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’.
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?
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.
You think it’s rough now? Give it about 15 minutes, he’s about to address congress…
Yikes, how’d that go?
Rep Al Green (TX) shouted at him about not having a mandate to cut Medicaid until he got removed by the Sergeant at Arms, so….swimmingly?
I read the news just to entertain myself. And then I ignore the content because most news are just depressing: Armed conflict here, murder there, capital offense, you get the gist.
For several months I didn’t read any news, that works too. You’ll realize that most of the stuff in the tv and tabloids doesn’t affect you.
And for the third point I do whatever it takes to distract, lose in or occupy myself completely. That could be a book with a nice story or some outdoor activity. Yesterday I did some kind of mini-camping. I took my bicycle and brought a camping chair, gas stove, water and cocoa powder and rode a bit into the woods. And then I had some quiet relaxing time reading a book on my phone. The hot chocolate and a thick jacket kept me from freezing. It was only 10 °C/50 °F and a bit windy.
I’ll repeat that tomorrow but this time I’ll switch the cocoa to tomato-soup-in-a-cup. The cocoa was too sweet for my taste.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.
I’m not American, so not only am I distanced from what is going on there, but also from Mr Rogers. Regardless, I take his advice for children- When something bad is happening, look for the helpers. They aren’t in the headlines of the day, but they are there.
Following on from this, one of the things that I believe made me an adult was when I started helping the helpers.
Go volunteer for a cause you believe in. You’ll not only feel better about the cause, but you’ll feel better about yourself, and you’ll help other people feel better.
Weed
I avoid the news entirely.
Before the election I was extremely smart and added a couple of fascists’ names to my Lemmy post-filter. Halcyon.
But now? I can’t imagine how I could possibly curate a visit to c/all without details that are more demoralizing than any human should ever hear about.
Not well
Who says we’re coping
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.
I recently started learning to play guitar and am addicted to it. Really keeps you in the moment and makes your forget the current state of the world while playing, at least for a bit.
Read books.
I also live in the past probably to an unhealthy level. I have a pretty massive data hoard of old 90’s/early 2000’s everything, tv shows, movies, old commercials, radio songs, magazines, and a huge collection of old games. I collect as many pictures as I can find of old things I remember, old home videos from the time period of people just like walking around in malls and stores that no longer exist, etc. I draw on that past period of happiness, because I haven’t felt genuinely happy in over 10 years at this point.
I try to fully immerse myself I guess as a form of dissociation/escapism. When I’m dragged back to reality or unable to preoccupy myself my mind goes to dark places. I cope with weed and alcohol. I take naps when I can when my mind is breaking. Sometimes it builds up till I have psychotic breaks, or self harm. I guess that’s an ‘outlet’ but it’s really not good. Therapy can help sometimes, but only insofar as helping me to cope with the outside world, but there’s only so much that can be helped there when the problem is external and almost entirely unavoidable. There’s only so much I can tell myself “this is fine” while the house is burning around me.
I’m a wreck. I do not cope well.
I’m traveling to a different Quantum version of our universe. I’m done with all this shit.
