Life is Depressing

[Foodielove23]

How do you guys distract yourself from the reality of how depressing the world is. I don’t even have to put on the news to know the impacts of climate change or inflation or American politics and work culture or even social media.

It’s true that we live in better times due to technological advances and healthcare which is increasing our longevity but at want cost? The longer we live the longer we have to pay taxes and work for a living. Automation is supposed to help with productivity but what happens when we are out of jobs and can’t survive?

It’s hard to even enjoy things like watching tv shows or movies because it seems like the most of things to watch nowadays are drugs, violence and people struggling with mental health and documentaries about serial killers. Or things to watch in general are poorer quality because TV producers are realizing we have poorer attention span and look at our phones while the tv is on so they don’t even bother trying.

Then we fill void by having kids just to repeat the first 18-24 years of our meaningless existence just to have them struggle with the same issues being a human in this society.

I don’t really have hobbies I enjoy or expect to bring myself joy because of my depression so it’s hard to find something to go to “kill time.” I try to have gratitude for what I have but it doesn’t seem to help me feel better.

[Summer95]

Life is very depressing and people say I’m just a negative person but I like to think I’m realistic. I chose to not have kids for a few reasons you have stated. Why would I want to have a kid that will most likely have the same mental health problems I do and struggle through life then basically be a slave to a job just to survive. I used to drink a lot to distract myself but I learned that wasn’t very healthy or beneficial to my life. I think sometimes changing your way of thinking does help, try to focus on more positive things. Spend time with positive people, go for walks, garden, cook new food, self care, explore nature, go to festivals and concerts. Try to experience as much as you can while you’re here and make the best out of your one life you’re given. In the morning make a cup of hot tea and watch the sun rise. Sometimes it’s the little things in life.

[Foodielove23 in reply to Summer95]

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate having someone resonate with me. I do try to find things to do but mostly on weekends when I have more motivation, energy and time. I guess it’s hard to incorporate these things during the week when I’m too exhausted to do anything but lay in bed when I get home. I agree that being more positive would help I guess l struggle with getting started on thinking more positively because when I do find things to be grateful for, I feel guilty for not appreciating life more in the first place.

[MarileeKemp]

I could have written this myself, except I have a child and the future looks so bleak for him that it’s eating me up inside. The only advice I can really give is to stop watching the news as much. I would find myself feeding off articles about climate change or the aliens or whatever it is I’m supposed to be scared of now. It’s better if I don’t feed those feelings.

[Gillyflower18]

The world has always been a mess. The type of mess changes over time. The media always dwell on bad news because it keeps their viewers hooked. Much of social media focuses on making you feel bad about yourself. I watch very little news anymore and carefully select only those programs that interest me from streaming services. It’s much better that way and I learn a lot. It’s helped me a great deal.