Ever feel overwhelmed?

[vt_native]

By environmental devastation,

Man's inhumanity to man and other living things,

The corporate state not responding to citizenry while facilitating the destruction of the planet,

war and income equality.

How do you cope?

I will be okay, glad not to have kids, I sometime feel extreme sadness when I think of the state of the world.

Interested to hear responses.

Thanks.

[olddots]

1. I don't cope well at all

[RKP5637]

2. I often feel this way. Some of us see the future and where we are headed, but far too often

greed and ignorance overrule the best course. As I often tell people, I feel like I'm in a train headed over a cliff and all the doors for escape have been welded shut. We're all on this little spinning ball of dirt in some corner of a vast universe, yet we fight and quarrel, kill and destruct and so many seem to have a distinct disregard for trying to wake up and smell the coffee.

[freshwest]

17. +1

[peacebird]

3. Yes, & we worry about our son and his kids. We are doing everything we can to leave them

a safe haven, with solar power and a solar battery backup system. With good solid permaculture basics in place, with a self sustaining flock of chickens. It's the best we can do for them. We also have a solid library to help them, including herbal medicine, and old school skills....

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. sometimes but I keep in mind that all humans aren't selfish a..holes

Just some

[Juicy_Bellows]

5. Yes.

Add in some loss of loved ones and a shaky economic outlook at work and it's a wonder most of us keep it together.

I smoke weed, drink booze, squeeze my fuzzy kids and play video games when I can. Help others where I can but need to do more.

Cheers!

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. I tend to compartmentalize and have learned to be able to escape into my family and hobbies.

If I think much at all about the high level idiocy of people (in all sorts of ways), lack of respect for education and intellect and science, how we are ruining the environment, everything being about money and power, the violence, all sorts of -isms and conflicts, the worthless (and damage done) by TV - yes, I do feel overwhelmed.

But I also get to try to make the world a better place in tiny ways - my writing, the gardening talks I get to do inspiring others to garden, the wonderful people I meet, great music and books, my two great daughters and utterly indescribably wonderful wife, dogs and cats -

So I do spend a bit of each day despairing what I am seeing - and then I find a space where I can escape and enjoy the time given to me.

[Throd]

7. Beer helps.

[onehandle]

9. Yep. nt

[Paper Roses]

8. Let me count the ways:

Now that I think about it, maybe I better not.

[PasadenaTrudy]

10. Focus on the good n/t

[roody]

11. I go for a walk and breathe deeply.

[Dont call me Shirley]

12. It's difficult.

I have been meditating. Clearing negative thoughts and emotions using eft daily and a good therapist weekly. Eating healthy. Moderate exercise. And praying the stress with my teenager lifts any day now.

I plant green things. Conserve electricity, gas and water. Recycle everything I can.

Trying to recover my sense of humor, that's a big one for all of us. Laughter heals.

[freshwest]

16. EFT is something I need to take up again. It did wonders. And less time at DU helps. n/t

[Dont call me Shirley]

19. Eft is a great stress reliever and mood elevator. I'm very choosy with my DU clicks.

[RKP5637]

22. What is EFT?

[Dont call me Shirley]

23. tapping on specific acupuncture points to reduce stress, improve self-talk, heal trauma. It works.

http://www.emofree.com/eft-tutorial/tapping-basics/how-to-do-eft.html

[RKP5637]

26. Ohhhhhhh, Thanks! When I looked it up all I got was

EFT = Electronic Funds Transfer, and I didn't think that sounded right. Thanks for the link!

[Dont call me Shirley]

31. Welcome. :-)

[femmocrat]

13. Those big things don't overwhelm me.

I can't do much about them except my own small efforts to conserve and to be a good person.

What actually overwhelms me is family responsibilities. I guess I can't do much about those either except pray and hope. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to keep busy or at least distracted..

Yardwork is a great stress-reliever for me.

[99th_Monkey]

14. I cope by proudly giving Bernie Sanders 110% of what support I can give

of my money and my energy, because he's naming this,
and putting his very life on the line to address it, in the
face of vicious attacks, attacks that are just getting started.

How anyone can support any other candidate is beyond me.

[Taitertots]

15. I just focus on doing what I can with the things I can control

There is a thing people say at work. "I'm laughing because otherwise I'd be crying."

[malokvale77]

18. Yes :( nt

[Nictuku]

20. I've been feeling this a lot lately

I couldn't have said it better. Every sentence right on target and I can totally relate. Glad I don't have kids either.

The Good News: The Earth will survive us, and, eventually, regenerate.

[lostnfound]

21. You might want to read this about Joanna Macy to find an answer

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/24083-on-staying-sane-in-a-suicidal-culture

She helped Dahr Jamail who sounded like he was at the end of his rope.
She has workshops.
I can't speak for her workshops but I've enjoyed her book Widening Circles very much.

[lpbk2713]

24. I worry that we have passed the tipping point in many ways.

I don't have much time left to notice that much of a change but I feel badly for coming generations.

[Prism]

25. Paraphrasing a quote

"When you try to seek out light, you will more often than not find it. When you seek out darkness, that is all you will ever see."

I try to live my life that way. Find the things that make you happy every single day. The bad parts of human existence will always be there. It does no good to dwell on them.

I often take breaks from DU and other online places, long and short, because I cannot immerse myself in the rage for too long a period without it taking a toll.

Your emotional state will reflect where you live.

[Beta Male]

27. How do I cope?

Jim Beam!

[Faux pas]

28. Living in the reality of what

humans have done to the only world we have, makes me sick every day. I acknowledge it, accept that NO ONE can win against Mother Nature and small, greedy minds. Then I go on with the rest of my day, striving to live in Peace, Love and Joy.

[Betty Karlson]

29. No kids for me

I'm gay, so it's easier to care for others' children and have none of my own. But I'll still worry and feel overwhelmed at times.

[Tsiyu]

30. It's a true struggle every day

Had a very wonderful psychiatrist explain to me why I get so shook up about stuff, and he encouraged me to check out from the "bad news hotel" when the world becomes too overwhelming to process.

Basically, if you are a sensitive, intelligent person, this wicked world will sometimes make you feel defeated and hopeless, because you want to see compassionate, sensible, humane solutions to fix problems.

Instead, you're forced to realize that there are awful people running around creating even more problems, or making the ones we have turn out worse than when they started being problems.

When I'm truly overwhelmed, I vent about it on DU and commiserate with the wonderful people here, and it always helps. Usually, I steer clear of paying much attention to horrible events and people, because the sorrow of it can be paralyzing.


for all who feel lost in a lost world

[madokie]

32. Take a xanax

Of course I do and I'd say many of us here do.

[surrealAmerican]

33. There are always limits ...

... to what one can accomplish in life. You just do your best. It may not be good enough, but you are not the only person here.

[awoke_in_2003]

34. "How do you cope?"

Beer.