How you can help fight terrorism

6 Steps for Dealing with Fear After Belgium Attacks

How you can help fight terrorism
Artist unknown; via @ReeseWitherspoon/Instagram

The world is big and scary sometimes. Like today. If the events in Belgium overwhelm you with fear or despair, take a second to make the world small. Here’s how:

1) Turn off the newsfeed or tv. The news will not get better, so leaving the barrage of information and images for a few minutes will help.

2) Focus on what is directly in front of you. A picture on the wall, a house plant, the rhythm of your breathing. Make it something that is real, stable, and immediate. As you do this…

3) Consider the safety of your current environment. Not the safety of the whole world, not the city you’re in, just where you are, right now, in this moment.

4) Be thankful for the safety you have right now. Breathe it in.

Brussels street chalk

5) Offer a thought or prayer or light to the people in Belgium who are beginning the grieving process today.

6) Act locally to help. Find a way to spread some love today. Make this horrible act be the reason you put some extra good back into the world.

To be successful, terrorism requires a fearful response from those on the periphery of an attack. It has to create terror in people who are not only directly, but more broadly indirectly, affected by the act.

Try to not be subject to their attempt to terrorize you. Fear is strong, and it creeps up on you. But if you can make your world small just for a moment you can usher fear out.

When you recognize and understand the fear they’re trying to impose on you versus the reality of your safety you can take away their power. You can’t always take away their ability to act, but you can keep them from making you afraid of our beautiful world that is full of many more good people than bad.

Sending love to you and to Brussels.