I am feeling so bloody irritable!

Kate1949

PN From Norah yesterday 23.07.

Thank you!

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.

Thinking about that, Whitewave, having reached the same age, I've realised that whatever I think or do is hardly going to make a dent in what is happening in the wider world.

We can live in a bubble and ignore it all or worry ourselves constantly, but we can't change things. I worry for my DC and DGC but I still can't change anything.

We can make ourselves feel better by supporting charities, doing whatever we can to help those who are suffering, but then risk being accused of 'virtue signalling'!!
(I was once on GN when I posted about a charity I was supporting. It didn't deter me.)

PoliticsNerd

Oreo

So many older people, especially women say they feel helpless or frustrated about many aspects of life today.
It’s part of the ageing process as I bet they didn’t feel like that 30 or 40 years ago.

It is natural, but ...

I cared for my mother but sometimes I wonder if, in trying to do my best, I overrode her sense of agency, her feeling of being in control.

For those who care about us, and for us caring for others, it can be a dichotomy. It can be for governments too, I suppose.

So did I and can remember her saying that she'd never expected that I'd have to care for her rather than her caring for me. She was frustrated at her helplessness.

PoliticsNerd

When people look at the life of a business or the life of a career, they often use three well-known stages to describe where they are.

The stages are generalised as "striving, thriving and surviving". Other words are sometimes used but they basically mean the same thing.

We are here, on this particular forum, because of the stage of life we are at. That stage - old enough to be a grandparent - also means the majority are old enough to be in the "survive" stage of life. At this stage we are much more aware of the attacks on our health, wealth and happiness. For some all those will seem okay at the moment. For some they will seem not too bad. They may feel under a lot of pressure in one area, or under less pressure but on two or three of those areas. And, just for a few, all areas will seem dire. Even if things seem better now than they did in the past we are all aware of possible up and coming problems.

I believe that this thread reflects not how the world is - our ancestors knew far worse - but the older person's perspective that, compared with middle-aged adults, they are seen as having lower social status in the sense of power, wealth, respect, influence, and prestige.

This is, I believe, why so many see the world in such a negative light. The world hasn't changed overall but we have. We could however, choose differently. It's not easy but it can be done.

Sorry, but I disagree. I do not think most of us see the world in such a negative light just because we are old.

I am generally one of life's cock-eyed optimists, always have been, always will be, but, I know that through out life there have been peaks of events when one has looked at life in despair.

The Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, The horrors of the Balkan War, were peak events that just come to mind with a moments thought , but there are others. On each occasion one has the sense of bleak despair we have at the moment. The only hope we have is that, as in previous periods of time, the problems will resolve themselves, no matter how unsatisfactorily and make a noise like a hoop, and roll away.

Currently with Ukraine, the Middle East, Trump as President, to name but three events, we are hitting another peak and inevitably, with the passage of time, we are more fearful that this time, whatever it may be, may not roll away, that our childrens and grandchildrens lives will be blasted before they get going. We remember those who were in the way and were rolled over and squashed by the hoop; The Vietnamese Boat people, the massacres and the genocide of the Balkan Wars, and now the people of Gaza.

We see, in this country as well, disruption, political violence, economic uncertainity and the most incompetent politicians in all parties than this country has ever experienced before accompanied by disengagment from the political process by so many. Total voter turnout in the last years election was barely 60%, In some 30 constituencies it was less than 50%.

Yes, things look very bleak at the moment, and the fault lies with the world as it is at present not with us.

whitewavemark2
Starting a thread doesn’t mean all the comments around a subject will be about you.
The subject in itself is an interesting one.

PN From Norah yesterday 23.07.

Casdon

Sometimes though, people over analyse and read far more into somebody having a few low moments than is the reality. Knowing when to get off somebody’s case is a skill that can be learned by all ages.

Clearly not everyone😄😄.

Kandinsky

Exactly Dorrain

The world is no worse than it’s ever been - it’s just now we get so much information that people can talk about it all day long on social media ( if they choose to )

I too believe this. So much more information , so easily available . I’m not saying there are not awful things happening but the media do enjoy hyping things up.
I listen to the head lines and basic facts but try not to dwell on them.
My adage is, if I can do something about it, do it . If not get on with life and try to do small things good deeds when I can.
Life is too short for us not to not make the best we can of it.

It’s possible PN but we will all reach a stage in life when we do need others to help and even decide for us.Am sure you did all possible for your Mum out of love, I know that I will do that for my own when and if the time comes.
Accepting the ageing process can be hard but has to be done.

Kate1949

'people are happy'. Not everyone is.

Where did that quote come from, Kate1949. I can't see it.

Oreo

So many older people, especially women say they feel helpless or frustrated about many aspects of life today.
It’s part of the ageing process as I bet they didn’t feel like that 30 or 40 years ago.

It is natural, but ...

I cared for my mother but sometimes I wonder if, in trying to do my best, I overrode her sense of agency, her feeling of being in control.

For those who care about us, and for us caring for others, it can be a dichotomy. It can be for governments too, I suppose.

'people are happy'. Not everyone is.

Sometimes though, people over analyse and read far more into somebody having a few low moments than is the reality. Knowing when to get off somebody’s case is a skill that can be learned by all ages.

Mollygo

WWM2
I wouldn’t have said low social status, but certainly low status and lack of prestige, (denoting something that arouses widespread respect or admiration) in the eyes of the government.

And sometimes generational thinking shows this too.

Oreo

Whitewavemark2

So now apparently I’m irritated because of my low social status, and lack of prestige!! 😄😄😄.

That’s just quoting out of context.

Thank you Oreo.

Whitewavemark2

So now apparently I’m irritated because of my low social status, and lack of prestige!! 😄😄😄.

Where does any post explicitly and specifically say it is your life being described? Where were you singled out? Seeing it in that way is quite an extreme reaction to generalised comment but I'm sure it isn't only you that does that.

Casdon

You do have to laugh to survive on Gransnet sometimes WWM2, it’s a bit of a microcosm!

It’s only a microcosm in that it’s mainly older, and female on here.

Whitewavemark2 thank you for sharing your irritation. I read your OP with a feeling of “Phew, not just me then….”

I have been feeling similarly tetchy for a while and couldn’t put my finger on just why. Information overload may well be an area for me to address.

I hope you feel more upbeat soon.

So many older people, especially women say they feel helpless or frustrated about many aspects of life today.
It’s part of the ageing process as I bet they didn’t feel like that 30 or 40 years ago.

You do have to laugh to survive on Gransnet sometimes WWM2, it’s a bit of a microcosm!

WWM2
I wouldn’t have said low social status, but certainly low status and lack of prestige, (denoting something that arouses widespread respect or admiration) in the eyes of the government.

Whitewavemark2

So now apparently I’m irritated because of my low social status, and lack of prestige!! 😄😄😄.

That’s just quoting out of context.

PoliticsNerd

When people look at the life of a business or the life of a career, they often use three well-known stages to describe where they are.

The stages are generalised as "striving, thriving and surviving". Other words are sometimes used but they basically mean the same thing.

We are here, on this particular forum, because of the stage of life we are at. That stage - old enough to be a grandparent - also means the majority are old enough to be in the "survive" stage of life. At this stage we are much more aware of the attacks on our health, wealth and happiness. For some all those will seem okay at the moment. For some they will seem not too bad. They may feel under a lot of pressure in one area, or under less pressure but on two or three of those areas. And, just for a few, all areas will seem dire. Even if things seem better now than they did in the past we are all aware of possible up and coming problems.

I believe that this thread reflects not how the world is - our ancestors knew far worse - but the older person's perspective that, compared with middle-aged adults, they are seen as having lower social status in the sense of power, wealth, respect, influence, and prestige.

This is, I believe, why so many see the world in such a negative light. The world hasn't changed overall but we have. We could however, choose differently. It's not easy but it can be done.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about this.👏🏻👏🏻

Actually this thread is giving me so much merriment at the way people perceive my life, that I’m feeling quite cheerful😄😄😄

So now apparently I’m irritated because of my low social status, and lack of prestige!! 😄😄😄.