Deleted.

a walk in the woods does help a bunch.

things haven't changed all that much, its just we hear about it 24/7 from all sides. so turn off the news, take a slow quiet outdoor hike (even if just a quieter part of a city park) and get back in touch with nature.

breath deep. life ain't so bad...

oh yes, and pet your dog!

I agree with Wiley Coyote on all his points stated.

The more someone tries to rush me, the sooner I turn everything off and go for a walk!

My question to you is how these events have affected you directly? I try and not fret over those things I have little control over and try to implement mitigating actions for those events that I can in some way influence. In all three cases (bombing, attempted poisoning and explosion), the events were localized and had no direct influence over my situation. While I grieve and pray for those affected, I have not let the events influence my current psychological well being.

Having been involved in emergency services for over 20 years, I attempt to compartmentalize adverse events and make every effort not to allow them to influence my daily life. Preparing for emergencies without dwelling on them, at least for me, helps me to focus on the positive and not the negative.

My 2 cents-
Pete

I occasionally think that I'm in a parallel universe, and that there is a distinct hard wire disconnect between the thought processes of others and me... then as Pete said, if you can't effect the outcome let it go... work for the outcome you can effect... I automatically delete e-mails from certain friends that I know will jack up my blood pressure

One of my CERT teammates was at the Boston Marathon. I'm pleased to report that she and her children were uninjured.

I'm directly and significantly impacted by some of the REDACTED going on.



This is a healthy attitude that I try to emulate with varying degrees of success.



Psychologically, preparing and being prepared gives me significant comfort, allowing me to sleep better at night. Some folks I have known have told me that they can't prepare because then they'd have to think about what could go wrong, which would be upsetting to them. I'll have to self-moderate again and not discuss how I feel about this attitude.

Different corner of the world here, but same sensory overload and the reasons are not very different.

My "bug out" action plan is :

- Work : working on new projects I haven't done before which requires all the brain storming and knowlege I can.

- Family: Daughter has math exam and I have to be homeschooling her.

- Home : Some plumbing and spring cleaning

Oh, and the garden ... enjoying a nice crop of tomatoes.

... and , off course, the never ending job of reviewing/upgrading the emergency kits.

Yes, horror seems to come fast and furious this week.

Turn off the television, get away from the Internet and take your dog for a walk. Always works for me.

And here's another option that scientists say may help for "existential anxiety:"


http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1440/20130418/tylenol-eases-existential-anxiety.htm


Tylenol Eases Existential Anxiety


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Sounds surprising, but I read it and yes, indeed, some researchers have found this effect.

Wish I had known this before I did my taxes last week!

But in all seriousness, it's definitely a time of a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world. Turning off, tuning out, and spending time in nature and with loved ones (including four legged ones) should certainly help ground you.

When it's something like this, that doesn't directly impact my life or my loved ones, my first step is to take a deep breath and break the news cycle - walk away from the news and stop the mental and emotional barrage. Second is to spend time with my kids and husband and reassure myself that we're all safe and sound. Third is to confirm that we're as prepared as we can be right now for the realistic threats in our AO, and that those threats or the potential for them hasn't actually changed because of this, even though it might feel that way. Rinse and repeat as necessary.