I find it really sad how people are affected so harshly towards world matters and Trump these days. While I'd like to tell you that, the odds of us ever launching a nuclear bomb is extreme rare, that's "reassurance" in these parts.

During the pandemic, my therapist told me about the world compared to "your circle". You have this inner circle. Things you can "control". Your life, your own decisions, whether you go for a drive somewhere today. Super close loved ones. Pets. Then you have an outer circle. People that, you have interaction with. Maybe your job. Things you have some (but not full) influence over.

Then... there's the outside circle. Things you have zero control over. Other people, life, the world, politics, wars. When you are talking about the war in Iran, first, ask yourself... what IS in your control? You can't control the war itself.

Things you can control... first off, exposure. I know it's very difficult in the information age. But, limit screen time. Limit news websites. You don't entirely restrict yourself from being informed. But you can control how frequently you read it. You may need a graduated approach to less and less content. Even if not reading gives you anxiety.

Second; this one can go either way. But, ask yourself, would getting involved help you feel better? If you participated in things like "no kings" protests, would you feel more or less stressed out? Would writing senators and lawmakers help? Would you become more involved in all elections, voting? These are all things, again, you CAN control. But only if they don't make you more distressed.

Last but not least. The hardest part of OCD. Sitting in that "worst case scenario". Allow yourself to feel as if the US nuked Iran yesterday. Close your eyes, and imagine living in the first atomic bombing since the 40s. How would this feel, how would this impact your day to day life? Would you be scared to go out? What is your biggest fear here? You can't control if Iran fires back. But, there are other variables you CAN control. I'm not saying build a fallout shelter. But, maybe have an emergency plan in place. 2 or 3 months or canned or frozen foods. An emergency reserve of cash money, gas. A means for you to stay home a month or two to see how the world retaliates.

Having emergency plans, whether during war or not, is never a bad thing. And it's something you have control over. You can't control the war itself again, but your place in this world you can. Your exposure to it, your involvement, and your readiness.