I hate everything.

[nolabear]

I wonder if some of y’all are going through this as well. The stress and grief and rage about what we’re going through as a country and a world has given me an undercurrent I don’t recognize nor like. I’m easy to anger and to be insulted, I’m sick of being bugged by people and critters I LOVE being bugged by ordinarily. I don’t feel generous or kind or optimistic that there are still things out there that can feed my soul or, worse, they’re out there but the misery I see everywhere keeps me too hypervigilant to see them.

I do know I need to back off and feed my soul but man, right now it’s like asking me to turn my back on an approaching hurricane, and let me tell you my people know better. Addiction to anxiety is still addiction. And it is wearing me tf out.

I hear a lot about people being stressed, but am I the only one who’s just sick of the ringtailed bitch I’m in danger of becoming?

Well—lol—at least it feels good to say. Now what to DO!!

[LoisB]

1. You are not alone.

[usonian]

2. Call out the coup. Speak out.

Activist HQ
The way forward.

Let people know the story.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220295160

Fly a FAFO
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219770873

[nolabear]

5. I do what I can. I'm satisfied with that.

I think it’s the permeation that’s hard to deal with.

Don’t take it to mean I’m hung up on hopelessness. I’m not hopeless, just sick of my sour and perpetually annoyed self.

[usonian]

11. Try to limit media exposure. I am text-only for news.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20327013

I would explode with TV or most radio stations. And I take walks and try to feed my hobbies.


Chores, too.

[SheltieLover]

3. Try Yale's free Science of Well Being course, Bear

I know exactly what you're talking about & I think most sane people are strugglimg to varying degrees with the same issues.

Have you tried limiting the time you spend watching the news or reading it.

Find something you enjoy & do it, even if it's just walking in nature.

Join a gym & work out? Watch funny movies? Volunteer somewhere a few hrs a week?

Just a few ideas for you to consider to help you shift your focus away from things you cannot control to things you can control.

Anyway, here is a link to that free course:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

They also offer the same course tailored to teens & another for parents.

I hope some of this helps you to feel better, Bear.

[nolabear]

8. You're saying what I say to myself.

And it’s good advice. It’s not being too disgusted to do it that’s the problem.

That said I do honestly have faith this too will pass but DAMN…

[SheltieLover]

18. I know, Bear

Try the Yale course? People say they feel better after watching just the 1st video which is available immediately after a very nonintrusive registration. I've never gotten spam from signing up either.

I hope you find a way out of the funk you are in.

[Nanuke]

51. Wow. Thanks for the tips! I just enrolled in the Yale course and sent it 5 friends!

[SheltieLover]

55. Yw!

Please let us know how you & your friends like it

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Oh I hear you, my dear nolabear, boy do I ever!

I'm not quite at the hate everything phase, but I get it that you are.

It might be helpful to listen to music that moves you, or to read something well written and not political!

And remember, as Joyce Vance always says: "We're in this together." She helps me, as does Heather Cox Richardson.

[2MuchNoise]

9. Music helps me.

[SheltieLover]

19. Love your ideas Peggy

I lean heavily into humor in such dark times. Sadly, sometimes it felt strange to laugh.

I love your idea to put on some feel good music, too & maybe even sing along.

:pals

[2MuchNoise]

6. Everywhere I look, I see people going about their days like everything is "normal".

I'm trying to do the same but my heart just isn't in it.

[Skittles]

12. to be fair

we all have to do "normal" things, such is life, but I do hear you: I truly think the majority of Americans have no real clue what is happening

[nolabear]

13. We may have to fake it til we make it.

I’m not too proud to try that. I’m not very good at it right now though.

[SheltieLover]

20. Maybe try putting on some feel good music

& sing your heart out? Who can feel crappy when they're singing (redneck whining excluded)?

[Sympthsical]

7. Take a break from media

There's nothing going on that doesn't keep for several days to several weeks.

If I had read no news this week, not a single political item, my life would be more or less the same.

I take entire weeks off. It's very nice. Read books, catch up on shows, play new games, listen to music, do projects around the house. I have never returned from one of these news vacations and thought, "My god, I have just been walking around all month not knowing what Donald Trump tweeted?!"

We know what the country is right now. We know the contours. We also know who we're voting for more or less.

I find people who immerse themselves all day every day in politics, media, and the parasocial components of both tend to fray at the edges until they start falling apart. It's just not good for mental health to be glued nonstop. People start sounding like lunatics. "Being informed" isn't really badge-worthy if the information is fleeting and ultimately meaningless three days later. That's not being informed. That's just being occupied.

Pretend it's the 80's or 90s. Watch a few things at 5:30pm and call it a day.

It's unnatural for the human psyche to know and/or worry about everything going on in the entire world. It's too much. We're not emotionally built for it. Our psychology cracks under the weight.

Breaks are healthy.

[nolabear]

10. Yep. That's what I need. Now why is it so hard to do?

I do know I’ll work my way out but I’m deeply impressed at what a bloody SWAMP of misery is out there.

[Sympthsical]

15. Stress, outrage, anger, etc. can be addicting

Which the media count on, which is why they do their utmost to get those hormones pumping in their viewers.

During hiatus, I just don't read news/websites that have politics in them. Just keep to Reddit and YouTube hobbies. Forget about the macro and focus on the micro. My life, my friends and family, things going on locally.

Things tend to be much happier and more low key at the local level, because you don't have someone in your ear all day or pinging your phone with, "OMG, your neighbor Alan put his garbage in the street that way to deliberately piss you off! Look! Here's a 10 minute breaking down why Alan's an asshole!" and then you go to social media and see 100 other people also freaking out about Alan's garbage orientation until you're lathered up into hypertensive crisis. Alan. Horrible person.

Could you imagine if our daily local lives operated that way? Every single day? We'd go insane. (And actually, NextDoor does operate this way, so don't go there. You will lose all respect for the people around you).

[BidenRocks]

14. I hate people

I never smile anymore
My wife is worried.
I am constantly pissed off!
I turned 70 and don't see any point.
Time to start smoking and drinking again.
Fuckitall!

[RainCaster]

16. Not me. I think that's a Republican value.

The GOP is suddenly very popular because they have made hate socially acceptable. Hate of:
Immigrants
LGBTQ+
Women
Democrats
Poor
Homeless
Elderly

I do not believe in hating others. I love all, because that is my religious belief. This is what Jesus taught. We are to love one another. However there are some that I don't trust.

[nolabear]

41. I agree. It's not that kind of hate and I know it's not like me.

It’s not personal. It’s aberrant. It’s not real .

[taxi]

17. There was a story told by Ram Dass that helped me.

First, the moral of the story. It's not what you have, it's what you think about it.

The story goes like this - the merchant decided to sell his store and travel the country. He placed his valuables in a sack and began his journey. As the months went by he felt the sack with all his possessions was becoming a burden. He could never leave anywhere for fear of losing it. One day while he was napping in the woods, a monk stole the sack, took a shortcut across the mountain, waited for the merchant to arrive, and then left the sack on the path to be found. Needless to say, when the merchant woke he was horrified. Now, having it back he was delighted. In this short trip nothing had changed. The merchant (believed he) was by himself the entire time.

[SheltieLover]

21. Great story!

Ty for sharing!

[nolabear]

42. THAT is exactly right! Usually I know and follow that.

That’s why I mentioned it. Thank you. I need more of that.

[erronis]

53. I expected that the merchant would have felt disappointed - now having to haul his valuables around again.

As a personal allegory, I lost everything I owned - only kept what I could stuff in my car.

For months I felt saddened by my worldly belongings having disappeared.

But then I felt less burdened and able to be free.

------

Unfortunately, I'm now back to accumulating more than I really need. My weakness.

[taxi]

54. Perfect.

I believe folks here on DU have it in common not to permanently settle in to a single position. You know, freedom to think and grow, as opposed to the shackles we are trying to protect ourselves from.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

22. I've been thinking of changing my name to Mikey.

Last edited Mon May 19, 2025, 04:16 AM - Edit history (1)

'Ya know, from that Life cereal commercial, 'cause he hated EVERYTHING.

Also die my hair black, paint my fingernails black, use too much black eye shadow, dress only in. black and become a barista at Starbucks.

But really what I'm doing is waiting for an opposition to coalesce with some ideas about what to do. I'm not seeing one yet. All I'm seeing is "the usual," which isn't going to cut it anymore. Locally it seems all "moderate" liberal kvetching, and I'm not interested.

I also spend a bit of time sifting through the news, separating bullshit from fact as best I can, since most of the stuff coming out of this administration of incompetents, and from their weasels in Congress, is spaghetti thrown at the wall for the press and the pubic to chase. U.S. corporate media is full of this rubbish 24/7, so I look for reliable reports and analyses elsewhere.

[Buddyzbuddy]

23. As has already been stated, you are not alone.

I like you and many, many others are experiencing the same emotions, anger and frustration. Cut yourself some slack and give yourself a break. Literally, radio, TV and media silence. Believe me, this mess will be here when you return. Read some fiction, listen to music or tend to a garden. Whatever takes your mind off of things.

Don't mark down time on the prison walls of your mind. That will make time slow down.
Good luck.

[BaronChocula]

24. I definitely have less trust in people these days n/t

[MadameButterfly]

25. If I could get back all the hours I've wasted on Donald Trump

these last ten years...I really believed when first elected he wouldn't last a year.

When George W was elected I couldn't watch the news for 8 years because it was so painful and unthinkable. But I know he would last each term, and I KNEW he'd be gone after that. With Trump, I'm not sure we'll survive until the end of his term, and not sure he'll leave even then.

I understand that living my best life is the most important thing I can do, but I cannot resist watching what has happened, blow by blow, day by day. It's as irrational as Orpheus turning around to look at Euripides before he reached the top. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

I'm not saying we shouldn't know basically whats going on, and showing up to demonstrate--we are needed for the resistance. And a regular dose of Rachel and others like her who show us our power and don't despair, who remind us of brilliance, is needed. But it's the wallowing, the anxious checking for a reprieve, like our friend Orrit (thanks for the humour), is he dead yet? Is this over at last? needs to be replaced with a sustainable regimen. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and I've been sprinting for 10 years. Stuck in fight or flight. Looking for a better way.

Yes, we will win. We are healthy, he is not, they are not. His disease will be his downfall. We must preserve our health, mental and physical, indulge in anything the feeds out souls. We must not feel guilty about seeking joy despite the horrors that are unfolding. Only preserving ourselves will save everything else. There is so much he does not control: our love, our passions, our community, art, music, our humanity. He holds up a contrast which will teach us going forward. Imagine the triumph when we have overcome! Trust that it will come, but we do not wait for that day to live our lives.

[HeartsCanHope]

26. Sending you a hug, nolabear!

I think that everyone is feeling this stress. I find myself being angered so easily, too. What hurts the most is when I take it out on my two favorite people in the world, my husband and son. I always apologize, but it hurts so much that I hurt them. Every day I just try to do better. Some days I succeed, some days I fail. I don't have any answers, I just feel a lot of the same feelings you do. I try to find something smile about every day, and try to do something for someone else each day. Hang in there, my friend, we're in your corner!

[multigraincracker]

28. Well put.

I feel like I’m the luckiest person in the world. Half of it is good luck and. Half of it is bad. For every idiot I find a genius to balance it out. I even look at Trump as a perfect master in reverse. What ever he wants or does I try to be or do the exact opposite.
I have fewer really close friends than I’ve ever had, but they are the best I’ve ever had.
I can’t change the hand I’ve been delt, only how I play those cards.

[Eko]

27. I have friends everywhere.

[Brainfodder]

29. Cannabis.

[BoycottingAllThings]

30. Drugs

are for the weak.

[LuckyCharms]

32. Welcome to DU! I hope you are reincarnated as a house pet...

who’s trying to cuddle with their person, but he’s busy jacking off so he swats you away with his free hand but you don’t understand the phenomenon of masturbation because you were responsibly neutered so you mistakenly believe he doesn’t love you.

[BoycottingAllThings]

33. Much like a neutered dog

You don't get it

[LuckyCharms]

34. Oh but you are wrong!

I understand so many things.

Knowledge is a wonderful thing.

[Brainfodder]

35. The levels of wrongness even!

[LuckyCharms]

31. Nolabear...

I just recently returned to the real world after the pandemic.

For over 5 years, I did not visit a restaurant, or go ANYWHERE without an N95 mask on.

I lived no life, except vicariously through the internet. I barely left my home office, because it feels "safe" here.

I have started going back to my favorite diner a few times a week.

The place is a true hole in the wall, with the best diner food on the East coast.

Every time I walk in, the owner greets me by name, and he tells me "I love you, Lucky".

All of the waitresses greet me by name, and hug me when I walk in.

I eat, and get swarmed with attention.

This diner is Grateful Dead themed. And they blast classic rock music in there way way too loud, and I love it.

Political talk is intuitively forbidden in this place.

Everyone smiles in this place because of the vibe.

Find your "diner". Find that one thing that makes you forget about everything else. Find your "happy place" that is outside of your home, and go there.

I also have a person who is very close to me that I can bare my soul too.

Find that person in your life.

Find your happy place, and go there regularly. Find your person, and talk to them regularly.

Soak up all that goodness. It's still out there if you look hard enough.

[nolabear]

43. Yes. It's out there. I forgot one of my favorite lyrics.

Once in a while you get shown the light,
In the strangest of places, if you look at it right.

[LuckyCharms]

48. .

[lostnfound]

36. My two sanity aids are nature and limiting news some days to Heather Cox Richardson

Dive deep into nature. I have a place to go where there are towering trees and the sound of birds everywhere. Yesterday afternoon, the sun was shining from behind them in such a beautiful way. Through an opening in the leaves, the sun shone through in such a way that it had the colors of the rainbow surrounding it like a crown for just a moment. I captured it my phone’s camera, and it gave me a great deal to think about.

Heather Cox Richardson is like the difference between HDL and LDL. If you wanna know what’s going on and feel a responsibility to do so, you can read her essay every day and get the most important news, as judged from the lens of a historian and scholar, in a condensed, very digestible, straight-up format. Instead of spending one or two hours doomscrolling or catching up on the lengthy debate and perspectives about every egregious bullshit thing that is happening in our country right now, you can choose to read her essay instead in less than 10 minutes and feel like you’ve gotten the essentials.

The time you save in that style of news absorption can be used for diving deep into nature, exercise, a hobby, or organizing (life, things, or people).

[CTyankee]

37. I turn to art history. It gives me perspective and, oddly, hope...

Being old and retired, I can spend a great deal of time researching artists and their lives and historical times. Their works reflect that world which had terrible wars, strife, disease, madness, hunger, unimaginable loss and yet their works still stand. Yes, it is all European (and to some extent American) focused, but it is all human experiences. It might help and can't hurt (any more than what you now experience).

[Ping Tung]

52. I loved the art history classes in college.

[hamsterjill]

38. There are a lot of good suggestions on this thread, but

I know what you are saying, nolabear. I think there’s just more to it for some people. Mostly people who are empathic and intuitive. Those people know what’s coming, and won’t rest until it can be stopped. Because it must be stopped.

No amount of positive distraction ever takes the threat away completely. Because the threat is real.

The emotions build up and overflow. Because we must DO something. Until we can do something to stop this threat, there isn’t going to be any real peace in our souls.

Sorry to be so dire. But that’s reality right now.

[Prairie_Seagull]

39. My wife agrees with me on just about every issue yet

I am usually angry these days and she is not. We both do what we can but somehow I am the one always barking.

Don't really have a clue how she does it but her actions and sometime words remind me to take a breath and be humane.

Then i get angry.

Really not a long term strategy but not, nothing.

Yes nolabear, I see your ante and bet you a Xanax.

[k_buddy762]

40. I posted about this a few days ago

I usually go weeks, even months, without looking at most media. I haven't watched corporate news media in over a decade, and don't have instagram or any of the silly trendy mind-programming social media stuff. I have been popping in here on DU the last couple of days, but its still 99% poison and vitriol and emotional histrionics and so I will be taking a break again most likely.

Control your environment and you will control your mindset. At least that works for me. I spent most of the weekend enjoying my family, my yard, and the outdoors. I trimmed and inspected and cared for my 16 new trees, laid in the sun, got in 15,000 steps each day, and generally enjoyed myself. When I did bother to look into current events, it so soured my mood that I slept two hours less than normal (Sat night) and I had to do some mindfulness stuff Sunday to snap out of it and get back into a proper mindset.

I'll control what I can control, within my microscopic field of influence. What I can't control I won't even think about, because frankly, I don't care. Politics changes with the winds and always has. I see no need to pay it any mind, most days.

And now if you will excuse me, I got to work this morning an hour early so I can be doing laps around the parking lot when the sunrise graces me with its warmth and beauty so I start my day on a positive note.

[UTUSN]

44. K&R

[UTUSN]

45. K&R - Dupe, oh well counts as double the K&R

[robbob]

46. I've started doing therapeutic journaling to deal with some mental and emotional issues that I'm having

Every night before bed I sit with pen and journal in hand and write answers to an open ended question: why am I feeling this anxiety?, for example. The words pour out; no editing, no stopping to reflect on the next line, just let it come out. Then I end with either a written or silent expression of gratitude for what I do have that’s good in my life. It’s only been a few days since I started but I feel it’s having a positive effect. Try it; what do you have to lose?

[bif]

47. I try to spend as much time as I can in my studio painting

While listening to SOMA-FM and KCSM. Very therapeutic!

[Oneironaut]

49. Im sad, depressed, angry, embarrassed, apathetic, bitter, and energized, all at the same time.

Nothing has felt ok since 2016. I had naive optimism that, after Obama, things would continue to get more progressive.

Instead, people are fucking stupid and hateful. Americans hate each other, and, they want this misery.

In a general sense too, everyone is addicted to their phones. We’re destroying the environment. Money is everything, and, there is no enjoyment anymore. Trump is the embodiment of our enshittified, shallow, hyper-capitalist society.

Even the internet in general sucks too. It’s a giant shopping mall now that tries to syphon your money away, and, all educational content is so hard to find over mounds of trash - now AI trash, even.

I’m really tired of this shit. I want to be left alone, but, that will never happen. If you aren’t a straight, cis, white, male, society fucking hates you and wants you to know that you’re a second class citizen. Then, it has the second class citizens fighting over who is the best type of second class citizen.

I’m tired. Honestly, the only thing that helps is ignoring everything going on around us. It’s probably the mentally healthy thing to do, even.

[UTUSN]

50. Kicking for re-viewing. Been feeling this since 2016 & this is the best description.

[lapfog_1]

56. every once in a while

I will get in my car... and scream bloody murder about how much I hate these people.

I don't really... but it makes me feel better.