The cartoon of a National Public Radio listener is a Very Sensitive Liberal who is easily "triggered." So it's not surprising their "Life Kit" blog-and-podcast project would decide their audience needed a coping guide for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As if Americans have it tough like Ukrainians right now?
On Friday, NPR's twentysomething self-care specialist Andee Tagle tackled "5 ways to cope with the stressful news cycle." You can tell just from their own illustration that when you're a Woman of Color with unnaturally colored hair, you might just be oppressed enough by society to be freaked out.
So take NPR's advice!
Breathe. If you’re feeling your body contracting or overheating, step away from whatever you’re doing and take a deep breath. Here’s a five-finger breathing exercise that can bring you back to the moment. Or if you want to take it a step further, try these meditation and mindfulness exercises for beginners.
Get moving. Do something that feels good for your body and helps you get out of your head. We’ve got lots of tools to help: whether that’s deep cleaning or comfort decorating to create a cozier space, tips on learning a new skill or jump starting your exercise routine.
Nourish yourself. The kitchen is a safe space for a lot of us. Maybe this is the weekend that you finally re-create Grandpa’s famous lasagna, or learn how to make a prettier pie, or maybe just lose yourself in some kitchen organization. Don’t have every ingredient for that lovely Deb Perelman dessert? Don’t stress — we’ve got you covered on how to make food substitutions, simple.
Stay connected. When the news is scary, it’s easy to get lost in our own heads. Reach out to loved ones instead. That could look like sitting down to write an actual letter to a relative, spending time with neighbors, playing (or creating!) games with family, or even taking the time to write down those generational stories. If your little ones are struggling to go to bed at the end of the day, try talking to them about the heavy news head-on.
Or sign off. Remember that it’s OK not to be plugged into the news. By turning off your alerts or checking the headlines once or twice a day, you may be able to feel more grounded and prioritize yourself and loved ones.
You can tell it's not profit-driven broadcasting when they say "unplug from the news, we don't need you for audience numbers." On the other hand, liberal radio pretty much is NPR. They dominate the space.
We live and breathe the news every day, so maybe we have a thicker skin. But if war scenes make you anxious, you should feel thankful you live in America and can freely skip to lighter subjects.
PS: The Daily Caller reports some people inside NPR hated it.
