Mental health and genocide

This is a direct copy/paste of what I posted to workslack earlier today.

A couple of people have messaged me about this recently and, given Israel has just expanded its warmongering into Lebanon, I figured it probably makes sense to share this more widely.

Obviously, many people are struggling with watching a genocide occur and feeling unable to look away but also unable to do much about it and so feeling the mental health impacts.

Teen Vogue is always a good place to look for this kind of advice; they published “How To Cope With Watching War Unfold, According to Mental Health Experts” around 6 weeks into the current phase of the genocide, which has some really good advice, as does the (long!) article “Mental Health in the Palestine Solidarity Movement: Supporting Each Other” from some Australian activists. CNN wrote something a little more family-focussed around the same time: “How to protect your mental health while keeping tabs on the Israel–Hamas war”.

Personally, I find comfort in solidarity and collective action. There will be national protests in London and Cardiff this weekend to commemorate the anniversary of the current phase of the genocide. A reminder, especially for those of us in politically-restricted roles: we should do what we can to avoid being identifiable; given Covid numbers are beginning to go up again, a face mask is an easy way to achieve this.

Stay strong, everyone, and protect your mental health — you can’t pour from an empty cup.