The current state of the world is anything but pretty.
Climate change threatens our very existence.
A pandemic is raging through humankind, stopping to give those with already poor quality of life even more reason to fear.
On top of that, worldwide, there is political turmoil as the world attempts to pick up the pieces and move forward.
Things remain uncertain everywhere as the reality of a new world comes flying in.
Redditor wehosh asked:
"How do you stop stressing about the state of the world?"
Here were some of those answers.
The Doomscrolling Patrol
"Lately I've been going through my social media, including Reddit and paring way down on what I'm following. I don't need or want to get rid of it entirely, but curating my feeds has been really good for me."
"Even just to cut down on the cacophony of information being thrown at me that I could never keep up with is nice, let alone getting rid of things that are upsetting or don't serve me in some way."
"Being just connected enough to not be ignorant, without being on the front lines of whatever new perceived crisis is happening in some obscure corner of the internet is nice. Highly recommend it."-caffieneandsarcasm
It Really Is All About Tech
"Remove r/all, delete the Twitter app. Turn off notifications from any news source."
"Go to the outdoors, relax unconnected to the web. Withdrawal from checking your phone every 2 minutes should subside after a few days."
"Don't forget to remove vibrate mode, too."-I-Play-To-Win
One Small Cause
"Choose one cause for helping make it better, and research how you can realistically begin to help. You can't solve everything, but you can help in one area. Then relax, because you are already doing what you can."-MahStonks
These moments provide much needed relief from a world that seems determined to put us all on edge at every single moment.
The Turn Of A Tide
"Early 2000s, there was a big Anti-Gay push. People were fighting any hope for gay marriage, we had elected a president whose campaign emphases how he was against it and you just couldn't convince those on the other side that gay people getting married wouldn't hurt their hetro Mirages."
"At the time I felt the fight for equal rights had been pushed back decades. June 26, 2015, The Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage."
"Just today I saw two teen boys holding hands as they walked home from school. We still have a long way to go but I count this as a big win. I never thought we would get to this point in my life time."
"When I start to feel overwhelm I remember that this happened. Sometimes it can feel we are going backwards before real change happens."-Mable-Syrup
Interesting Times Are A Curse
"Some might say ignore it while others obsess about it so much they feel hopeless and helpless. One way or another, don't put your head in the sand."
"The times we're in will mold the.future for centuries to come. I don't have the answers, but I do know something wicked this way comes and the more we know, the more likely we are to fix it."-invalidpassword
How To: Cope
"Truth be told I am not sure I do. But more so cope with the reality of the time I live in. The world is persistently in turmoil and always has been."
"And just reminding myself the my parents lived through the Cold War. My grandparents through world wars. My great grandparents through famine."
"I remember that in the end we don't know what will be the end, but if it is tomorrow make sure that today was worth the last 24 hours I had."-jaaareder
But Can't One Person Change It All?
"By simply accepting that there's nothing I can do about the state of the world. I'm just one man. I can improve my own little piece of the world but I can't fix everyone else's."
"Change what is in your power to change. Accept what is beyond your power to change. And please have the decency to be humble about which is which. We have enough people around who can't. They're called politicians and they're a**holes."
"Also the world is getting better. We're a decade away from solving hunger for good and CO2 emissions in the US are down 22% in the last decade thanks to fracking of all things."
"Look for the good things happening in the world. You have to actively search for them because there's a lot of sh*tty people whose livelihoods are derived from you being scared and miserable. Politicians love fear, it gives them power."-Joescout187
Just when it feels like the world has won, it's your job to take back control of your life.
Kids Really Do Be Like This
"The unbridled optimism of children is an excellent remedy for depression."
"My friend's two year old son is one of the reasons I haven't considered murder suicide as a solution to my issues with my ex."
"The rest is having good friends and family to begin with and of course not being a murderous psychopath."-Joescout187
Ain't Humans Something
"I realized that the world has been in a constant state of near disaster since humanity first evolved. We'll never have a utopia and you'll likely only see a few things get better in your lifetime."
"So I figure I'm going to be here for about 80 years give or take. Might as well enjoy it while I can."-Playingpokerwithgod
Stay Present, Not In The Clouds
"I recently watched a run of Silent Hill 2. My gamer senses has gotten better that I can think of the map, the world, and even how the creators could have created the game."
"I noticed it and let myself get immersed in the world and story. I did it by keeping my mind 'only in the room' that the character was in."
"If he was outside, act like he can't see the rest of the world because of the fog. Like the game, the actual world is scary... And i make sure i keep my presence in the room I'm in."-SenorCerv
Did any of these give you a little jolt of inspiration for how to avoid all the bad stuff the next time it comes up?
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