How can i cope with seeing/reading about/ animal cruelty ?

Rory17

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Joined
Jul 2, 2017
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Age
29
Hi,
I'm a young animal rights advocate. I'm mostly vegan. I do a lot of campaigning on the Internet. With such, I see a lot of really disturbing images and read about upsetting things. I have mental health issues (Autism and anxiety). Here are some of the really disturbing things I've seen/read about/watched online (warning these are very graphic and absolutely not for the faint-hearted/sensitive):
* A cop that shot a Rottweiler whom he thought was going to attack him. He injured the dog first and the dog's person told him to go and kill the dog.
* At least one raid on premises where fighting dogs were kept.
* Images of dogs to do with the dog meat trade (dogs crammed into cages, dogs being slaughtered, an image of a dog that had been cut open, that last one is very disturbing).
* An image of a cat being skinned alive by two teenagers.
My dad once said about not looking at such horrible stuff, to do with my mental health. However, sometimes, I don't look at it for my pleasure. I look at it to sign the petitions and help the animal causes. I want to help the animals. Please don't say just not to look at that stuff. I want to advocate for them.
I meditate. I listen to hypnosis. I take anxiety meds. I do things that I enjoy (e.g sims and watching YouTube videos).
Please help as soon as you can, not wanting to be rude or upset anyone. Apologies.
Thank you to the moon and back.
Best Wishes to all,
Rory.
Have the best day and night ever!
 
hi Rory

Welcome to the forum and I hope we can help, even a little, although most of us are not qualified to do so.

My best suggestion is that you try to control your reactions to the images and the news in the following way:

1. sign the petition
2. then spend time picturing, in your head, the results that you would like to see
eg. Picture the cop, that shot the Rottweiler, learning from what he did wrong and going forward and being more aware and becoming an animal advocate.
Picture the teenagers realizing their awfulness and changing their attitudes and their actions.
Picture the dog meat trade, the chicken cow and pig meat trade, all gradually coming to an end and the world joyfully eating a plant based diet.
3. Send loving and kind thoughts to the animals in the images and also to the perpetrators of the crimes as only love can overcome hate.

Maybe this will help your heart to hurt a bit less.

hugs, Emma JC
 
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