TAMPA, Fla. — As the war in the Middle East continues, your mental well-being may be impacted as the violent attack was documented with video and pictures purposely to use as “mental warfare.”
“We live in an age where there is an overflow of content, media, television, radio, newspapers, social media included," explained Natasha Pierre, a mental health advocate. "And things are being shown and shared and discussed, that are not good for us mentally, emotionally, psychologically. So be selective in what you're consuming right now."
Pierre warns watching the Israel-Hamas conflict can stir up old trauma, especially for Veterans.
“I speak to veterans, and I tell them, this is not the time for you to be watching television, especially if you are a combat veteran. Because you know, and understand war intimately, you know, what's happening. Stay away from that,” said Pierre.
She advises parents to talk to their kids about the war and warn them not to scroll through social media apps. The main reason is that kids cannot un-see the graphics images of dead bodies or shootings of innocent civilians.
“Trauma, whenever the trauma happens whenever we see it or experience it, if it's not processed, our emotional growth is stunted," said Pierre. "And so parents really need to be mindful with all social media, whenever there are big events in the news like this. This is a time to you know, to monitor what your children are watching and viewing, because what's happening in them, they may not be able to articulate."
If you're watching the war and feeling sad, anxious, or depressed; Pierre believes you could be experiencing vicarious trauma.
“What you're feeling, experiencing, and processing belongs to someone else," Pierre explained. "Again, it's the helplessness of being hundreds or 1000 miles away and not being able to protect children to protect women. Being unable to have a say in how this is resolved."
So aside from staying off your news feeds and social media, Pierre’s other mental health tip includes talking to someone you trust.
“Reach out to your best friend, your best buddy, someone who's emotionally safe. Someone who can hold space for you just to share without giving advice, without telling you, ‘Well you're not there. No, just sit with me and allow me to process this with you,'” said Pierre.
She also recommends seeing a professional therapist, joining a support group, journaling, or going extra heavy on self-care.
“Self-care is anything that's going to give you more life, anything that's going to revive you refresh you, and allow you to get back to the life. And most importantly, stop watching, stop listening, stop viewing. It's not helping you,” said Pierre.