School shootings have unfortunately become a prevalent issue in modern society, causing immense concern among both children and adults. The fear and anxiety surrounding the possibility of such a tragic event taking place in a school environment can have profound effects on our mental well-being. Despite the specificity of school shooting anxiety, it is important to recognize that it shares commonalities with other forms of anxiety experienced by people of all ages. The fear of the unknown, feelings of vulnerability, and the lack of control are all emotions that can be triggered by various anxiety-inducing situations.
In short, the initial step in this process involves laying down a solid groundwork which acknowledges the difference between possibility and probability (i.e. simply because something can happen, does not guarantee it will happen). We begin to distinguish between what we term as "scary safe" versus "scary dangerous," shedding light on the idea that our fears, no matter how intense, may not necessarily align with real, imminent threats - even though they may evoke very similar feelings. From here, we delve deeper into the realm of anxiety management by equipping ourselves with coping mechanisms to navigate moments of heightened stress and overwhelm more effectively.
Building on this, our focus centers on the notion that while the world may never offer absolute or perfect safety, it does provide a level of security which can be deemed "safe enough." By embracing the concept of safe enough we pave the way for a more resilient, empowered approach to navigating life's uncertainties. Generally, we want to validate that the world can be a very scary place and that bad things can happen. At the same time, we want to emphasize that (1) risk is an unavoidable part of getting to be a person, and (2) it is not the enemy. For example, car crashes happen all the time - some are big, some very small - but they do happen. If we let anxiety tell us what we can and can't do based on the idea that there should never be any risk, then this would mean we should never get in a car ever again. This would mean no more friend's birthday parties or dinners out with the family, because the car can never be perfectly safe.
With this in mind, think about how many times you have been in the car and been safe enough (meaning you made it from point A to point B with nothing overwhelmingly bad happening). This doesn't mean there is no risk, but rather, that based on what we know (e.g. cars are built by professionals to keep us as safe as possible) and probability (e.g. I have been safe in the car most every time up to now), it is most likely safe enough to get in the car again - and importantly, the reason we choose to get in the car (i.e. to take the safe enough risk) is because of the things we value more than anxiety (e.g. birthday parties, family dinners, etc).
In the context of school shootings, an undeniably frightening reality, the therapeutic strategies implemented are surprisingly similar to how we might navigate other forms of anxiety. Unfortunately, risk cannot be totally avoided. This said, we can more effectively manage anxiety by both recognizing what information is available to us in the moment and prioritizing what we value most.
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