Rescue in the tumultuous sea of emotions and the information flurry is the work of anyone who seeks comfort!

If you listen to yourself, now the vast majority will agree that they are in one way or another experiencing at least some internal anxiety. It is accompanied by some sense of disorientation: events, processes, and especially perspectives have lost their clarity. Thoughts are sometimes confused in the darkness, in the darkness of uncertainty. In general, many people 'wander' into the minds of unpleasant experiences or premonitions, which most, of course, are trying to somehow get rid of.

     Someone chooses to pretend not to notice any significant changes in their mood. Others try to dissolve unwanted experiences in the hustle and bustle of everyday, production or other worries or escape. After all, most seem to refuse to directly acknowledge the permanent or periodic state of their own depression or despair, giving in to vigor. Like, let's break through; have not experienced it yet. In this case, involuntarily gradually getting involved in the swamp of mass psychosis and / or panic, thereby exposing themselves to a number of quite expected consequences: from systemic mental depression and chaotic activity to the risk of becoming ill.
     By the way, at least an unusual and still quite right is the opinion of "God’s General" John Lake: "The law of fear works in the physical world as well as the spiritual. Fear causes the mind to be in a state of submission. When you are filled with fear, the pores of your body will absorb all that surrounds you. That's how people get sick with disease".
    And only some have the habit or the ability to state certain facts as they are in one way or another. That is, to acknowledge the existence of certain problems, to begin to take up their active reflection and discussion, counseling or something else. The latter is the first step to solving any current problem.

     One of the most ambitious in terms of its, so to speak, amorphousness, and on the other hand, the constant purposeful cultivation of problems is the information pressure that the lion's share of the population is experiencing.

    Naturally, some members of the community are, to one degree or another, aware that they are the target of permanent information attacks, at least that are amenable to information processing. But most, to put it mildly, fail to identify at least one of the key causes of their own internal imbalance, depression and, as a consequence, irritation, apathy, or whatever, depending on character and temperament.
     Naturally, such a situation is a significant source and cause of mass psychosis, perturbation of public opinion at the community level, and a sense of "fatigue" from life at the individual level.
     The question is what to do in this situation? How to protect oneself, your loved ones and relatives from the pressure of information? Otherwise, how can you effectively counteract the involvement of collective emotional disturbances or something?
     First, focus on your own feelings, identify them. This requires a few minutes to "remove" yourself from any interaction and cease any activity. That is, to be alone with your own feelings and experiences, as far as possible away from current stimuli, including any worries, sources of information - radio background, television, communication of others at a distance of auditory perception and discerning the content of the text. Next, it is advisable to say out loud what you feel and experience as if you were telling it to someone you trust the most.
     Secondly, ask yourself what has caused your excitement, what is it that you are currently worried about and why it is your concern.
     Third, try to be as clear as possible what the worst prospects you can expect if your fears come true. The key here is to focus specifically on your prospects, specifically your likely losses or undesirable consequences. Experiencing for the fate of someone else, the more abstract the subject, is a way of escaping from self-responsibility, a sign of unwillingness to get rid of fears and anxiety that are already familiar and therefore "native".
    Having done the seemingly simple, at first glance steps listed above, it is further worthwhile to understand, at least try, certain axioms of existence and to accept them as principles of current life.
     Man is an open system that requires continuous information exchange. This is a fundamental need that remains unnoticed under the so-called "primary needs".
     The information is far from exhaustive, that is, all that is allegedly raising the threshold of awareness, and on the other hand, can be meaningful and "digested" or "not digested", in this case causing mental disorders up to madness.
     Information is also all that proves to be the direct cause of any feelings, experiences and, as a consequence, emotional states.
     Therefore, in order to avoid the traumatic effect of various information that most "absorb" without subjecting to any "filtering", since the proper properties have not been developed, it is necessary to avoid sources of information, i.e. media, social networks, various gadgets, etc., as consistently as possible. Of course, in doing so, switch to sources of positive direct information.
     In particular, it is about interaction with nature in all its multiplicity and wealth of manifestations: walks, pets. Of course, friends and companions, but provided you avoid any discussions about allegedly topical and socially pressing issues, but it's time to work together, be it a game, a wasteland, a joint mastery of whatever it is and so on.

     Of course, the source of pleasant feelings and, as a consequence, emotions is our body, although the overwhelming majority, surprisingly, constantly stubbornly forget about it, especially with age and/or burdened with statuses and titles. Running, physical activity, games, walking on their own, as well as the body's fitness and the ingenuity of the mind revealed in this way are, in essence, an inexhaustible and always accessible source of pleasure.
     Meanwhile, of course, no one canceled the need to monitor the flow of events. But in this case, it is still better to obtain the information already provided by the accompanying comments and explanations, preferably by reputable people, and also presented as a sum of alternative considerations. In addition, it is worth making a habit of strictly dosing information that is too socially relevant, especially in time, that is, when and how long it will take to view news reports.
     Critical thinking is the main defense mechanism against the risk of misinformation and manipulative influence of information – the property and ability of a person to relate the acquired information (information) to the likelihood of its content being implemented in practice or in life in general. At the same time, an important factor in common sense is the ability and ability of an individual to relate information to a common understanding of its content in the community.
     Therefore, when you are disturbed by anxiety or other negative experiences, it is best to share your thoughts about your anxiety as well as how you relate to the information that causes it, with reputable people.
     And most importantly – more humor, some irony, including self-irony, and if circumstances require, – sarcasm. A smile is an indication that positive and creative information comes to the person.
     Otherwise, when you cannot focus on the positive, it is worthwhile to cause a willful and supportive smile for a while. The latter will lead to a reorientation of attention to sources of positive information.

Volodymyr Kaluha,
professor, department of international relations and social sciences