Our lives are filled with war. War in the mainstream media, war in the social media, and war in the everyday conversations. We don’t have to live in the war zone to be profoundly mentally affected by war.
The social-mediazation of war began with the war in the Ukraine and shows no signs of stopping in this new conflict. From the first attack at the music festival to right now, social media accounts have been showing pictures of things no one should ever see, spreading fake news, and passing off old videos as proof of their version of current events, creating confusion, fear, and despair.
All of this takes a toll on everyone. Everyone, not just Israelis, Pakistanis, Jews, Muslims, innocent people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, as well as combatants. Everyone, no matter how far away or how distantly aware of the events, is affected.
In the Time Before Social Media, the mainstream media had rules that were mostly upheld, and they existed for the physical and mental wellbeing of listeners, viewers, and readers. What kind of rules?
- No sirens in radio commercials or normal programming, to keep drivers from possibly overreacting and causing an accident.
- No graphic images. Time Magazine tiptoed across the line in June of 1972 with the iconic picture of the naked little Vietnamese girl, fleeing a napalm bombing that burned her clothes off. That picture, shocking at the time, is nothing compared to what’s being shared five decades later.
- At least double-check and double-source information before reporting it. Triple-checking was considered the gold standard for reporters – get verified information to the public, not just unethically reporting information that came from one source with little thought given to the veracity of the source.
In the Social Media era, people can’t wait to be first to show a shocking picture of a beheaded baby, and they have absolutely no regard for how the people who see that image are affected. For mainstream media, there is a National Association of Broadcasters or a Society for Professional Journalists, or Pulitzer Center setting a standard for the mainstream media profession, though the rules have been relaxed a lot, and in many cases they aren't followed at all. A case in point is the reporting around the bomb that fell in the parking lot of a hospital in Gaza - most of the American mainstream media took the word of one side in the conflict, reporting their words as if they were the gospel truth. Days later, retractions were made, and were not nearly shared as prominently as the initial reports.
As if that's not bad enough, there is no “social media profession” and there are no laws, standard regulations, or suggested best practices governing the content allowed or disallowed on the platforms. There are influencers, inflamers, and imposters. There are bots and fake accounts and there is no way to know for sure whether the information you’re seeing is real.
Here's what is real: the overall mental wellbeing of people takes a nose-dive during wartime. The National Institute of Mental Health was formed during World War Two because the need was so great, and nothing has lessened the blow to our sense of wellbeing that war deals. People don’t like change because of the uncertainty it causes. People really don’t like war, because it’s filled with uncertainty, stacked on top of a layer of tribalism, frosted with fear. Humans being human, it’s normal to pick sides in a conflict, even one where they really don’t have a “side” of their own. That sort of tribalism divides friends, families, workplaces, and entire communities, and when tribes face off against each other, the rift is difficult to heal.
If you’re feeling a bit more stressed than usual, it’s likely due to the uncertainty running rampant in the escalation of the Israel/Palestine war in the middle east. There are things you can do to ease your stress: don’t marinate yourself in news coverage, do hide or unfriend anyone on social media who posts disturbing content, and focus on the things in your life that feel in control to you and bring you contentment, happiness, or joy. And for those moments you need something more, tap into the world’s second-shortest podcast, where I dish up 90-second chunks of mental wellbeing hacks like these every day:
Need help dealing with things you can’t ever unremember? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Want to spread some joy and don’t know how? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Having trouble finding your laugh? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
If you pray, please pray for everyone in harm’s way. If you believe in the power of love, send love to everyone involved, that they may find a peaceful, lasting resolution and safety for the people of the region. If you are feeling helpless, understand that most people are feeling helpless in the face of this war, and most people alive during other wars felt helpless, too.
We’re human, and one of the best human characteristics is to care about what happens to other people. Please try not to care so much you make yourself a casualty – decide on coping skills that work for you and put them to use in your life starting today. And if I can be a resource for you and your team, please let me help you...it's my pleasure and my passion.
PS...know someone planning a meeting, retreat, or conference that includes speakers? Please share my information with them. Thanks in advance!
