How to handle scary ads/petitions that pop up?

Hey, so um, before I say anything, I’d like to say that if you get seriously triggered by mentions of abuse, do what’s best for you even if that means not reading this, your mental health matters. Anyways, idk why but over the past few months whenever I hop on sites like Instagram or Facebook for example, I get these vey graphic, violent and disturbing things that pop up on my feed as petitions to sign for to help fight injustice and cruelty. The message is good but they can get specific with what is happening like @n!mal @buse and sexu@l @ssault (I didn’t know if saying those words outright would trigger anyone so I tried), and it makes me spiral and have panic attacks with flooding intrusive thoughts, especially when it involves cruelty to animals and children. A part of me wants to block those ads entirely from my phone but my ocd is telling me that if I do that, I’m just as guilty as those awful people and turning a blind eye, so I try to not throw up after reading those things and sign the petitions. The thing is though, more and more pop up and it’s almost always worst than the last one. It’s at a point now where my family, friends and bf are worried about me and tell me not to engage but my mind won’t stop saying that may make me the equivalent of an abuser too or just a disgusting human being who doesn’t care about others if I skip whatever ad or petition pops up describing those things. Deep down I know it’s just my insecurities and fears getting to the better of me but a part of me can’t just handle this and I feel really bad about that, especially since it hurts me so much to see others suffer and I do want to help, even if it’s just a little bit. Anyone have any tips on how to handle this situation? I’m so so sorry if anyone is triggered and I wish you all an amazing and blessed day ❤️

Anonymous

Date posted: 12h

I just saw someone else posting who felt guilty because there are a lot of moral causes that need help and they can't possibly help them all. The solution is to choose just one cause to focus your energy on, and allow the thousands of other charities to pass by untouched. The focused, dedicated help of one person for one cause has greater impact than many tiny contributions to many different causes. So for example handling logistics for one charity's mailing campaign is more valuable than signing twenty different petitions. A lot of groups are hurting for dedicated people who can devote a large amount of time and energy to just that one charity. Whether or not they get a few extra dollars in donation, or an extra Share on facebook, is less important than having a member who shows up consistently to perform a useful role. Did Ghandi worry about helping every cause? No. He focused on one social justice issue, and he did it well. He could never have led social reform if he spread himself thin on every charity case that crossed his path. He was not a bad person who closed his eyes to a hundred problems; he was a good person who focused on one cause. This is all anyone can be. So my tip would be, use an ad blocker and adjust your settings to turn off all those random causes. Choose one cause that you can psychologically handle, and dedicate your focus to that.

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Date posted: 12h

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