I'm having trouble sleeping because of Ukraine
Woke up around 4 am in a cold sweat, and rushed to my laptop for the latest news. Thank heaven Kyiv hasn't fallen, and the Ukrainians are fighting back courageously. Goddess help them. Goddess help President Zelensky.
Every time I check the news, it fills me with dread. The pictures and video clips are sickening.
Even though I'm not Ukrainian, this particular conflict hits me hard. My parents were Estonian immigrants. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may be next on that bastard's list, although they are NATO members. I have no close relatives other than 2 daughters and some grandchildren, but my only first cousin lives in Estonia.
For what it's worth, my DNA test shows some Ukrainian ancestry from way back. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that a well-armed military is killing and destroying an independent, democratic nation, at the whim of an evil madman. A madman with nuclear weapons. I hope somebody inside Russia can stop him.
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which is nearly impossible nowadays. Even phone calls with some family members ups my stress level off the scale--not over Ukraine specifically, but all the combined problems in their lives that I can't help them solve.
I encourage all who are feeling overwhelming stress to adopt healthy coping--get outside, walk, play with pets, talk to a neutral party who will help with perspective, make sleep your non-compromising priority refuge. For me, pup time, outdoor long walks, and sleep are the way I cope. So, I don't take those phone calls right before bed time.
Keep calm and carry on, all. 
And let your congressional delegation KNOW how much you support efforts to support Ukraine and NATO. Give even small amounts to trusted groups supporting refugees. Pray if you pray and send some good karma into the world--through your acts-- otherwise.
My ancestry includes a little of everything but as an anthropologist, I see it as a crisis on a humanitarian scale.
I have always been a segmented sleeper, four or five hours max in any stretch. I have to get up and manipulate my muscles so I can reset my skeleton and eventually go back to bed for another couple hours, it's why I'm on disability.
The tension I was suffering this past year made me decide, in January, to limit my exposure to the news. This war BS has thrown all that out the window at times. Some days I can't look away, others I make myself do something else. Cannabis helps a lot, I use it to remain calm and rational and at night, I use enough to pass out. Rather than drink alcohol and ruin my health, weed can be used daily with little detriment, it's legal in this state so I rely on it because it's affordable and it works. Sometimes I use the THC heavy kind and other times I use the hemp kind so I don't get high, just stay calm.
Anyway, I hope you can find something that will help you, if nothing else, try some lavender tea before bed, it relaxes you but won't make you feel groggy when you wake up.
I was watching the news last night and a complete feeling of helplessness and grief hit me like a ton of bricks. We should be doing more than just trying to get weapons in and waiting for Putin’s buddies to get tired of him and his BS.
I was beginning to wonder if good will ever triumph over evil, as we’ve been promised so many, many times. It sure does not feel like it right now.
I’m trying to take a break today. There is nothing I can do, other than recognize and be grateful for the fact that I do have some sense of humanity in that I am not immune to others’ suffering and I want to help where I can, unlike others on this planet. But helping here is difficult. Right now I’m going to research aid organizations and make a donation. And if the U.S. announces a program to relocate refugees here, I’m going to look into that, too. I volunteered to help Bosnians relocate in the 1990s — researching schools, housing, etc. — and it was very rewarding.
In the meantime, Wicked, please take care of you and your mental well-being. And know you’re not alone.