Not the best of nights
I've had to deal with major anxiety for most of my life and today was one of 'those' days. It's usually unexplainable, it comes with my hormonal imbalance and all but sometimes there are triggers. It can be triggered by stress, fatigue or something someone did or said.
Today was tiring and the hot sun didn't help my case. I've done most of my chores and it's already bedtime where I'll need to struggle with insomnia before getting a few hours of sleep.
Just when I feel better than I did earlier in the day, I see horrible news online about a girl who trended two days ago and I'm even more anxious now. I wish I didn't see it. So this girl made a tiktok video where she was imitating a cult incantation or something of that sort. Then there was another video where the same girl was beaten by some cult members. She was stripped naked, some liquid substance poured on her and beaten mercilessly.
I thought that was it because I saw comments of how she would be released because she's a woman and how if it was a guy he would have been killed immediately. She was going through a lot already and was probably going to be gang-raped but I held on to the fact that she'd come out alive.
Now, I see she was eventually killed and chopped into pieces. I didn't look at the pictures or watch the video but I'm terrified at the thought of what's happened. How a seemingly harmless tiktok video led to the death of someone.
I don't blame her for making the video, she's not the first and whatever she said wasn't even shading the cult group. What these killers did is in the lines of them attacking people who wear 'their colours' or do anything that they think they represent.
Well, it's a sorry case I don't wish on even the worst person on earth. I'm super anxious tonight and I hope I somehow fall asleep despite this gory news.
That is a terrifying story. I feel almost like vomiting just from reading it. No wonder you are anxious. Years ago, I stopped reading the newspaper after reading a terrible story from Sierra Leone. I won't tell you the details because it was bad. I thought there is no point in informing myself of the horrors that go on. Rather, I am too sensitive and need to focus on the good things and trying to be part of the good when I can.
I don't know what you have tried for anxiety. There are many techniques that work for me including transcendental meditation (which takes some time to learn and master). But there are some things, like breathing techniques that can work more quickly.
You may already know these:
Breathe in and out from your diaphragm (belly) but make the out breath longer than the in breath. There is a scientific reason why this calms us.
Breathe in for a count of one, then out for one. In for two, out for two. On up to five or whatever is comfortable for you and back down to one. Repeat as needed.
Name 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
I hope those help a little. If you haven’t already tried them, I have found them surprisingly effective in calming my anxiety. I worked as a counselor for a while and these were things we taught clients with anxiety also.
By the way, I can relate to the hormonal imbalance. Oh, boy can I ever!
I really try to focus on the good things only.
Thank you for these tips, I was able to calm down with breathing exercises. I haven't used the third one before but I'll give it a try.
Wow, This is terrifying I must say, and thank God I am just reading this now because I don't know how I would have felt if I had come across this post late in the night.
My imaginations are already going far and wild and that alone scares me if my subconscious decides to store that.
It is a pity a harmless joke has led to her death.
Nobody deserves that...so sad.
That’s some brutal shit! Unfortunately with the constant access to this type of stuff it’s hard not to filter it out. Try to not read or look at these things honestly. It’s just causing you unnecessary grief. You have no control over that and unless you’re going to do videos like that you don’t have a reason to be nervous about it. The constant reinforcement of fear and negative emotions are something many get stuck in. We need to do better at just removing that stimulus!