By Lucy Bhuyan, PhD

Supervised by Erin Weaver, PsyD, HSPP and Maria Hanzlik, PsyD, HSPP

Sexual assault is a deeply personal event that is also shaped by structural forces, and thus it often becomes the subject of national discourse on how we ought to address sexual assault collectively. When sexual assault cases hit national attention, it is normal for those of us with a personal connection to sexual assault to have a variety of reactions. We may feel angry about the assault or about dismissive reactions to it. We may feel frustrated that others around us are seemingly less invested in the story. We may feel withdrawn or avoidant of the stories, especially if it reminds us of our own experiences of sexual assault. We may even feel completely numb to the news. All of these reactions are normal, but when they are more intense, it can be hard for us to go about our day. Below are some ideas for how you can take care of yourself when sexual assault is in the news.

1. Have compassion for whatever reaction you have to the news.

   1. There is no “right” reaction to have when an intense sexual assault case is in the news. People may find themselves angry at the perpetrators and those who let the victim down, hopeless at the prevalence of sexual assault and the lack of accountability, powerless to change this major social issue, or a reactivation of their own sexual assault experience. Some people may even feel numb to the news, which can often cause them to feel shameful that their reaction isn’t big “enough.” What’s important is not what you feel, but that you have compassion for where that emotion is coming from.

2. Negotiate your boundaries around social media/news.

   1. Sometimes, people’s emotions can cause them to seek out or share more content about a sexual assault case in the news. Other people’s emotions may cause them to instead withdraw and avoid social media completely. There is no standard amount of time that someone “should” spend time consuming news about sexual assault. Take time to reflect on what you want your boundaries to be. If you find that you are spending more time than you would like on social media/the news, consider setting boundaries for yourself by scheduling unrelated activities in your life (e.g., coffee with a friend, seeing a movie, or walking your dog) and putting timers on social media/news apps.

3. Identify a healthy outlet for your emotions.

   1. Emotions are information about an unmet need. Listening to what emotion you’re feeling can clue you into what your body is needing in the moment. For example, anger often means that you feel a sense of injustice, either on behalf of yourself or someone else. Hopelessness often means that you feel a lack of agency over the situation. Numbness or disengagement may mean that the situation feels too intense or threatening to approach head-on. Identify what the underlying unmet need is for you in the moment, and find a healthy outlet. This may look like discussing your anger about the situation with a friend, finding tangible ways to have agency over your body/environment (e.g., exercising, creating art, cleaning), or soothing yourself through calming activities.

4. Connect your emotional reaction to your values

   1. Emotions can also help to identify values. They may be speaking to how you want to live your life, or what kind of world you want to live in. Anger, hopelessness, and numbness are functional; they tell our bodies that what is happening in the world is not okay, that the problem feels so much bigger than us, and that this level of injustice should not be tolerated. Spend time to reflect on how your emotional reaction to sexual assault news is connected to values, such as justice, equity, or compassion. Use that information to identify how you can live your life aligned with those values. What are some small ways that you can contribute to making the world closer to the one you want to live in?

5. Lean on professional support

   1. If you notice that your reaction to sexual assault in the news is feeling too intense to manage on your own, that may be a sign to seek help from a professional. You can seek immediate help through hotlines, such as RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE), the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) or the National Suicide Hotline (988). If this is a persistent concern for you, then you may benefit from regular, ongoing individual therapy.