Do you have strategies (successful ones) for keeping your sanity in these troubled times?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Assuming you **are **keeping hold of your sanity. Maybe you aren’t.

I gave up watching news on TV years ago. I can’t bear to have the pictures put into my head without warning and I truly cannot bear the endless punditry that goes nowhere. I read the local paper and two national newspapers every day (online), and listen to NPR news when I’m in the car. And of course, I get news updates and analysis here (sometimes mind-numbing, repetitious, gnawing “analysis” that resembles flogging a deceased equine).

There are moments and lately days where it all becomes too much.

The headlines that I read even in my partially news-blacked-out world are devastating, and I’m not *just *talking about politics here (although that’s a big part of it). Fires in Australia possibly killing a BILLION animals, coronavirus epidemic in China, detained migrant children STILL separated from parents (NINE were reunited with their parents yesterday. NINE?!? Out of THOUSANDS??) Don’t even get started on health care, climate change, homelessness, deliberate, wanton, careless destruction of the environment. I won’t list the stories and incidents-- y’all are probably more well-informed on them than I am.

How are YOU coping? Day to day?

Petting your dog/children/spouse? Crossword puzzles? Music? Singing in a choir, playing in a band? Hiking in nature? Drugs, drinking, eating in moderation or to to excess? Writing poetry? Building an underground bunker and stocking it with canned goods (shades of the 1960s). Prayer/religion/trusting in God? Eating, drinking, and being merry? Do you “look on the bright side,” e.g., people are living longer, crime is down, the economy is supposedly booming? :rolleyes: Do you distract yourself, ignore the news, ration your exposure? Are your IRL social contacts, primarily family I guess, sufficient compensation? Or do you look at your children/grandchildren and feel alarmed at what the world will be when they’re your age?

When you wake up in the morning and see the headlines, how do you get through the day? How do you get through your life?

Disclaimer: yes, I know suffering is part of life in this Vale of Tears. I just watched a Great Courses episode on the Black Death-- so yeah, life on earth can definitely suck on a mind-bogglingly large scale. There have always been plagues, wars, disease, cruelty and exploitation. Not gonna go away. With mass media today, we are informed instantaneously and constantly of this if we choose to be. As I said, I limit myself (not on ANY social media), but it still feels sweeping and overwhelming.

But how do **you **live with it? How do you keep your sanity, equilibrium, perspective-- get through each effing day (if you do)? That’s what I’m having a hard time with and I could use a few tips.

2

I have never been super emotionally sensitive to current events that only have a tenuous connection to my day-to-day life. I guess you can say I compartmentalize well. The stuff in Washington DC right now is pissing me off, to be sure, but the pissed off feeling is easily replaced by another emotion once I shift my focus to something. And I’m really good at focusing on other things that don’t bring me down.

I used to come home from work and immediately tune into CNN. I guess I still do, but I only tune in for a few seconds just to see if The Situation Room has interesting “breaking news”. Like, if the president has done something really crazy or a hurricane is barrelling towards me, I want to know about it. But once I’ve gotten my fill, I switch to something else. I don’t keep the talking heads on my TV for hours on end like I used to. Jibber jabber stresses me out, even jibber jabber that I agree with.

3

ummm…how 'bout this suggestion: Remember that you are a Doper.

After all, we’re the nephews of our Uncle Cecil…we’re the elite, the best, the smartest folks on the planet, right?
We don’t just know facts…we put the facts into perspective.

And when ya do that, ya kinda figger out that life ain’t so bad right now.

That list of problems you mention ain’t so new, ya know.
We’ve all been there, done that.
And usually, we done it worse than we’re doin’ it now.

Remember, say, the 1960’s?
Blood ran in the streets in Amerika, pollution was so bad the Cuyahoga river caught fire, there was a war going on, and stuff like that.
oh, …and worst of all… people frickin’ blew cigarette smoke in your face everywhere.

So whatcha worried 'bout?

But if you still have trouble keeping perspective, you can always take a break and google “cute kittens”. :slight_smile:

4

Funny you should mention that. My first look in the morning is at the cat pictures on Reddit. Or Baby Corgis. :wink:

5

I guess I’m with monstro. That stuff doesn’t effect me so it doesn’t really matter. Ya, it sucks for people in Australia right now and its worse for the animals but life will go on and I can’t think of a single way my daily life has changed because of it. Even Trump’s craziness doesn’t really matter. The trade embargos have hurt my industry but not enough we’ve seen layoffs (mostly due to the tax cut from 2 years ago). I’m a white male so his racism doesn’t hit me or anyone I know. So while its a bad thing it doesn’t move the needle emotionally since if I turn off the tv and live my life it goes away.

I guess that’s the answer for me then is I live my life and its busy enough that most of the time I can only let things in my life effect me emotionally.

6

Other than here? Although the Old Wench has kidded me that “When you log into the SDMB looking for reason things may have gone too far gone”.

7

I get through today, and don’t think about tomorrow until it is today.

8

Very true.

While I find it frustrating that we are currently revisiting some of the issues that were pretty well settled 50 years ago, things are definitely better now. I seem to recall Jon Stewart saying on the Daily Show a while back that we’re mostly just bickering over the details now because the main issues are largely settled.

Not to say I’m a Pollyanna, we do have pressing matters and there are powerful interests that want us to do the wrong thing. But over time I’m confident we’ll go in the right direction.

9

Four simple words.

“This, too, shall pass.”

10

I agree with this. There’s nothing I can do about the craziness in the world. The world has been crazy from the beginning of time. When was it perfect? I hear or see something on the news and I think how horrible it is and might even feel sad, but my life goes on. I’ve had things in my own life that were horrible and I’m sure there will be more in my future, but still, my life has and will go on. I can’t control the climate or Washington DC where everyone is whacky in some way.

I walk my dogs, go to work, enjoy time spent with grandkids and other family, argue with my husband and then make up and watch my favorite shows. I just live my life.

11

For me it’s God is in control and is sovereign over everything. Yes one of the heads of the beast appears to have come to power as is warning against us and this earth, creating atrocity after atrocity. It’s tough times, but the victory is already won, God wins.

But it’s not only that, but God also protects. I believe God has shown me that suffering we see in others is often mitigated by God, so the person doesn’t experience everything we see of it
So I believe in God’s kingdom, not worldly governments. I believe I see a bigger plan for humanity, I pray for the people of this nation, and the world,and the Father’s Kingdom come. I can happily say the Pledge of allegiance which has ‘under God’ which negates the pledge in its entirety, as my allegiance is to sovereign Lord and I admit to that in the pledge, God superseded the commitment of the pledge as the US is under the sovereignty of God, and there is no overlap or conflict - God is total and complete. Even without that phrase included, it would mean the say as God would still have total sovereignty, it is just His mercy that included that phrase to help me understand it.

I ask for guidance for things I can’t understand and wisdom for things I can not accept. God has shown me many times how things are typically misinterpreted when it comes to our understanding of Him. God also lets me experience wonderful things, a look at God’s kingdom with power in our day and age, but hidden to most people.

12

I know how you feel. These days, if I even hear the word Australia pop up, I’m outta there. It just doesn’t bear thinking about. And I’m distressed with the way some things are going for my family as well, so it’s not just a matter of avoiding the news.
At this point, I throw my hands up to the sky and say “Hasa Diga Ebowai!” It’s better if you sing the whole thing.

13

I don’t take any of it personal. I know there is very little if anything I can do about it. I just sit back and hope for the best and expect the worse. Most things tend to land about the middle.

14

The world has been coming to an end for as long as I can remember. In the meantime, the global rate of extreme poverty has plummeted, US deaths from air pollution have been cut almost in half, technological progress has exploded. Global life expectancy has gone way up. We could produce enough food to feed half again as many people as now live. Racism and sexism are massively in decline.

Yes, climate change is a problem and politicians are jerks. Politicians have always been jerks, and there has always been something that will end civilization as we know it. People are trying to get us to panic and/or shut down so we don’t ask too many questions and don’t put up too much fuss when they start ordering us around. That’s not new either.

Regards,
Shodan

15

I’m hoping that the Trump presidency is the right wing’s last stand. They’ve had a good run since 1980 but they’ve played it out. The demographics are against them and they’re down to the some of the people you can fool all of the time.

Normal people are looking at the Trump administration and saying “This is what the Republicans are all about?”

I anticipate the Republican Party is about to spend some time in the political wilderness. That’s not something I view with unmixed emotions. I worry that the Democrats might let success spoil them. But I’m hoping that the Republicans will be able to rid their party of the bullshit and come back as a respectable organization once again. Then we can go back to having a balanced two party system.

16

Y’all are very sensible. Thank you for those replies. :slight_smile:

17

Now its MY turn to be frightened! :wink: :smiley:

18

Being busy is the easiest way to keep your head. “Yeah, yeah, global warming’s awful, but I gotta get to work on time and those dishes aren’t gonna clean themselves.”

If I’m not busy I’ll put some good music on or pick up a good book.

If I’m feeling really down I’ll make a gratitude list. Usually I start with things like “I’m not in jail” and “No one is actively trying to kill me”.

19

For me, it’s basically taking the time to be actively aware of what I can and can’t affect/influence/control, and trying to adjust my thinking about those things to match. And for most things, they never even really come to that level of introspection- they’re just some news article about something hundreds or thousands of miles away that is unlikely to affect me in the least.

Basically what **Oredigger77 **said.

20

I suggest reading this: WHY YOU SHOULD QUIT THE NEWS