News events as triggers

[Dyess]

Does anyone else find news events triggering?

[woodsgnome]

I find much news triggering, yet I stay with some of it. Pure curiosity, I guess.

Depending on when/where I hear or read news (no TV), it either sets me laughing at the absurdity or close to rage and sometimes tears just to know some of this stuff happens.

When I hear certain topics, e.g. politics and religion, my inner  "hypocrite detector" is easily set off. I grew up within a religious outfit where hypocrisy teamed with physical/sexual/emotional cruelty to make for an awful childhood.

It's easy for me to spot the PR disguises (fake piety, holy writ, etc.) they have for shielding their power trips. The political borrows a lot of the top-down/screaming aspects used by religion, so those two can trigger big-time.

I'm noted for my history instincts, even managed a couple of historical sites that feature role-playing actors. But I absolutely detest wars--historical or present, and refuse to be fascinated with them, and am saddened so many get into that stuff, even "re-enact" battles and such (although I consider the civilian side of those times equally distressing).

While I didn't have a personal brush with overt war, I think the personal wars all around me (foo and school/religious types) were enough to colour my reaction to conflicts of any sort. And is why I sought a remote, peaceful place to live, to the point that a lot of the news I hear happens in another world, foreign to me. Good riddance. 

[I like vanilla]

I have generally stopped watching the news on TV because I find much of it triggering and much of it just plain upsetting.

I do, however browse the headlines on my local news webpages and read the articles that look important and/or possible for me to read that day. OK, I admit it, I also watch the 'fake news' programs and do follow-up on the stories the look important and doable for me that day.

[Dyess]

For those who live in the USA you know there has been a lot of coverage on Police Officer murders, mass shootings, killing of unarmed Marine's etc. I had 18 yrs. law enforcement, and firefighting, experience and some of my issues/flashbacks are from there. Plus I'm a Veteran. So childhood issues, plus Dad's suicide, witnessing my Grandfather's death, along with all this, leaves me a big pile of crap to deal with. Sometimes I think it's better to stay away from the news but then I need to know what's going on to protect myself. Vicious cycle.