uh ... I did feel kind of like that way back when. Maybe not exactly like you because I thought if the system collapsed things would not be better if/when a new system arose. I thought it would be more like Mad Max. Anyway ...

I read an article about some research saying it was well-documented that people who read/watched a lot of news, read blogs, listened to talk radio, read fashion magazines or watched a lot of crime shows had far more anxiety, pessimism and low self-esteem than people who refrained.

The article suggested taking a two week break from all news and talk radio, magazines and crime shows on TV. I did it. Cold turkey. It was hard at first. I think I actually went through withdrawals. But pretty soon ... that free-floating feel of impending doom left me. I became more optimistic. My self-esteem and esteem for others increased dramatically.

I consider myself a well-informed person, but I now pick and chose what I care to research instead of carelessly allowing any kind of ranting and raving media to invade my brain space.

Lately, there have been a number of articles saying research shows that the more people participate in Facebook, Twitter and similar social media, the worse they feel -- self-hate, anxiety, depression. They see everybody else's fabulous lives and feel inferior. Well, those fabulous lives may not be so fabulous, but the low self-esteem that comes from looking too much at other people's fake lives is real.

This site is the closest I come to any social media. I come here because, well ... people seem really nice and caring in a sincere way. My experience with this on-line community seems to parallel my experiences in "real life." Some of the kindest people I've met have various mental disorders. Sometimes they have really hard times, even have to be hospitalized. It's as if their own experiences with adversity give them a more compassionate view of other people.

Hellion, there really are a lot of caring people out there ... and right here. I don't want the system to collapse because many of the people I know depend upon the system and they'd probably be the most vulnerable in a Mad Max world. I'd rather work to make the system better than work toward tearing it down ... for the sake of my many friends who depend on the system for basic shelter, food, warmth, clothes, medical care, therapy, and a few bucks in their pockets. Very few. But a few.

Taking a break from the media, a short two weeks, helped me a lot. I hope you will consider it as a possible option. Maybe then you'll decide that summer is coming.