Images coming out of Palestine/Gaza triggering me

18+ please I've been following the genocide in Gaza for the past 3-ish years now and thought it was important to see the horrific things that my government and governments across the world fund and approve of. I've seen a lot of disturbing things, including dead bodies, because again I thought it was important to be aware of the crimes committed by my government, I never went out of my way to view these things of course, I just followed accounts that would post about Israel's crimes but I unfollowed them because they were triggering me a lot more recently, I feel awful for this but I couldn't stop panicking and having basically every OCD symptom everytime I saw something disturbing and some of the images were of malnourished kids in nothing but diapers that made me incredibly uncomfortable. I realise this is in an effort to document Israel's crimes against humanity but I really really hated seeing these images and the intrusive thoughts and groinal responses they caused and I was reminded of this when someone retweeted a fundraiser onto my feed and the person posted an image that made me incredibly uncomfortable of presumably their malnourished kid just wearing a diaper so I didn't retweet it but then that made me feel just as bad for ignoring a family in need so I went back to the post and didn't look at the image but retweeted it but now again, I'm panicking and don't know what to do, I want to help these people but I feel disgusting for retweeting the image even though I think it's my OCD that's making it weird but I just want it to stop

KathyF

Date posted: 7d

I have gone through something similar. I thought I could handle certain photos and videos. Only for the images to wreak havoc in my mind long after I saw them. I decided to stop looking at those things for my own peace of mind. I want to encourage you. You are not a bad person if you don't share the images. You may consider finding legitimate organizations that help the causes you care about. Oftentimes, they won't post horrific photos but will share ways you can make a positive difference.

#Lexiriri

Date posted: 5d

@KathyF I want to add to this you are not a bad person if you take a small break from looking at the news. There is a lot of awful terrible shit going on in the world right now and the news reports aren’t going to disappear if you don’t look at them for a day. Staying informed is good and it’s important, but don’t cause yourself harm for the sake of staying informed. I’m not saying completely ignore what is happening in the world, but you are allowed to unplug and breathe for a second, give yourself time to process what is happening. If you give yourself time to process what is happening in the world, you’ll be able to better serve the causes you care about when you come back.

sleepyfrog

Date posted: 2d

You don’t have to view the terrifying images and videos of a genocide to show that you care. Nor are you obligated to share them. Agreeing with the previous comments, find an organization that aligns with your values & mission and support them. They will more than likely try to make a positive difference without feeling the need to share graphic content. You’re not a bad person for not wanting to look at death at every turn. I can relate this post a lot though because I often feel obligated to not avoid looking at those images when they pop up places. But a lot of the times, I can’t handle it. So, I think of other ways to try and support Palestine. You’re a good person and you’re doing the right thing. It’s going to be okay, promise.

hearts444me

Date posted: 2d

I'm not gonna lie I'm pretty sure I've had the same exact intrusive thoughts about the same situation in Gaza. But I've gotten, to the point where I've made peace with the fact that sometimes the most disgusting and horrific thoughts and images just pop up in my mind sometimes for no reason. And now I'm not even bothered by them. It's not a big deal.

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