Strategies for Coping with Trauma and Violence.

This past weekend the media was full of violence. Between the tragic Binghamton shooting and the shooting of three police officers shot and killed in Pittsburgh, (and that was only the weekend, we have several examples in the last few weeks of violence) it seems that violence is very much a part of 2009.
I write a lot about the relationship between violence and oppression, but this post is not about that. I realized it is rare that we talk about how we deal with hearing all these violent stories, how we deal with experiencing violence in our lives or how we cope with the trauma of hearing, knowing, experiencing and internalizing violence and trauma.
Reading, writing and thinking about violence so frequently gets depressing and I realized if I wanted to hack it in this type of work I needed some ways to cope. These are some of my strategies to stay positive:

1. Look at pictures of kittens and/or play with my very very cute cats. It has apparently been proven that there is a decrease in blood pressure upon the petting of an animal.
2. Work out! I am a fan of yoga, running, walking, biking and rock-climbing. I go to the gym at least 4 times a week. It has done wonders for stress management.
3. Read motivational books about spirituality and enlightenment and write in my journal. My favorite book to read for inspiration is Daily Mediations for People of Color by Iyanla Vanzant. I keep a copy next to my bed and go to it when I feel I need some positivity.

I realize there is so much work that needs to be done in the realm of violence, both physical and psychological and one of the ways I seek to find solutions is by keeping myself as centered as possible. I channel a lot of my anger at injustice into my writing, but sometimes that causes more anger and well, it goes on and on. It is a daily struggle.
What are your strategies for staying positive and centered?