UAE psychologist offers tips to safeguard mental health and keep PTSD at bay amid distressing news
A UAE psychologist shares practical ways to manage anxiety and news stress
Dubai: The past week in the UAE has been unlike anything most residents have experienced before. Sounds of jets overhead, the shockwaves of interceptions in the distance, government alerts arriving on phones at all hours, and a social media feed that seems determined to make everything feel worse than it already is.
It is a lot to process. And if you are finding it difficult, that is not weakness. It is a completely human response to an abnormal situation.
Clinical psychologist Ms Asra Sarwar from Aster Clinic has some clear and practical advice on how to protect your mental health right now, for both adults and young people.
Will this lead to PTSD?
This is a question many people are quietly asking themselves. The short answer is that watching distressing news or hearing alarming sounds does not automatically lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD typically develops after direct exposure to a life-threatening event.
However, Ms Sarwar is clear that repeated exposure to graphic visuals, alarming sounds, and fear-based content can absolutely produce symptoms that look and feel similar. Anxiety, disrupted sleep, irritability, and intrusive thoughts are all signs that your nervous system is under strain.
"When the brain keeps seeing the same distressing images, it continues to react as if the threat is immediate," she explains.
The difference between temporary stress and something more lasting often comes down to how much exposure you are giving yourself, and whether you are taking active steps to help your nervous system recover.
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Set firm limits on what you watch and read
The most important thing you can do right now is control your media consumption.
Avoid replaying graphic videos or audio clips. If something disturbs you, do not go back to it.
Turn off auto-play features and switch off news notifications so distressing content is not landing in your feed without warning.
Choose one or two fixed times a day to check reliable, official sources for updates and stick to those windows rather than scrolling continuously.
Avoid checking the news at least an hour before bed. It is one of the most common ways people end up with disrupted sleep during stressful periods.
Reset your nervous system after heavy news
After you have checked for updates, make a conscious effort to shift your state.
Ms Sarwar recommends what she calls a "reset." Step outside for fresh air, focus on a routine task, call someone you trust, or move on to something completely neutral. This is not avoidance. It is giving your nervous system the chance to return to its baseline rather than staying stuck in a state of high alert.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise is also very effective:
Name 5 things you can see
Name 4 things you can touch
Name 3 things you can hear
Name 2 things you can smell
Name 1 thing you can taste
It sounds simple, but it genuinely interrupts the cycle of anxious thought and brings your attention back to the present moment, where you are physically safe.
Helping young people who feel the future is doomed
For teenagers and children, uncertain times can quickly tip into catastrophic thinking. Social media amplifies this in ways that are very hard to filter out. Peers share alarming content, worst-case scenarios circulate as fact, and the cumulative message can feel overwhelming for a young person who does not yet have the tools to process it.
Ms Sarwar advises starting with listening rather than correcting. Ask your child what they are feeling and reflect it back to them. Something as simple as "it sounds like you are really worried about what might happen" can make a child feel genuinely heard, which on its own often helps anxiety settle.
From there, encourage them to separate facts from assumptions. Ask together: "What do we actually know today?" versus "What are we imagining might happen?" It is a gentle way to challenge catastrophic thinking without dismissing the fear behind it.
Keep their daily routine as structured as possible. Study hours, physical activity, hobbies, time with friends, these are not trivial things right now. They are anchors. A mind that has a predictable day to come back to is far less likely to spiral into fear-based thinking.
Remind them, and yourself, that difficult periods pass. Communities rebuild. History is full of moments that felt insurmountable and were not. Helping young people focus on their skills, their goals, and the things they can control gives them a sense of direction at a time when so much feels out of their hands.
When to seek support
If you or your child begin experiencing persistent nightmares, flashbacks, a strong physical reaction to sounds or news, or a pattern of avoiding anything that reminds you of recent events, it is worth speaking to a professional sooner rather than later. Early support makes a significant difference.
Aster DM Healthcare is currently offering free online mental well-being consultations via the myAster app for residents across the UAE.
Uncertainty is uncomfortable. But it is not the same as danger. And it does not mean the future is lost.
Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.
