FORT WORTH (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) - With no football or baseball on television, Pete Moore did not expect much of a crowd this past weekend at Bobby Valentine Sports Gallery Cafe in Arlington, Texas.

But the place was packed. "I think people are starting to get on with their lives," said Moore, the restaurant's manager. "People want to be around other people and talk. It's kind of their own little therapy."

At a time when many are experiencing the psychological fallout from Tuesday's terrorist attack, getting on with life may be the best medicine, mental health professionals say.

"We have to move forward," said Dr. Laura Young, a psychologist with the National Mental Health Association. "It's the only way we'll get through this as a nation, as communities or as individuals."

Mixed feelings are to be expected now, said Dr. Joseph Burkett, medical director of Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County, Texas.

"People will have moments, or even days, where their mood is OK and they may even feel happier," he said. "Then they may have reflective or anxious times. But gradually, the sad times will become less frequent and less intense."

By focusing on productive outlets such as hobbies, sports or meditation, people can pull themselves out of feelings of helplessness, Burkett said.

"One of the most important coping strategies for a lot of people is to turn to their spiritual roots, where they might find some answers," he said. "Psychology doesn't answer this kind of thing."

For most people, it's time to turn off the television, Young said.

"You're not doing anybody a favor by staying up until 3 a.m. watching TV or being in chat rooms," she said. "It is useful to be talking and processing what happened, but not to the point where it interferes with being healthy."

The long-term effect of repeatedly watching the attack on the World Trade Center is difficult to predict, Young said. But people could be affected weeks or months from now.

Fear of another terrorist attack is not going away anytime soon for many people, but as they get on with their lives, anxiety should ease, said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, a psychiatrist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. If worries persist, they should seek professional help, he said.

Copyright 2001 The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All rights reserved.