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How to cope with tragedy: the importance of finding a silver lining

WATCH: Psychologist Dr. Brent MacDonald joins Global Calgary to discuss the importance of supporting those in the community who may feel threatened following the Quebec City mosque terror attack – Jan 31, 2017

Coping with tragedy can be a hard road to navigate.

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Global News spoke with Calgary psychologist Dr. Brent MacDonald on Tuesday to get some insight on how to move forward.

MacDonald suggested that even during your darkest moments, it’s important to try to find a silver lining to focus on.

“One of the things that we find is really important from a psychological perspective is trying to find if there is possible means of finding some kind of positive,” he said.

Speaking about Sunday’s deadly shooting inside a Quebec City mosque, MacDonald said sometimes it can seem impossible to do that.

“This is a tragic event. We’ve lost six of our fellow Canadians, we’ve lost a valuable part of our community… where do you find the positive there?”

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READ MORE: Police search for motive in deadly terror attack on Quebec City mosque

MacDonald pointed to the outpouring of support from Canadians  and candlelight vigils held across the nation as an encouraging sign.

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“Hundreds of people are gathering here in Calgary, thousands gathered last night in Quebec City.”

WATCH: A candlelight vigil was held at Calgary City Hall on Monday in honour of the six people killed and eight others injured in a mass shooting inside a Quebec City mosque. Lisa MacGregor has details.

“The fact that we are so shocked [by the shooting] I think, is almost a good thing,” MacDonald said. “Because it shows us that these things don’t happen often and when they do, they actually do have a direct impact. We’re not so removed from emotional reaction.”
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READ MORE: Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette charged with 6 counts of 1st degree murder

Police and public officials are treating the incident at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec on Sunday as an act of terrorism.

Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, is charged with six counts of first degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.

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