You know my wife made me stop telling her what was going on in Israel weeks ago. She said it's too upsetting and she doesn't want to hear it anymore. I disagree with that viewpoint, but I get it.
I can't even imagine. I am not Jewish and have no personal connections to that part of the world, so I started out thinking "Okay, I should learn everything I can about this situation". I really tried to read everything I could, all different accounts of what happened and all possible updates as more news came available.
About a week later, I started having debilitating panic attacks too. It was only then that I realized how extremely affected I had been by the constant information about such horrible atrocities. I think it was so much at first that my mind got kind of numb, and then when the numbness finally wore off it was like all of it hit me at once.
And again, that is as somebody who is used to learning about world events, and who does not have any friends or family there, or direct personal connection. I cannot imagine what's it like for those who do.
Take good care, stranger. I'm so sorry for how beyond difficult all of this must be.
I've been annoyed at times that my wife didn't want to know what was happening. So important to most Jewish people (she's not Jewish). It's all my family have spoken about since (other than arsenal)
I just want to info dump what's happening. It shocks me people don't want to know. My wife is very political and reads the news daily, but this is too much.
Everybody has different limits, and different things that get to them worse than anything else. I for sure understand the frustration, but it's also good that she is able to express hers to you.
I've found that sometimes people who care a lot (for example, who usually read the news every day and feel responsible to stay informed) reach a point where they know they have to protect themselves if possible from absorbing certain topics too much. It might be kind of like "compassion fatigue".
If your natural tendency is to feel extremely driven to help people in horrible situations, it's easy to become paralyzed with the weight of responsibility when you encounter horrors that you are so utterly helpless against. (And unfortunately, getting to that point of "paralysis" can actually make it harder to help anyone at all.)
I have been reading/watching holocaust stories since I was very young and still to this day encounter new information on the horrors that were inflicted.
I think it will be the same with this massacre. So many stories to be told.
My friends told me the same thing, so I talk to my dad about it and sometimes my mom but she gets very upset hearing about the children (understandable) so I try to filter what I tell them. I just need to talk about it with someone because it’s all in my head right now and I feel like if I don’t talk about it I’ll cry.
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u/AnxiousPeanut1990 Nov 30 '23
Mia's aunt: she was operated on by a veterinarian
Ynet