State of US is messing with my head

[Anonymous]

Turn off the news completely 100% no news. NONE. Get a therapist. Exercise. Read. In that order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did I write this? Same here. I am currently looking for a therapist.

I did this, and guess what- he’s maga. So that didn’t work out.
Volunteering at the food bank helped far more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Turn off the news completely 100% no news. NONE. Get a therapist. Exercise. Read. In that order.

I think it’s too dangerous to go no news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm retired, so I don't have work to distract me--when I was working, it was pretty easy for me to compartmentalize even horrible things while I worked (my little sister being dx with pancreatic cancer, for example). Since I'm not and am free to choose what I do with my time it's easy to fall into rabbit holes and doom scrolling.

If able bodied and willing, start helping people plan for voting season. Educate them. Get out the vote. Drive them to polling site. Teach new voters if needed on how to complete a ballot. Volunteer at phone banks. Learn a new language. Help if they need at your local library sorting book donations. Read to school students (coordinate with your local elementary school). And usual ---food banks, food pantry

[Anonymous]

Sorry OP, you are not alone. It can feel overwhelming.

Lots of good advice here. I’ll share what’s worked for me.

If you have time, find some solidarity in a group to channel the frustration into helpful action that suits you (e.g., voter education? post card writing? or public protests?). Great plan to dig into relaxing hobbies that engage your mind and body.

The news part is hard for me too. I realized setting a time limit and noticing when I get are lost in a doom scroll.

Just the headlines and short pieces leave me with disjointed grasp of an issue. To stay informed, I found it helpful to read a few well-reported, long-form pieces in the newspapers and radio programs- and then find the same topic from a different vantage point - ideologically and geographically. So instead of just the headline, I read more in-depth about a topic (e.g., Venezuela, Immigration reform etc.) I learn not just what happened and who said what- but the context, history, politics, etc that surround it. I read the longer pieces and feel more informed.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did I write this? Same here. I am currently looking for a therapist.

I did this, and guess what- he’s maga. So that didn’t work out.
Volunteering at the food bank helped far more.

I doubt that but please share how you thought that?

[Anonymous]

The fact that so many people think the problem goes away when you turn off the news should tell you that the situation isn’t anywhere near as bad as the news outlets are telling you it is.

[Anonymous]

Could you ask your therapist to increase the dosage of your anti-anxiety medication?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did I write this? Same here. I am currently looking for a therapist.

I did this, and guess what- he’s maga. So that didn’t work out.
Volunteering at the food bank helped far more.

+1 to the food bank

Any activity to get you off your phone, out in community, restoring a bit of faith in humanity etc. Also highly recommend swimming laps at your local rec center and walking on nature trails.

[Anonymous]

OP did your sister survive???

[Anonymous]

I think the best thing is to volunteer in an area that is totally unrelated to the craziness. At a hospital or food bank or teach ESL or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Turn off the news completely 100% no news. NONE. Get a therapist. Exercise. Read. In that order.

I think it’s too dangerous to go no news.

That's totally ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did I write this? Same here. I am currently looking for a therapist.

I did this, and guess what- he’s maga. So that didn’t work out.
Volunteering at the food bank helped far more.

OMG, that is funny. How many sessions did you have before you realized it?

I think the 50ish women therapists I am looking at from the Chevy Chase area are pretty safe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the best thing is to volunteer in an area that is totally unrelated to the craziness. At a hospital or food bank or teach ESL or something.

There was an ICU nurse who was trying to help volunteering on the street. Florence Nightaingale on the street washing out stuff from protesters' eyes.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you are getting real news and not rage bait. I highly recommend the New Yorker or other sources of long-form journalism. You can now get access via Libby app, there is even an audio option if you would prefer listening to reading.

A dose of nuance helps with even the worst news and makes things less about feelings and more about understanding the situation.

If you are on Facebook or TikTok or anything similar, wean yourself off, as that content is meant to devolve to extremes and has a very high bots-to-people ratio.