Staying Positive.

[Lumpy_Custard]

I generally keep informed of whats going on news wise by checking out an app on my Android mobile phone. The app is from The Guardian Newspaper. 

When I open The Guardian Newspaper app , it gives me a rundown of current news from around the world. For some time now after opening the news app and being shown the news articles from around the world , doing that simple thing is startling to get me really depressed . The reason for my depression is the endless daily news articles that just seem to be forever showing me nothing but doom and gloom bad news . 

The Covid 19 pandemic , mass school shootings , increasing murders and lawlessness , Russia / Ukraine and other tragic news events . It just seems to me that the world is going crazy .

After running through the daily list of world news articles , it just seems that the world is in turmoil and awash with depressing and endless bad news stories .
 

  I’m having a real problem trying to stay positive .

Any one else think the same about the endless bad news from around the world and if so how do you manage to stay upbeat and positive. 

LC.
 

[TiT]

  On 5/27/2022 at 3:53 PM, Lumpy_Custard said:

When I open The Guardian Newspaper app , it gives me a rundown of current news from around the world. 

I’m having a real problem trying to stay positive .

Expand  

I found your problem.  I don't read the news for this very reason, the negativity attracts more viewership.

[whyuthinktoomut]

Well have choices. I decided it was healthier all round if I rejected numero uno. So I chose number 2.

1. Allow yourself to get sad, depressed, upset by letting your mind be played like a ping pong ball with all the media doom and gloom, which is what it is designed to do ( make you sad/ angry/ depressed/fearful, which in turn lowers your immune system's capablities).

2. Stop giving a sheet if the world/society doesn't want to save itself- by a) focusing on what YOU can do to be happy...it's much easier to change yourself than another..

and b) practising outcome independence. I don't mean being heartless. Don't stress about outcomes at every individual level , as in the daily frustrations. Do focus on YOUR overall goals. So that means having some (goals). 2 at a time at most. 

3. Perspective. And practice gratitude, there's not enough of that shown nowadays.  There are billions of people who have it worse than you do.

Did you sleep on a comfy bed with roof over your head? Still have all your limbs so you can be mobile and  independent? Have some savings in the bank? Access to clean drinking water? Little chance of disease because you have running water to wash your hands and a sewerage system?  Nice, your are doing OK.

4. Talk to some people. Simple, daily connections, however brief, make a difference. Small  chit chat is fine.

Use your mind and heart, good man, to see the good .  No-one said it's easy. You might be pleasantly surprised, occasionally.

[Scarface]

The world is crap now. Crap. It's the youngsters I feel sorry for. I/we had good years when the world was a better place, so grateful for that. Social media has to take a lot of the blame for the way it's all gone now.

[Lumpy_Custard]

Social media in my humble view use to be about keeping in touch with your family and friends , but now sadly it just seems just an ongoing platform for people looking for attention. These people seem to go to extreme immoral and idiotic lengths just to hunt for attention which in their mind  equates to fame .
 

LC

[Pinetree]

I learnt quite a long time ago, that the human race, as a species, is violent, selfish, ego driven, murderous, manipulative and basically, not worth much within Nature.  Once I reached this conclusion, I find my cynical attitude  to the World's news, Dictators, murderous, terrorist regimes, is just the human condition being acted out.  Nothing much touches me now in that respect, except perhaps animal cruelty and cruelty to children. I give the human species no more than another 10,000 years before it destroys itself and frankly, it will deserve it's inevitable extinction. I sleep soundly at night having reached this conclusion. 

[whyuthinktoomut]

  On 5/29/2022 at 4:17 AM, Pinetree said:

I learnt quite a long time ago, that the human race, as a species, is violent, selfish, ego driven, murderous, manipulative and basically, not worth much within Nature.  Once I reached this conclusion, I find my cynical attitude  to the World's news, Dictators, murderous, terrorist regimes, is just the human condition being acted out.  Nothing much touches me now in that respect, except perhaps animal cruelty and cruelty to children. I give the human species no more than another 10,000 years before it destroys itself and frankly, it will deserve it's inevitable extinction. I sleep soundly at night having reached this conclusion. 

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You met my ex as well? 

10,000 years max...that's optimistic.  I'd give it less than 100, make or break. My money's on humanity makin' it past the line.

Requires a game changer in technology though, which has very high odds of happening quite soon.  Something that can power homes, lighting, devices, vehicles..i.e a simple free energy device. If you're laughing, remember what Elon did to help the state of South Australia, by installing his Tesla battery farm in the countryside. He promised and delivered. No more summer blackouts there.  Increase that ability by the exponential advancements every  few years.  Notice how governments are inefficient  by design, becoming worse the bigger they are .

Of course Big oil will fight tooth and nail to stop that seeing the light of day, but they're fighting a losing battle. 

The "good" side to all  this, in a world of duality, where currently extremes in human behaviour  are being magnified,  is that the mayhem, bad news, entrenched corruption, injustices and mountains of bottom of the toilet sheet fuchari   is literally "bringing to light", exposing what needs to be changed...if humanity decides that that is something it desires to do, walks their talk and how quickly.  

[Mazz11]

Bad news sells. Don't watch it, and stay away from social media as it is poison for the mind.

Think about what you can do to make the world a better place, forget about things that you cannot control.

It can be as simple as giving someone a smile, help someone in need, volunteer some of your time to a worthy cause.

There are many things you can do to make yourself feel better and improve someone else's life at the same time.

You won't regret it.

[Marc26]

I hate "poor me" attitudes with a passion

I just don't stand for them

My sister is the worst in this aspect, everything is "poor me"

My wife has a bit of it, and I usually just dismiss it out of hand...........

Something is wrong, fix it

You don't like how things are going............change it

[Gluayyai]

Yep. It's like my least favourite saying. The cry of the impotent "it is what it is".

  No it is what it is cos your too daft, weak or dumb to try and change it.

It may be true things in life are certain and have to be accepted but the circumstances around that acceptance are malleable. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Gluayyai

[cowslip]

Most people look at the world through a pair of psychological rose tinted glasses. They help us stay on an even keel.  However depression in many forms robs us of those spectacles and it can be argued that people suffering from depression have to look at the world as it really is.

For most of us there are two defences. Firstly we use our intelligence and critical powers to analyse the world around us, maintain a sense of perspective, cope and live in reality.

The other way is to just stay ignorant and stick your head in the sand - this is the easiest for some and why they say ignorance is bliss.

Edited September 23, 2022 by cowslip