overwhelmed by worldsuck

There's undeniably a negativity bias not only in the media but in human minds. We're hardwired to be alert for threats. I'm not at all denying that there are good people and good things happening now. But the bad is very bad, and we do have to remain vigilant. Things get worse when people stop caring about making the world better. Things never get better or worse on their own; there's nothing cosmic about it. It's all based on the daily choices every person makes. If I had no reason for hope I would not be on this site, or taking action as a campaign volunteer. We all get overwhelmed at times (I was WAY overwhelmed when I started this thread) but we need to use worldsuck to drive us, not to give up. We have to see it clearly for what it is: not see it as insurmountable, but not see it as "not so bad after all." I'm certainly not ripping on anybody here. For the sake of mental health, everybody has to step away for awhile. But then we need to come back with a fresh perspective and fresh hope.

"Specifically to RDMercer: you really hit it on the head right there with what you had at your former home. Those kinds of deep personal connections are what makes life beautiful. When we are cut off from them, or can never form them in the first place, our psyches decay. You and your wife had something incredible there and I'm sorry you had to leave it behind. Working odd shifts is very isolating, and like many other things, it might be something you have to personally experience to understand. I did put in an application to return to school and finally finish my degree. "

I couldn't do shift work. It destroyed me. Punching a clock, and knowing that, in a factory setting, work was never "closed" and I could be called in at any time. I could go back to that industry and make more money, but I couldn't do it for long without it seriously effecting my mental health. Shift rotations kind of make you feel like a spectator on the rest of the world, which exacerbates the feeling of isolation. I'm saying, you may have more connections than you think you do, but the perceptions shift rotations cause may be bad filter or lens on the world for you.

Try to get out if it is effecting you. Hopefully you can try to trade up. I voiced my own concerns about isolation a year or more ago, and another poster pointed out how just pushing trhough day after day destroys our ability to think in creative and novel ways., which effect our earning potential and ability to come up with solutions... Which keeps us locked into the same rut.

RDMercer

Thank you, RDMercer. Mercifully my work isn't a swing shift, it's just second shift. Those swing shifts are brutal, especially if you have to be on call. The isolation and unpredictability make a personal life nearly impossible if you didn't have one established before entering.

I'm still working on connections. Most of them are purpose-driven right now with my involvement in grassroots-level politics. That is filling me with hope and obviously purpose. People working together for a common cause is very powerful and uplifting, and something that in my view everyone should have the opportunity to experience. Close personal relationships remain elusive but I no longer discount the possibility that I might some day attain them. Author and You-Tuber John Green's words really stick with me in this regard: "I thought I had failed, but I just hadn't succeeded yet."

You're certainly right that a situation that surrounds us can distort our perceptions. I have the tendency to fall hard in that trap.

I've applied for other places multiple times, and promotions or other positions within my current workplace, without success. I put in an application to return to school and I have that to look forward to. I'm now back on the path I never should have stepped off of when I was 18.

That's very insightful about how pushing through the drudgery of a day after day can destroy creativity. It's very hard to think of the future or innovation with a survival brain that's locked on getting through the moment. That would certainly lead to a positive feedback loop of remaining trapped. Right now I'm not feeling so overwhelmed as I was when I first posted this thread, but all these suggestions are valuable things to keep in mind if I slip back again. I hope other people who feel the same way can get the same benefit. Thank all of you so much. I love PC!

Serpentineleaf. I feel pretty much the same way . The world can be so overwhelming. That's most likely why I take naps to withdraw from the current chaos and especially DT getting off ie escaping impeachment. I believe Bernie will be our hero.

I find I have to periodically withdraw from paying too much attention to what you refer to as worldsuck. It will swallow you up whole, if you let it.

If I take a few days away, it energizes and sustains me. I concentrate on what rings positive for me---my small world---and do the good that I can within it.

The world can carry on without me for a time---this has always been the case. When I'm stronger, I can return and contribute in my own ways to the changes I see a need for.

Please do take care of yourself. You matter so much!

We all need to step away for a bit when we get overwhelmed. We have to not only accept but celebrate our humanity. Then when we come back we're able to focus more on what unites rather than divides us, and see that so many people are working selflessly for a better future. The loudest voices aren't the most representative ones.

Self-care and self-compassion are essential! But they're things most of us struggle with. Not enough people get told that we matter, and in fact, we too often get the exact opposite message. Thank you, MuseumGhost (SO many cool screennames on here!) And I will say to everybody here on PC: you all matter and you all belong.

I am dealing with a bit of this myself, right now, so I really do relate to what you're talking about.

I find as I go on in my struggle with depression that I can refine my approaches to things that previously looked like insurmountables...time and experience go a long way towards developing patience for this sort of self-care (which I think it is), and what kind of attention we pay to what troubles us.

It does help a great deal to know we're not the only ones who are so profoundly affected by alla this! ((((great big hugggg))))

There were plenty of times when the world sucked much more than it does now.
The difference today is that we are in an information overload ! The main problem in my view is that we humans may have evolved in many ways. But , we do not seem to be evolving psychologically, in an individualistic way.
Society and forward progress is out of sync with the human mind. As the great Carl G. Jung said , “ it all has to start with the individual “.

Hi @Serpentine Leaf


I think it's good practice also to limit our watching television news, especially towards bedtime when we tend to overthink; at least I do. We avoid watching tv docudramas because their content can trigger unpleasant memories and we go to bed with images troubling our minds. And let the world get on with itself.

Listening to the radio can be helpful because we are not bombarded with images. Radio can drone on in the background while we play with jigsaw puzzles or reading our current favourite book.


Self-care can be demanding at times, but reading is a relaxing hobby, and the book can be put down and returned to later.

When the sun is shining, then we can enjoy our creativity, be it colouring-in books shared with our children, or pootling around on a cycle or weeding in the garden. Our creativity is the most rewarding, even tending to houseplants and talking to them. And we don't need to sweat the small stuff.