I am feeling so bloody irritable!

My husband and I hardly ever look at the news these days as it it is so dreadful and also the interminable adverts! Poorly donkeys, animal being abused, little children with awful conditions and being forced to drink disgusting water! All I know is we can’t solve the problems in the world - I have no faith in foreign aid which gets abused. I will pray for the world to become a better place and try to be kind. End of.

I'm inclined to agree with you nanna 8, the leaders are either way out there in the extreme or ineffectual just spouting platitudes that don't really inspire anyone anymore. If I'd plump for a leader who seems to be getting to grips with some of the problems in her country that would superficially be Georgia Meloni although I know she would be considered too far to the right by many.

I had a friend when we were young who was inclined to say, "I don't listen to the news because it's depressing" it always was but on the other hand we don't live in a bubble so we need to have a rudimentary knowledge of what's going on in the world.

We've had our grandchildren staying with us this week, and my 11 year old grandson asked me several times "is this country going to be going to war soon" to which I've tried to reassure him with a no, but I worry how the future will pan out for them and younger people on so many levels.

I largely have to avoid any radio/TV news now, just too overwhelmingly awful. Hard to avoid it in this house though, since dh seems to have it on so many times a day - he positively seems to wallow in it - but he says it doesn’t depress him!

Whitewavemark2. You are spot on as you always have been. I need to hear it before I totally combust. Thank you.

Oh I understand this completely!
I've been feeling this way for a while now which is quite out of character for me.
I'm normally very calm, even tempered and contented.

Very difficult to feel contented when you see the news.
Somehow I can't NOT see and read the news as I like to be informed.

The world is in such a sorry state but I suppose we need to do what we can which is really very little.

Confession .... I skim the BBC headlines on my phone each morning so I have an idea of what is going on in the world, but I do not open any of the depressing headlines. My life is entirely depressing enough with loneliness and constant health problems - reading about all this and further lowering my mood would help absolutely no-one so I do not do it.

Dorrain

I don't know if the world is any darker now than it was in the past.
Mass communication 24/7 via the internet or television is dominated by reports of wars, famine, crime, corruption and bad behaviour. This, on face value seems to outweigh the positive events, good people and the improved and worthwhile outcomes which exist in our world today.

Before TV and then the internet many people lived in a relative form of ignorant bliss simply because we were not exposed to as much information.

Its understandable that exposure to so much bad stuff makes us irritable, frustrated and negative.

True.
If it wasn’t for the oh so readily available information on the Internet we might be a bit less grumpy. Whoever said ignorance is bliss has got a point.
Media is full of the bad things that happen, from murders to road traffic accidents.
Stories about food banks and Shrinkflation, hospital queues, lack of dentists, doctors, care workers.

Social media is full of complaints too. The latest was about a heavily facial tattooed man turned away from his holiday destination, or the woman who went to Nando’s and complained about the vegan options.
Then there’s the criticisms and put downs, and references to woke, which primarily refers to an awareness of social and political injustices. The problem is that there are now so many social and political injustices that it’s hard to know what isn’t woke.

And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s the situations in the Ukraine, in the Middle East, and even in the US.

I started to feel this way too, as a compulsive news watcher.
So I have decided to watch/listen less. Just enough so that I know what is going on.
I'm trying instead to concentrate on nature, especially right here in my own location. It's so beautiful, I am lucky, and so I am trying to let that be uppermost in my mind.

Whitewavemark2

l will apologise in advance for my irritability, which is beginning to show, but I think that everything about the world is so utterly dreadful at the moment, that it is definitely beginning to affect my mood.

I must somehow get a grip but it is difficult.

Is it you actual, physical world Whitewave? If so is it worth a word with you doctor?

Whatever it is, I'm sorry you are having to deal with this.

Your not you!

Whitewavemark2 the world has always been in turmoil, it’s just now with 24/7 rolling news and the internet it’s out there for all to see, all the time.

I have adopted the motto worry about what is within my control, not things which I have no control over, and have the ability to distinguish between the two

Well, we know Gaza is in serious distress are any of us here responding with practical help of any kind? Pretty sure there is something we could all do to brighten the days.

fancythat

Watch a whole lot less news.
And pray, those who can. Is my advice.

Go outside into nature.
Think about nice things.

God is the answer. But I appreciate not many will understand that.
And I cant say much, as I dont think I would be allowed to on this forum.

My most recent additions to the how to stay sane list have been:

1. Celebrate the small wins. I had post-it notes everywhere until I found the way to see things as a win rather than look at the things I can no longer achieve, for whatever reason.

2. Look at things not as "things I have to do " but as things I get to do". I'm still working on this but definitely seeing things more positively.

3. This is really the same as watching fewer news sources. In my world it's "stay informed but balanced".

4. My final one is "have friends in your life as often as possible." That is always worthwhile!

Media is full of the bad things that happen, from murders to road traffic accidents

I have noticed that the DM in particular, now focuses on murder or people dying in accidents, if they dont have much other news to report on.
One day, the first 12 out or 13 "headlines" was about people dying in some way or another.

Is it clickbait for them?
Do people read that, more than other more upbeat articles perhaps?

PoliticsNerd

fancythat

Watch a whole lot less news.
And pray, those who can. Is my advice.

Go outside into nature.
Think about nice things.

God is the answer. But I appreciate not many will understand that.
And I cant say much, as I dont think I would be allowed to on this forum.

My most recent additions to the how to stay sane list have been:

1. Celebrate the small wins. I had post-it notes everywhere until I found the way to see things as a win rather than look at the things I can no longer achieve, for whatever reason.

2. Look at things not as "things I have to do " but as things I get to do". I'm still working on this but definitely seeing things more positively.

3. This is really the same as watching fewer news sources. In my world it's "stay informed but balanced".

4. My final one is "have friends in your life as often as possible." That is always worthwhile!

Excellent post in my opinion.

PoliticsNerd

Whitewavemark2

l will apologise in advance for my irritability, which is beginning to show, but I think that everything about the world is so utterly dreadful at the moment, that it is definitely beginning to affect my mood.

I must somehow get a grip but it is difficult.

Is it you actual, physical world Whitewave? If so is it worth a word with you doctor?

Whatever it is, I'm sorry you are having to deal with this.

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

But tbh I haven’t reached nearly the ancient age of 80 and not know the difference between anxiety or depression and being cheesed off and irritated by the way the world is going.

Frankly I would not be human if it didn’t affect me I think.

Thank fancythat. Two heads are often better than one!

Its easy to spiral into upsetting thoughts, you are far from alone. 👩‍❤️‍👩

I am pretty cheesed off too but watching a beautiful sunset brings me joy as does playing with my grandchildren. I am now formally the third playmate and have to play with them under instructions!
Hope you feel more optimistic soon wwm2.
Part of the problem seems to be that we are being silenced and have to accept so much that we personally find problematic but without any right of reply. It’s not just you if that helps.

No its not just you by any means Whitewave. I am feeling sad and irritated this morning mostly after reading the comments on the "dog whistle" thread about immigration.

Anyone needing hospital treatment for themselves or relations should thank their lucky stars for immigration. There would be half the staff if not fewer without it. I think I shall stop reading GN for a while. I have cut down TV news anyway. I cannot change what is happening in the world. I have always been a bit sad I am not a grandmother, but I would fear the future for GC if I were.

This is the only time in my life I feel relieved that my sons didn't give me any grandchildren to worry about. I never ever in a million years thought I would hear myself say that.

I agree with Dorrain and Kandinsky - we have more information than we can process. Bad things have always happened but we didn't know about most of them. Now we know about so much that the weight of it is intolerable. Also bad things are newsworthy but good things are not so it always seems the bad outweighs the good. Try to keep things in proportion.

Great replies on here. That is it! We know far toooooo much these days and now our heads are imploding - well mine is. I battle with depression on a daily basis so I make things for charity. Knitting and crocheting keep me sane (or maybe I am not sane) but they help.
I stopped watching the news a while ago. There is nothing I can do to help the world but I can help charities by doing my bit.
Hugs to you as you are certainly not alone.

It may sound selfish - I am not interested in the world as a whole - I am mainly concerned about my immediate world, my family and friends, although the recent AI Crash bothered me deeply. My family travel a lot.
I am not interested in threads on Politics, about Trump or Putin. I listen to the news religiously, but it doesn’t affect me, unless it’s a human story.

Whitewavemark2

l will apologise in advance for my irritability, which is beginning to show, but I think that everything about the world is so utterly dreadful at the moment, that it is definitely beginning to affect my mood.

I must somehow get a grip but it is difficult.

Completely and utterly agree, but I’m not apologising for my irritability!