you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 74 points 10 months ago* (14 children)

I was an anxious doomer all the time until I went to therapy. Something they said stuck with me.

The world is not binary, it is not going to be the best case or the worst case. Out of a range of infinite outcomes, focusing on the worst case scenario doesn't make sense as probability says it won't happen. What will likely happen is somewhere in that area between best and worst.

Eh they said it better, I'm having trouble remembering exactly. Point is, doomer'ing is a waste of time because it probably won't happen.

One that got me in the 2010's were the "Water wars". People told me constantly only a few more years and we'll all be at war! I legit had panic nightmares about it. Climate change worries me, and it set off anxiety. Turns out the doomers were wrong then, and continue to be wrong. Will it happen? It might. It might not. It's impossible to know, but focusing on the worst case scenario is a waste of time.

It's easy saying everything is going to hell, and to some it makes them feel better. It's much harder to accept the weird grey area we continue to live in that's neither good nor bad. So, if you're like me and things like this immediately spring up a fear response, carry that with you, and focus on you the individual. Maybe this will be the year you get that promotion, or a new job, or start a new hobby, or meet the special someone.

  • source
  • hideshow 14 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 child)

    I have a similar story with anxiety and I got mostly rid of it in steps, including therapy. I wish more people realized feeling constant worry about the world is not normal.

    It’s not that the world is doing great, but that you or me worrying about it doesn’t have any benefit, so it’s unnecessary. We can’t control everything, so we should focus on what we can.

    E.g. I live in the EU, so I didn’t vote for or against Trump. His crazyness does affect my life, but I literally cannot affect his behaviour in any way. So no need to obsess over it - I might roll my eyes over some headlines, but that’s it. I remember when I felt devastated in 2016 after he was first elected, and I felt paralyzed with fear and the lack of control I have. I’m so happy I’m not at that mental place anymore.

    And again, I’m not gaslighting myself that the world is perfect. I’m accepting I can’t control everything, and focus my attention on the things I control in my life, and stop constant worrying on the million things I was anxious about. It’s very hatd to explain, took a lot of introspection and some therapy, but it’s possible. Therapist said I had general anxiety disorder (GAD) that I developed due to my mother’s constant negativeness and worrying. Now when I talk to her it’s so obvious, but I never realized it back then. Interesting how big an impact our childhood has on even those of us, who are lucky with regular middle-class upbringing.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 5 points 10 months ago

    Interesting, mine also came from my parents, I guess that's more common than I thought!

    I think 2016 is when it started for me too actually, and it was probably because of the upward trajectory we were on that then became obvious that we werent, at least not how I thought it would be, and I had to learn to cope with that

    Thanks for sharing your story

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 7 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, we are fed news to make us sad an angry all day. And we come here to comments to get more sad and more angry.

    The world is not as it seems here in the Lemmy comment section though, not even close. You can most definitely still be happy, and you should be.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Very well said. The new brings us everything bad and only weird feel good moments. I argue you can be completely informed and not watch the news. When someone tells me they're anxious about the world, most of the time they watch the news regularly. Their business depends on you being glued to your screen, and anxiety does that well for them.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    I had a partner who was convinced we were in a perpetual state of being weeks away from losing access to water. We lived in Seattle... Fear is often really illogical and it can be difficult to step away from it (Sorry if this posts twice phone is acting weird)

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 8 points 10 months ago

    I mean, hopefully to bring perspective, the water wars are happening now. People are fighting corporations who are draining the aquifers for alphalpha and such to send abroad, there are faucets running dry and everything

    It's not going to be mad Max... These problems still exist and are on track, but they way they present themselves is as a slow burning down of the infrastructure that our country is built upon

    The people will remain. There will be hard times, we will have to come together to solve problems. We might have to relocate as areas become untenable

    There will be unrest and disorder, but not mass murder. We just don't have it in us without years of indoctrination and drug use

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 5 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Syria was a water war.

    It started after farming collapsed in the drought and the farmers started the revolt.

    There’s still going to be wars over resources like water (and now the oil again, for no apparent reason that isn’t power hungry distraction tactics).

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [+] -5 points 10 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago

    Or maybe it'as not. Either way, being upset about it isn't going to stop the bombs if they come.

    If your apocalypse comes to pass, then what? You get to feel smug while you die of radiation poisoning?

    Work on what you can impact, be aware of the rest, and most importantly don't worry about what you can't change.

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (-1 replies)