I measure every Grief I meet
With narrow, probing, eyes –
I wonder if It weighs like Mine –
Or has an Easier size.
— Excerpt from Emily Dickinson’s “I measure every Grief I meet”

It's human nature to pay attention to tragedy. We see it when driving on the roads and traffic backs up because people can’t help but slow down to view the accident. Where there’s tragedy, danger, and threat, the after-effect of trauma is often not far behind. What’s curious is how people in the face of tragedy, as onlookers or witnesses, become laser-focused on the accident, the bomb, or the loss of life. Is the lure partially due to the emotions felt and elicited from such tragic sightings, even if they are seen through the lens of social media? Perhaps so. However, as news of one tragedy after another floods our social media feeds, it can feel like we’re constantly inundated with suffering. This kind of suffering, like a web of grief without relief in sight, is taking a toll on our mental health.

With the constant stream of news and social media updates, it can feel overwhelming to keep up with the tragedies and conflicts occurring around the world.

The recent events in Ukraine, Israel, Maui, the Middle East, Africa, and Iceland, can cause witnesses, both present and from around the world, to experience a sense of helplessness and emotional overwhelm. Witnesses may feel the need to view current news feeds related to the tragic and traumatic trends happening. Aspects of grief shadowing a person can play with their emotions and psyches in ways that are relentless. Sadly, having had a history of traumatic events or experiences, as explored in a Case Western Reserve University article in The Daily, “carries more psychological weight than positive information, which makes sense in evolutionary terms: We want to know where the potential dangers and threats are in our environment, and so our attention is drawn........

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