Particularly - America.
I personally have found that, I live in the past to cope. Nostalgia is my drug. It sometimes doesn’t help because all it does is that it makes me yearn and beg for things to be back to where things were. Because it warps my mind into opening time capsules whenever I watch an old show or listen to an episode of some niche radio show that long stopped producing new material.
However, it helps because, it at least reminds me that there are some things that I can revisit. If I couldn’t revisit anything, play the games I played, read the books I read, watched the movies/shows I used to, then I’d be up shit’s creek because I’d have to face the fucked up things people consider what are the ‘best that’s offered’.
Therapy.
I saw my need for therapy coming over a year ago, and wait was so long I didn’t get therapy started until October.
That and I am hoping to start writing. A blog of some sort. Help me think through everything in a way that might help the two or however many readers I manage to gather.
Try and see the optimistic side of things. Like, maybe if Trump and his ilk are successful, they truly will try and make things better for the world. I know it’s a long shot, but what the fuck else can I do?
I attempt to ignore it…
Ignoring the US news is the only way I maintain my sanity. Focus on things I can change, and control. I tried staying within the US laws to affect change, to no avail. Now have to support those I can, and protect me and mine.
Stoicism.
It does not make sense to worry about things outside my ability to change. Humanity has survived significantly worse. All I can do is prepare, run, lift weights, and whatever else can be useful.
Weed
sounds like you’re doing a decent job of managing what you’re using your brain for pretty well
i avoid most news and focus on my own day to day and look to make progress there. i stay informed but realise i’m just doing my little part and don’t allow things that are not in my control to affect my mental health
Poorly, to be perfectly honest.
tonight im drinkin but normally fantasy but I can’t allow myself much outside of bedtime. Like here is a nice one. Wouldn’t it be great if that cigar shaped extra solar object had uploaded us all to a simulation and destroyed our more polluting constructs and the worlds biosphere were actually healing now. Would be nice.
Planet will be fine but that’s like a couple million years in the future. Don’t worry, our sun has billions of years before it expands and consumes our planet.
Nom nom
yeah but all the species won’t be and its already to late for some. aaaannnnd im reading the nom nom part and putting it together.
Alcohol
There is always something going on. The world is always falling apart. The locations just vary.
In other words, this too shall pass. Do what you can to make the world a better place, survive, and let go of what you cannot control. Can’t carry the world on you shoulders all the time. Sometimes it has to save isself or deal with the consequences.
Weed, psychedelics, gaming, and my least/most favorite alcohol (work in progress, it’s complicated).
If you’re upset or feel bad, just do what you can and hang on. If you make it through a year, a month, a day… thats a victory. Thats doing something. Things won’t be like this forever. Nothing lasts forever.
We don’t have to go back to the previous status quo after we weather the storm either. We can make things better for all. Don’t let the tiny box thinking people with low standards convince you otherwise.
I take a different approach.
I more lean into now than on a faded memory skewed by time and misremembering. Don’t get me wrong, I like nostalgia too, but I’m careful to not get too wrapped up in it because those good times were also found while wading neck deep in bullshit then too. Not to mention, my world view was much more naive, less discerning, and simplistic.
This isn’t the world I grew up in, but just like then, there are good times to be found now. I just have to open myself up to them in spite of myself because of my natural tendencies toward a realist/pessimist view.
I remember when the worst president in the history of the United States lied enough to invade Iraq again. And then he was reelected!
That practice round of excruciating righteous indignation took some of the sting out of being reminded that Americans are not my favorite voters.
One thing I’ve been doing is doing random online classes instead of doom scrolling. There’s a ton of free ones that you can do at your own pace and spend an hour or two each day learning new stuff. Just generally being more mindful and curating my media inputs and replacing algorithmic rage inducement with better stuff. Here’s a few examples, but there’s tons all over the web:
Oh look. I’m not the only one. Additionally I started reading (I would say “again” but that would be a lie) and engage in smaller social circles instead of the global rambling. It’s actually been a nice experience so far. Sadly the reality around me still exists though but nothing I can do
I found that not caring about what happens in the world beneficial to my health. It’s a lot less burdensome when I’m not worrying about what X person is doing or what Y company is doing to their customers.
As a corollary, not doomscroling social media and news articles helps immeasurably. Seriously, stop it, it is not good for one’s health.
Spend more time doing things you enjoy.
Not well
