The saying "I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders" applies perfectly to me. Almost all the time I am constantly thinking about the state of the world we live in and with it comes anger at the people in charge of running it because of how inept they are. I wouldn't say I'm depressed but I fear that if I don't find a way to deal with this feeling it will lead to that. The only real relief I get from it is having a drink or two or getting high. When I'm around other people I do get some relief from the constant stream of thoughts and I would say I'm pretty outgoing but I absolutely need my alone time so I would say I lean towards being an introvert. I know I'm not alone with this issue so I would love some advice on how you handle it. Thanks
Hi grizzleybear33, I know how you feel - sometimes its just crushing thinking about how much there is wrong with the world. I've a couple of suggestions but feel free to ignore them. 1 - If you have a hobby or activity you enjoy keep doing that, if you don't maybe you could try something new. If you like solitude you could try walking or hiking - I find that helps me to think things through. Or maybe join a gym or a running scheme (in the UK we have runs you can sign up for in major cities, don't know if you have anything like that in Flagstaff). If a physical activity isn't for you maybe try another hobby i.e. reading, painting or maybe chess (I know that's quite specific but I hope you get my drift) or some other club built around something you like. 2 - If you have a particularly close person (either a friend or relative) then speak to them, having someone hear you thoughts can help and if the broadly agree then that might help you. 3 - Just a thought but if the above doesn't interest you maybe you could become involved in something like a charity or an activist group (ideally an LGBTQ+ one I guess?). I would also include a political party in consideration but you may not want to do that as they are part of the problem? If you have any alternatives you want an opinion on then just post here again. I also just want to make a general point. There are a lot of problems in the world and you sound like you really empathise with how people are treated but it is not something you are responsible for or something you have to solve by yourself, nor is it something you should feel bad for if you can't bring about change. The people who do these things are responsible for their own actions. Look at how long it has taken queer people to get any recognition and its still a fight for every inch of ground. You can't solve it yourself and you can't bear responsibility for it. Having said that if you want to do something then I would suggest option 3 above - even helping people locale to you would be a big boost. Anyway, these are just my thoughts and suggestions - feel free to ignore if they don't suit you. Post back if you like and let me know what you think or if you just want to talk. P.S. If you can try not to drink or get high (if you can't stop then try not to do it too much) as that only gives you temporary relief and can make you feel much worse than without them. However, I only say this because from what you said it sounds like you are drinking and getting high to feel better? Sorry if that is wide of the mark.
