😭 When Tragedy Hits Close to Home: Processing the School Shooting in Tumbler Ridge

Yesterday afternoon, many of us here in Alberta were shaken by heartbreaking news out of Tumbler Ridge, B.C. A school shooting in a nearby community is the kind of headline that makes your stomach drop. Even when it doesn’t happen in your own town, the closeness makes it feel personal — close enough to imagine, close enough to feel unsafe.

If you’re feeling unsettled, heavy, or more anxious than usual today, you’re not overreacting.

This is a very human response to something tragic happening close to home.

Why Events Like This Can Affect You So Deeply

When violence happens nearby, your nervous system doesn’t care about provincial borders. It just registers: this was close. Your body may respond with:

• A tight chest or shallow breathing
• A pit in your stomach
• Trouble sleeping
• Racing thoughts or “what if” spirals
• A strong urge to check on the people you love

This isn’t weakness.

It’s your brain doing its job to protect you.

How to Ground Yourself When the World Feels Less Safe

You don’t need to have the perfect reaction to something like this. You just need gentle ways to bring your nervous system back into the present moment.

1. Step back from constant news updates.

Staying informed is okay. Constant exposure can quietly fuel anxiety.

2. Come back into your body.

Try this simple grounding exercise:

Put your feet on the floor.

Take 5 slow breaths.

Name 5 things you can see and 3 things you can hear.

This helps remind your body that right now, in this moment, you are safe.

3. Say it out loud to someone safe.

Even saying, “That really shook me yesterday,” can release some of the emotional weight.

4. Lower your expectations for today.

You might feel distracted, tired, or more emotional than usual. That’s a normal response to heavy news.

Holding Space for the Tumbler Ridge Community

There are no words that make something like this okay. Families, students, teachers, and an entire community are hurting right now. Even from Alberta, we can hold space for their grief. Quiet compassion still matters.

Sometimes the most meaningful response to tragedy is choosing to be gentler with the people around us — and with ourselves.

If This Stirred Up Your Anxiety

Events like this can wake up fears about safety and the people we love. If your anxiety feels louder today, that makes sense.

If you need something simple to help calm your nervous system when the fear spikes, I created a gentle resource with quick grounding tools:

👉 Calm Me Right Now – Simple tools for when anxiety hits hard

You’re allowed to need support — even when the tragedy didn’t happen directly to you.

You’re Allowed to Feel This

You’re allowed to feel shaken.

You’re allowed to grieve people you’ve never met.

You’re allowed to need extra comfort today.

Take today a little slower if you can.

Hold your people a little closer.

And remember: feeling deeply in a hard world isn’t weakness — it’s compassion.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in fear, reaching out to a mental health professional or local crisis support line can help. You don’t have to carry this alone.