My friend you are far from alone in feeling that way. I’m with Mike, you really do have to try to look out for the positive things and find the beauty in the world. I’m hoping that the onslaught of AI slop and intrusion will have the effect of turning more people offline and into more social, practical endeavours. One thing I do find helpful for generalised anxiety / doom-dwelling is remind myself that the feeling is timeless. You can see it in writings from every generation going back millennia. Every sensitive person is, and always has been, painfully alive to the suffering of the world. It is the flip side of the coin the makes you a conscientious and caring person. Given the choice now i’d still remain this way over becoming indifferent and selfish. Just do your best, live your life with purpose not fear, put your feelings in service of helping others where you can. And most of all; remember it will all pass with time.

You are far from alone! Anyone who doesn’t feel some sense of concern is either not paying attention, is in major denial, or is a fascist themselves. American democracy has a checkered history, but it’s better than the alternatives, and it’s at risk. These are truly scary times.

The idea of self care and living in the moment seem empty now they have been commoditized and captured by capitalism; however their original meanings still hold value. Self care is looking after yourself both physically and mentally so that when you need to fight you are ready to lend support to others. Do it unselfishly. Living in the present, an extension of Buddhist mindfulness, is the quiet art of noticing the steam curling from your mug instead of rehearsing tomorrow’s argument. Practice it whenever you are able. Unplugging to reconnect is important, a few good strong friends is better than a thousand likes.

Literally, smoke so much weed.

I just keep getting high, I’m crippled by the very notion I feel like there’s a dark shroud suffocating my hopes and dreams. 🥹

Yes, yes & no - it’s a wild ride - better find sth to fight for and to enjoy along the way 🤭🫰🏼🫂

Of course I’m not enthusiastic about the future. When people ask, would you go back 10-20 years my answer is always no. Sure I would like to try stuff, not be so afraid to break rules. Maybe I’d be 33 now with more dating experience and not needing to explain to someone I’ve never been in a relationship to someone who’s ready to have kids. But no I would not go back because it would mean needing to relive those years. I’ve done 8 years of university to become a pharmacist i make good money but I have a big dept. My rent keeps going up like crazy. I will maybe never be able to afford buying a house. I don’t want kids because around here seeing a doctor for your kid is impossible. There’s no more room in schools or in daycare. I don’t want my child to grow up in this world where he could be shot at school by a lunatic with an AR. And what about living old ? No thank you. Dementia is a world wide priority. The older you get, the more disease you accumulate. And add all these diseases with dementia and you have no more quality of life. I’d rather die younger and not have to go through all this.

Definitely relate to this. The existential dread is real. One of the main reasons for getting this App was to get away from mainstream social media (and find a queer space ❤️ ). They are hard to shake though. I feel very disconnected and lonely without Insta. I agree w the first poster. You need to be intensional w your time and not get too into the weeds about what the future holds. We cannot possibly know so why try and solve that problem. Go for a walk. Take up a hobby. Eat ice cream for dinner. Life’s too short to care too much. But you need to care a little. I think that’s important as well.

Yea. It’s pretty much shit right now. I find I’m relying on my inner circle a lot more, but tbh, I do not see a way out. We are still too segmented and it’s honestly exhausting. Def looking for new friends on here. It’s my first night on this and seems promising. But like others say, gummies and weed help lol

In person connection with people. There’s no substitute for it. I’ve gotten so used to isolation thanks to COVID and grad school, but the longer you’re online, the more isolated you’ll be and the more you’ll feel like there’s no hope bc it’s the job of all these apps to pull you in and not let you out. An activist I admire, Mariame Kaba, says find one thing to work on and do it a little bit every day, and with others when possible. So I’m trying to do that

@schmoo but yeah no you’re not alone at all. It’s extremely bleak

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pojXpeBepHwKadorp6I6j?si=ly15su8qRUGOeYocZnQoKA

Check that episode out, it speaks on what you’re feeling in beautiful story telling way

I was just reminded of a really great resource called One Million Experiments, Volume 8: Making a Plan. It’s a zine that you can download and use as a little workbook for figuring out how you can move from immobility to doing tangible things for causes you support at a sustainable pace for you! I’ll see if I can post the link:

@schmoo https://millionexperiments.com/zines/making-a-plan

I literally think about this all the time… it’s awful out there. But thing is that our brains are not designed to be aware of all of it. We are supposed to be part of small close knit communities. We’re supposed only “know” about our immediate surroundings and local communities. I try to keep looking for and creating beauty in my little corner. At the end of the day that’s all we have. It’s not easy and sometimes I get distracted, but I just keep trying. I think the hardest part is finding maintaining true deep connections with friends. I think that’s why I’m trying out this app. I need at least a few gay friends. I’m just getting started but I hope I can find at least a little bit of what I’m looking for here. If you ever want to chat let me know. I’d love to be a listening ear and a support.