Recent atrocities...

[Frank TJ]

What a terrible couple of days in the world… I don’t think I have ever felt this low about humanity. I am also of course wracked with anxiety… always looking over my shoulder, afraid I will get caught up in a similar atrocity.

But more so terrified that my loved ones are in danger. I have recently had a baby daughter and I am feeling completely sickened by the world my wife and I have brought her into. I just want to wrap her and my wife up in cotton wool! I am so scared that I can’t protect them when I am in work and they are out and about. I literally can’t concentrate in work sometimes because of the fear.

Anyone else struggling with what’s happened over the past couple of days?

[debs71]

Hi,

Yes, there have been some awful events recently. There are terrible things that go on in the world every single day, sadly. The truth is though, if we all sit and worry about what 'may' happen to us....if we one fateful day get caught up in something similar, we just would not LIVE LIFE or be able to function at all. Nobody can live that way.

I personally worry about things that are tangible, affecting my life now, and things that I may stand a chance of doing something about or changing. Bigger picture stuff, like wars, terrorist attacks, sieges, extreme political situations and such like are really quite fruitless and a waste of energy to worry about.

How can we change them?
If fate intervenes, how can we avoid that?

The answer is, we can't. All any of us can do is try to live the best life we can, surrounded by the people we love and who love us (ideally) and make the best of things. Stuff outside of our control could drive us mad with worry, and there is no point to that.

I think that when you have children or significant others, you naturally then worry about them too...especially your child/ren, but again, bar the protection and love that you give them, how can you change the world they live in?

You can't, sadly.

[MrAndy]

the people who do this are just lower than low,you can relax Frank because we do live in a fairly safe country compared to others.I travel the world with my job but I am always thankful to come back to the UK

[Frank TJ]

Hi Debs and Andy,

Thanks for your responses... these people are indeed sub-human. The events today in Pakistan have particularly hit home with a little girl of my own. I can't imagine the despair those poor, poor parents are going through. Utterly heart wrenching.

But I also don't want to let these people achieve their goal which is to instil terror, as difficult as that is. As you said Debs, events such as these are not worth worrying about if possible… I don’t think twice about getting in my car to come home from work or riding my bike to and from work, yet I am a thousand times more likely to face something horrible doing this!

The media can be all encompassing during events like this week, they make you feel surrounded by the horror. But as you say Andy, thankfully in the UK the likelihood of something like that happening is real but nevertheless unlikely and rare, despite the Daily Mail’s best efforts!

[MrAndy]

despite the Daily Mail’s best efforts!

thats why i never google or read the daily mail

[Frank TJ]

thats why i never google or read the daily mail

They may as well re-title the Daily Mail to 'The Daily Anxiety'

[MrAndy]

They may as well re-title the Daily Mail to 'The Daily Anxiety'

actually i sometimes browse it online because the made up stories make me laugh so much

[MyNameIsTerry]

Personally, I always make a point of reading some of the DM when I'm in the supermarket as it just makes me laugh as its so ridiculous. Any invasion according to them is likely going to be mutant giant rats from over the channel and the biggest injustice of it according to them is going to be the loss of jobs and lowering of house prices!

If Ebola ever made it over here, the DM would be complaining about the injustice of the loss of jobs for British diseases!

I think thats why the comedians refer to them as The Daily Fail!

The last couple of days events have been awful and lets not forget the Canadian soldier shot in a similiar event a few weeks back, the people in various countries also living in fear of all this, etc. This is the issue with religion, it can be a great humanitarian thing but it can also be a vile thing...and the common denominator is always people who are using it to achieve their own ends, not the teachings of their religion.

I like to think of it another way Frank, you are being compassionate & caring by thinking about the plight of these poor people because people who didn't care wouldn't think on it at all.

It can be a question of how intense your anxiety is too. I remember at my worst points I would find things like this triggering as well as any dramatic film/programme that started up excitement or tension. This does always subside when you gain more control.