I am feeling so bloody irritable!

😄😄

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

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.

For the first time I have warned a couple of my granddaughters about where they travel in Europe and the UK. I never, ever thought things would get that bad.

Poor OP, tried to share their feelings and worries, only to be told it's sunny and she is depressed.

A lot has changed in a very short period of time imo and some of us feel worried and overloaded.

The two comments above are beyond patronising 'catastrophise' wow! And 'depression' again. No, neither!

Whitewavemark2

What bloody irritates me are people who sit in judgement assuming that they know how I spend my time😄😄

Hi, had not seen this thread, And how I feel the same. Stopped watching evening news, and go out most of the time in garden, or walking the dogs in magnificent woods, go swimming in lakes and rivers, spend time with great friends. I am do not suffer from any kind of depression, but I am so depressed about the state of the world as there seems to be no solution.

Not for me, I am soon to be 75- and have had a great life- but I despair for my grand-children who are very intelligent and very aware of the dangers, both from the climate/environment point of view, and the dreadful leadership of the biggest countries in the world, and the fact other countries, like the UK- seem to have to bend the knee for fear of tarifs or commercial demise, in the UK, on top of the Brexit disaster.

So yes, WVM2 - oh, I do feel the same. hugs

I look at my 18 year old grand daughter, A levels and school behind her, just flown in a plane for the first time and holidayed abroad without her parents Her whole hopeful adult life ahead of her, a rose bud just starting to bloom in the sun, and I want to cry

This sounds like depression tbh.
Depressed that you’re not young & carefree with your whole life ahead of you. Because honestly, the vast majority of 18 year olds aren’t crying about the world - they’re having a great time on holiday with their friends.

M0nica

I look at my 18 year old grand daughter, A levels and school behind her, just flown in a plane for the first time and holidayed abroad without her parents Her whole hopeful adult life ahead of her, a rose bud just starting to bloom in the sun, and I want to cry.

Err, why exactly?
Sounds like she has had a nice life so far, and with more to come.Why catastrophise?

Doom scrolling 🤭love it.

Dorrain and Shinamae
Agree completely.👏🏻👏🏻

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Doom scrolling. It doesn’t do any of us any favours. I limit the time I spend reading the news. Yes I’m interested but not ‘obsessed’ by it.

There’s a world outside my door. Full of happy people. The sun shines, the grass still grows and the world turns. Family and friends to engage with.

Everything in moderation is best. Worrying does no-one any good really.

I agree read or listen with interest and don't worry.

People are happy, life is sunny.

M0nica

I look at my 18 year old grand daughter, A levels and school behind her, just flown in a plane for the first time and holidayed abroad without her parents Her whole hopeful adult life ahead of her, a rose bud just starting to bloom in the sun, and I want to cry.

Yes, me too.

I look at my 18 year old grand daughter, A levels and school behind her, just flown in a plane for the first time and holidayed abroad without her parents Her whole hopeful adult life ahead of her, a rose bud just starting to bloom in the sun, and I want to cry.

What bloody irritates me are people who sit in judgement assuming that they know how I spend my time😄😄

I’m one of life’s optimists, my default is to always think things will get better - which is a blessing when times are hard.

My dad’s advice still holds Whitewavemark2, don’t let the b….rs get you down. Also you have every right to get angry, let it all out on here. For starters, I’ll join you in poking anybody who describes me as ‘in your twilight years’ right in the eye!

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.

Exactly this….

petra

Allira
Plus the fact that we were too busy earning a living and bringing up children.
And before anyone suggests that we didn’t have access to all the information then I have 3 daughters who work full time.
They don’t have time to digest alls that’s going on.
That’s the problem here: too much time on their hands.

We were but if I let all the misery I came across in my working life get to me, I'd have been a wreck.
As it is, some things never leave you but you do have to compartmentalise to an extent, otherwise you couldn't carry on.

Doom scrolling. It doesn’t do any of us any favours. I limit the time I spend reading the news. Yes I’m interested but not ‘obsessed’ by it.

There’s a world outside my door. Full of happy people. The sun shines, the grass still grows and the world turns. Family and friends to engage with.

Everything in moderation is best. Worrying does no-one any good really.

Allira
Plus the fact that we were too busy earning a living and bringing up children.
And before anyone suggests that we didn’t have access to all the information then I have 3 daughters who work full time.
They don’t have time to digest alls that’s going on.
That’s the problem here: too much time on their hands.

Another one here, I have become so irritable, cynical and grumpy. The state of the world is horrendous. I have begun to look briefly at the BBC in the morning and then no news for the rest of the day, no Facebook or any other social media. It's a real relief. So much of what we are told is not something we can actually do anything about.
I think it was the stories about beached emaciated, dead whales with empty stomachs and the proliferation of dolphins and turtles turning up in unlikely places and orcas bringing food to scientists studying them that got me so upset that I just thought I couldn't cope any longer.

I try to be active locally, am a WI Climate Change Ambassador and so on. What is the point of feeling so stressed and helpless by endless news. I feel better as a resubscribedult.

MayBee70

Allira

I think we just didn't know so much because we didn't have such ready access to everything that was happening in the world years ago, Maybee.

Is it any wonder that certain information is not given to the public.
^A very close friend of ours was on nuclear subs in the 80s.
There were some very threatening incidents^ 😱

I worked with someone whose DH was on nuclear subs.
The Russians were often causing problems with British ships years ago.

In fact the public is still unaware of half that goes on.

We knew which countries were at war though.

We did, and about the terrorists on our own shores.

We knew about famines, refugees, but we didn't have discussions about all this on social media.

Allira

I think we just didn't know so much because we didn't have such ready access to everything that was happening in the world years ago, Maybee.

Is it any wonder that certain information is not given to the public.
^A very close friend of ours was on nuclear subs in the 80s.
There were some very threatening incidents^ 😱

I worked with someone whose DH was on nuclear subs.
The Russians were often causing problems with British ships years ago.

In fact the public is still unaware of half that goes on.

We knew which countries were at war though.

Ambergran
Not to mention the IRA, someone I know missed a bomb by seconds.

As did DD on 7/7.

I think we just didn't know so much because we didn't have such ready access to everything that was happening in the world years ago, Maybee.

Is it any wonder that certain information is not given to the public.
^A very close friend of ours was on nuclear subs in the 80s.
There were some very threatening incidents^ 😱

I worked with someone whose DH was on nuclear subs.
The Russians were often causing problems with British ships years ago.

In fact the public is still unaware of half that goes on.