood is difficult to calm down, you can talk to your lover and see how they handle it.
If necessary, you can also go to a professional for consultation.
3. How to protect your child from harm?
Exposure to disastrous news and images can do huge harm to children.
Especially for younger children, constant exposure to these kinds of things may give them the illusion that "these things keep happening."
The following points can reduce the negative impact on your child:
- In front of your child, don't show too many negative emotions. Remember that parents are the best teachers for children to understand the world.
- Limit your child's exposure to news based on their age.
- When children are exposed to terrible, disturbing news, explain it to them in a way they understand.
- Emphasize to your child that they are safe. For younger children, you can explain to them that these things are not happening around them.
- Don't shy away from your child's questions and think of it as an opportunity to give your child an age-appropriate education.
- Seek professional support if necessary.
Of course, we can also reduce the trauma caused by these negative news by helping others, especially those affected by the disaster.
Sadness, anxiety, anger, frustration, these negative emotions can be alleviated by donating money or participating in volunteering.
Participating in such activities is also equivalent to teaching children a lesson in responding more maturely and altruistically to the suffering of others.
Of course, we oppose all violence and believe that justice is never absent.
Author | Melody（181）
Proofreading | A cup of coffee In English mental compilation group wind chimes
Edit | A cup of coffee All Media Editorial Board Editor Shallow Yun