I don’t even know how to say this anymore without sounding like a damn broken record, but ever since Trump got elected in November, my mental health has been slipping. And lately it’s not just slipping. It’s more like I jumped off a cliff and freefalling toward jagged rocks.
I’ve done everything I’m supposed to. I stay active. I run 3 to 5 miles on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I exercise 3 to 5 days a week. I spend time outside. I touch grass. But none of it works anymore. It just doesn’t take the edge off like it used to.
I know doomscrolling makes it worse. I know the news and social media are built to keep people angry and scared. I try to pull away from it. But even when I do, I get hit from another angle. My girlfriend sends me political messages all day long, like she’s trying to convince me of something I already agree with. I’ve told her to give me some space, but it doesn’t stop. It’s like she needs me to be in constant panic mode with her, and I just can’t do it anymore.
Lately I find myself dreading conversation. I don’t even want to hear another human voice. I’m tired in a way I don’t know how to fix.
I thought retirement was going to bring me some peace. I’ve worked hard my whole life. I thought I had earned some quiet. Instead, the world keeps getting louder, and none of the things I used to do to cope are cutting it.
Is anybody else feeling this way?
You could try to get into a hobby. Something to pour some money into, an interest you won’t stop babbling about. Become a geek in something, anything. Is there something from your youth you enjoyed? To get your head completely fixiated on that topic?
I mean, you can’t do anything against what Trump does, so why not just ignore it and deal with the consequences once they arrive? It’s not like anyone can change his mind - better save that energy and brain power and use it somewhere else.
The point I would like to get to is that nobody can change what Trump will do, the only way is to deal with the consequences of his actions.
I think you have to take a real sit down with your girlfriend and try to explain this with her. I know she just wants to commiserate with someone, but if it’s damaging your mental health then it might be a better idea for her to find another political outlet.
Yes. I feel exactly the same way and nothing I do has any effect on it.
You have to keep telling yourself that truth and justice and love will win in the long run even though it appears they are losing at the moment. Over and over you have to convince yourself to have hope for the larger picture.
Some turn to religion and the promise of justice in the next life as that source of hope.
Others look at not just the rise of evil and willful ignorance in history, but it’s ultimate fall every time too.
Are we in for a long dark time, or a short one? It is hard to tell. Look for the little signs of hope in the news rather than dwelling on the tragedies. They are there. It is the only way to stay sane and keep moving forward.
Check out the posts by P.Terry’s burgers in Texas; the success Mamdani had in the NYC primary; the young folks who are still getting married; the judges who are even challenging the Supreme court; the people who are installing solar panels in spite of the royal proclamations; the people still trying to come to this country to work in our fields; the neighbors who put your trash can back in your yard after the wind blows it out in the street. There are way more good people doing good things than there are nasty selfish racist pigs. Look for and draw strength from the good. The evil will burn itself out.
I believe Trump’s dementia will soon render him unable to hold his coalition of evil together and it will collapse. I hope it is replaced with something more positive and not an equivalent regime.
Yeah I ain’t able to gaslight myself like that. None of this shit has ever won anything except a one-way ticket to humanity’s worst times and places. A deep cynicism has taken root and it will never leave.
naive bullshit thinking like this is how we got here in the first place…
I‘m mentally fine, but I’m worried - every single day. They only thing you can do is not to let it eat you whole.
Sport and touching grass is good start, but it’s not enough. Are you an American? Start planning how to get out of there. It will be getting worse, much worse. You can also think of stuff were you can do something to contribute helping others.
Curate your online presence. Get news from a mix of reputable news sources. Try to use your phone less. Do some journaling to sort your thoughts.
Personally I go more and more analogue recently. I write with a fountain pen in an old fashioned Leuchtturm journal. I bought an old canon camera und take pictures on film. I even bought a typewriter on a flea market for 5 bucks, but I haven’t used it yet.
The only reason I’m on Lemmy is I want to support a reddit alternative and I want to stay in touch with recent developments. And of course because of memes.
Are you an American? Start planning how to get out of there.
This isn’t a realistic option for most people. On an individual basis, it’s expensive and difficult if not nearly impossible for many people. On a macro level, there is simply nowhere so many of us can go.
What exactly is a realistic option for most people?
Nobody said it’s easy. It might be easier now than at a later point.
Macro level
So you’re saying better be quick and be among the first?
You are most definitely not alone. I microdose magic mushrooms to keep my sanity and avoid TV news of any sort like the plague.
I was never heavy into social media, so staying off of the major commercial platforms has been easy for me, and it’s been a dream. I quit Xitter once Musk took over and while I still have Facebook and Instagram accounts, I’ve removed all of my data and never look at them.
Stop following news. I’ve blocked news and politics related stuff on Lemmy too.
Also speak to your girlfriend. I’m not on any mainstream social media. My wife loves watching war atrocities on her social media feed and gossip drama. It has taken years for her to accept I don’t want to see that shit.
I can assure you you aren’t alone in this.
It seems in fact that your girlfriend is right there with you, but like it was already said here I feel you need to communicate it to her in a way that she actually understands that you are trying to limit your news intake because of your mental well-being. Maybe advice her for you and her to try to do it together or something? Like that neither of you would read as much (political/economical) news so that she wouldn’t even feel the need to try to alleviate her panic by sharing it with you, as I’m assuming that’s the reason she’s sharing her panic with you. Then maybe try to spread this “ideology” of sorts to your immediate surroundings, if all you hear there as well is just the doom and gloom of late-stage capitalism. Rather talk about good things, like the inherent beauty of ever-present life if all else fails.
Things that have helped me in the past with my personal mental health problems was to not push myself too hard to achieve beyond my current capabilities. If you feel worn down by everyday life too much maybe you can reduce the amount of physical activity at the moment? Don’t get me wrong running AND exercising 3 to 5 times a week is amazing, especially for a retired person and something I have never been able to achieve, but I still think it’s worth making adjustments as needed. But that’s up to you to decide if you feel that’s something you want to keep up.
Another thing could be community work. Current situation in the world seems hopeless on a grander scheme, but I have personally found much joy in volunteer community work, in my immediate community. I don’t know where you are or what is available to you, but I suggest looking into something like that.
And of course, as you know already, stop doomscrolling. I removed my social media accounts some time ago, but still find myself occasionally mindlessly scrolling the feeds on youtube and lemmy. Which is still just doomscrolling. The short-form video is one of the worst – if not straight-up the worst – drug I have ever tried (and I’ve tried several) for ease of relapse. Maybe look into private DNS providers and internet content blockers if you haven’t already to help you with avoiding the shit that’s out there.
I’m guessing there will be many people in the comments who share your predicament and will have other ways of alleviating, here are some of mine. Good luck!
You’re right to feel this way, our country is off the rails and it’s going to be bad for DECADES
No one is really interested in stopping it either. I mean we get a lot of dems wagging their fingers and saying ‘naughty naughty’ and sending out a donations request blast, but literally no-one is interested in stopping this decline
I suggest you do material things now to protect yourself. Make a plan for leaving the country because they are going to start disappearing people based on their social media posts before the end of the year
I hope you weren’t looking to get cheered up and most of the people in this thread are fucking clueless idiots that have never had to deal with mass social strife int heir lives and their armchair ‘Chin up, it’ll get better’ attitudes are exactly the fuck how we got here in the first place
Personally I’ve lost a lot of my identity as an American and as a human being as a result of the past 10 years. Donald Trump’s presidency and COVID19 really changed who I am and how I think of the world. As a child I never would’ve imagined how bad the ignorance is, and how willfully people dig themselves into it. I’ve realized truth is merely an illusion.
What America was sold to me as a child; the greatest free nation to ever exist, the bastion of democracy and protector of the world turned out to be a complete lie. Turns out we were the perpetrators, the slavemasters, the financial dominators, and the war mongers the whole time. I look at my fellow citizens and I can’t see the commonalities anymore. I don’t know what to believe at this point. I’m not sure if there’s much worth believing in.
Lately I’ve just been adrift, letting the motions wash over me. Drugs are a lousy blanket.
This is really it, my entire worldview was shaken and is adrift. There was other non-COVID stuff around that time for me that intensified it, too. I look at that person from 2019 and feel like she is a stranger.
I remember waking up like the morning after election day in 2016 and was shocked why a competent woman lost against some bussinessman who was never in politics (this was way before I fully understood politics), I was rooting for Hillary to become the first woman president, I was already feeling very egalitarian at the time, and also because she’s a Democrat. Also because I immigrated to the US, so I naturally root for the more pro-immigration candidate. So yea I heard the news that Hillary lost despite having more votes, thats around the time I learned about the electoral college and that felt like bullshit. Luckily, I had derivative citizenship at the time, so I didn’t really think too deep.
But now this 2nd term is honestly terrifying. both the 2020 and 2024 election nights was just filled with dread, and now that fear has become a reality, doesn’t feel remotely to the first term.
Anyways, now my brain is so scrambled like an egg. Idk wtf is life anymore. Kinda having an “identity crisis” about my nationality/citizenship because that thought of potentially being deported is constantly lingering on the back of my mind ever since 2024 the morning following election night after the results were announced. I mean if I lose my citizenship, I’m gonna look so silly for ever refering to myself as an “American”. That’s like saying you’re part of the family, then your parents removes you from the will.
Oh yea I have no other citizenship. My previous country does no do dual citizenship, and its a dictatorship. Funny how I’m running from one dictatorship right into another. 🙃
Depression definitely does not mix well with political instability/autocratization.
The issue is there’s a large subset of people who view politics as their superbowl. I know these people. The stupidity is scary.
This administration ends the same way Mussolini’s did.
The way we prevent it from happening in the future is to force wealth equality.
You are NOT ALONE.
There has been a fucking epidemic of mental unwellness cascading since November.
We are all dealing with this, you are NOT alone.
This is a known and statistically verified fact.
What you are feeling is a normal response to a clear and present danger. If anything, your reaction is rational.
Fucking stay strong, we in this together, those of us who know, know, and we watch out for our fellow brothers and sisters.
You are not forgotten, you are not left behind, we are all just regrouping. Your emotions are valid, yes, this is real, this is not a drill, reality is in a state of emergency, and you are not insane.
Ok?
❤️
I have basically felt that the future was all down hill 10 years ago. Nothing has convinced me otherwise. Thats why I stay in my own little bubble and try to disconnect from the happenings. There is no point raging about what we can’t change.
My wife had me block CNN at the network level to stop her reading all the news and becoming depressed.
