World events

[daisymaisy]

Hi
I know this sounds really silly but does anyone else worry about world events to such an extent that they are totally paralysed by fear of the future? I got a bit of fixation with Russia/Georgia conflict and worried that this would spread. I just can't relax and things go round and round in my mind. I'm trying not to watch the news now and only read newspapers occasionally. I know its irrational and I can't do anything about it but that doesn't stop me worrying. I feel like I just want to run away to an island in the middle of nowhere where I would feel safe. I've got a wonderful husband who doesn't worry about this sort of thing at all and two lovely children, both grown up but still at home but don't want to tell them about my fears. Help!

[Mudskipper]

Well you're certainly not the only one, in fact I worried about this sort of thing long before I developed the health anxiety which plagues me these days. It's been largely dealt with by a course of hypnotherapy but I still get the occasional flutter, like a couple of weeks back when they turned on that large hadron collider thingy over in Switzerland. Like you, I tend to avoid newspapers and rarely watch television news either. I know a lot of people say you have to be informed of what's going on, but I can't see what good it does if you only worry like hell about something you can't change. Anyway, all newspapers and even the television news put their own "spin" on every story they cover, so how can you trust them? I don't, I ignore them instead. If it keeps you stable, I recommend you do the same.

Take care now

[Cathy V]

Like mudskipper, you'll probably find that alot of people have the same fears and worries even if they dont suffer with anx and panics. Theres not much good news around is there really? It doesnt seem to get to me quite so much these days funnily enough, though i do get a little bit wobbly hearing about some of it, but i do remember letting it really affect me when my 2 sons were very young and they're 33 and 35 now, and we're still here despite all the doom and gloom!

Cathy xxx

[Franz]

I worry myself sick about the world. It really isn't looking good and also I've done a lot of background reading about the underlying causes of what's happening, and it is not cheerful reading. In fact I think my worry about world events is as significant as my social phobia in making me feel so desperate.

I'd been trying to avoid the news and I had been feeling better for it, but I could hardly miss what's been happening the last 2 weeks.

I can't offer reassurance that everything's going to be OK but I can offer reassurance that you're not the only one who worries.

[Jaco45er]

Don't believe the hype!!!!!!

There has never been a contented world across the globe for thousands of years.

There is nothing going on in the world that hasn't happened before. Actually world event's ain't too heavy at the moment considering 60 years ago the world was at war and one of the most advanced countries in the world committed untold atrocities.

The only real impact the UK "man on the street" has to be concerned with (if you are only concerned with what affects you directly) is the ole carrot crunch. Rising food prices, fuel costs and the greed of the traders have combined to make living in the West a little harder financially in the last year or so.

That said, I wager not many people here walk 10 miles a day for muddy water.

Everything is relative, and relatively speaking the media sensationalise story's to draw us in.

In the 1700 and 1800's you couldn't walk through London with matching shoes without getting attacked or murdered, but we didn't have the News at 10 that is so easily and readily accessible to give us a NEWS FLASH in bright lights .

There will always be bad news, but there is always good news happening every day, but that's not news for the Media.

Keeping up with current affairs is a good thing, but you need to keep it all in perspective. Avoiding what's going on in the world however? well if we all did that nothing would get done.

Now Mock the week is on tonight, so after the news watch that, it cheers me up

[Franz]

Don't believe the hype!!!!!!

There has never been a contented world across the globe for thousands of years.

There is nothing going on in the world that hasn't happened before.

Jaco, I realise that given the nature of NMP, it's not useful for me to say why, but I have to disagree with you on this point!

[Dazza]

I stopped really watching the news a while back. The media are obsessed with negative and unsettling stories (often using sublimincal negatve messages and undertones).

It's because of the media that many people are even scared to go out of their houses for fear of being stabbed or the victim of a terrorist attack.

When I don't watch the news, I feel less stressed about things.

[Coni]

I am trying to avoid watching the news as well now....I feel the media have a huge role to play in all of this with sensationalism and the language they use, however although I know this in my rational head it still scares the living daylights out of me and makes me fearful of the future. I know I have no control over any of the stuff thats happening so now I make the choice over whether to listen watch or read the news and most times I choose not to.

So you're definitely not alone in this Daisymaisy. And Franz, your reply spooked me a bit....like catching a couple of words in some bad news but not knowing what is going on....only knowing a part of the story scares me and now I wonder what you know that I dont and Im tempted to google...and I really really dont want to do that.

Off to try some distraction now lol!

Coni XXX

[Franz]

So you're definitely not alone in this Daisymaisy. And Franz, your reply spooked me a bit....like catching a couple of words in some bad news but not knowing what is going on....only knowing a part of the story scares me and now I wonder what you know that I dont and Im tempted to google...and I really really dont want to do that.

Oh, I was probably just being melodramatic! Don't worry.

[Jaco45er]

Franz chap

It's within, recovery I mean. If you perceive the world in a negative way, then world will be negative.

Much like the lyrics of Second Nature by the mighty Canadian band RUSH:

Folks have got to make choices
And choices got to have voices
Folks are basically decent
Conventional wisdom would say
But we read about the exceptions
In the papers every day

I know the glass seems half empty sometimes, but faulty thinking will keep you ill.

It's all in the thinking