Processing Feelings of Powerlessness in a Time of Unrest
There’s been a true uptick in political unrest over the last couple of weeks. It’s a lot to take in, and you may be feeling the powerlessness that comes with watching things unfold and not knowing what you can do about it. When we sit in our cars or on our couches, reading, watching, or listening to the news, the stillness of sitting and taking in a lot of trauma and heartache and not knowing how to respond can really ramp up the feelings of powerlessness.
Pause for a second and check in with yourself. What are you noticing? When you think about powerlessness, what happens in your body?
Trauma-informed news intake
Tracking national unrest in our media can be especially activating for people with a history of trauma. The feeling of powerlessness may be familiar to you, your body may remember other experiences where it seemed like something was happening to you and you couldn’t change it. In seasons like these, I like to think about trauma-informed ways we can be taking in the news.
Be mindful of how you’re consuming media.
How much video or image content are you taking in? Limit it. This tends to be more activating than reading a story.
Be boundaried about when and for how long you are engaging in news. It’s a common trauma response to feel like you have to read or listen to it all. The idea being, if I know more, if I’m more informed, I’m more protected. But this doesn’t always hold up. Avoid consuming news before bed.
Process with trusted people. Talk about what feelings are coming up.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed or overburdened by national unrest, talk to your trusted people. Just having someone witness your feelings with you can help you to feel less alone. And hearing someone else process their feelings might also help you feel connected to them. To have your hard feelings validated can help to soften the intensity of the feelings. Try identifying specific emotions that you notice and any sensory experiences associated with them, such as anger (hot? Tight chest?), disappointment (collapsed shoulders?), fear (chills, shaky?). Naming a feeling and teasing out how you notice the emotion in your body can help us differentiate from an emotion and figure out if the feeling needs anything from us. Your disappointment or sadness may need a listening ear. Your anger may need an action item. Your fear may need reassurance or a scan to see what in your environment helps keep you safe. This is a practice I do with any clients who are in a trauma response or very dysregulated. First things first, let’s see if we can help you feel a little more safe.
Feeling powerless? Focus on what you can control.
Just like above, naming and talking about your emotions, acknowledge the powerlessness that is a very real and appropriate response to a national or global crisis. The scope of what we can do might feel extremely small. And the feeling of powerlessness, the limited control, might also feel very familiar to your system. If so, this would be a worthy thing to process with a therapist.
But let’s shift for a second. Acknowledging the powerlessness that you still feel, let’s see if we can notice where you do have a sense of agency, power, or control. What’s within your scope? You have your thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and how you respond to them. Maybe you want to take action in an area where you feel more agency, such as donating your time or money. This could be directly related to the national crisis, or something that impacts your immediate community, like picking up trash in your local park, or having friends for dinner, so you can connect, commiserate, or collaborate. Take care of yourself and look out for one another.
Pause here and check in with yourself. What are you noticing in your body? See if it needs anything from you.
If you find yourself especially activated or overwhelmed lately, you’re not alone. It may be a good time to seek additional support for yourself. Consider reaching out about how trauma therapy can support you and your nervous system in times like these.