Trump and dementia - I'm lying awake at night worrying

sarahcyn

Is anyone else feeling that the end of the world is coming? This has been a dreadful week.

I am literally lying awake at night these days worrying about the world. Near the top of my list, maybe right at the top, is the dreadful possibility that a man with advancing dementia is going to be President of the USA.

www.salon.com/2024/02/23/dr-john-gartner-on-a-tale-of-two-brains-bidens-brain-is-aging-brain-is-dementing/

This is only one of a plethora of articles raising questions about Trump's mental state. The distinction between him and Biden is important and one which any of us who have known dementia cases would be aware of. The experts say that Biden shows signs of a normal ageing brain for an alert man of his age - forgetting the odd name. But Trump goes into flights of fancy - thinking his father was born in Germany when it was his grandfather who was born in Germany is a big red flag. And what about his pronouncement that whatever he does, if he is President, is legal?
My husband points out that actually the US constitution does allow for a President with dubious mental capacity to be removed from office. But what damage could he do before they plucked up the courage to do that?
I feel as though I am watching a slow-motion global car crash where madmen, real actual madmen, are taking charge. Putin invades Ukraine and threatens Nato. Trump and his shameful band of Republicans refuse aid to Ukraine. Europe gets drawn in to the war. Or Putin just takes over after even more bloodshed. And then decides to invade a few more Eastern European countries. Conscription all over Europe. Endless, Orwellian war. And eventually, in about 2038, my darling, sweet four year old grandson in Poland will die in a muddy, freezing foxhole on the Polish-Belarus border.
Everyone is distracted by Gaza. I am no fan of Netanyahu - he should bloody well go - but Israel, for all its faults, is a genuine democracy in a region dominated by theocracies and autocracies. I do wonder why the Arab states do not do more to help the Gaza civilians; and why George Galloway's hero Putin is egging them on.

The murder of Navalny has sent me into a downward spiral. Help, somebody give me something to feel positive about.
Sorry but I'm sitting here waiting for a plumber to sort out the bad smell in my rental property which is making my tenant, justifiably, very angry and I feel helpless and useless.

Stop reading the papers and watching the news, obviously not doing you any good.

I have stopped watching the news though I read bout world events. There is nothing I can do about things but I do try to deal with day to day problems: reading the meter, checking my bills; ordering groceries etc. These are within my control. It might be helpful to concentrate on your day to day happenings or problems. Not easy, I kow. If you lie awake at night, read a book; play a game on your iPhone or iPad ; make a cup of tea. Don't lie there and brood. If it happens during the day, go outside and walk for a short time, even if it's raining. Get a rescue cat! I'm not being facetious. It will rely on YOU for care and will reward you with affection. Stroking a cat is soothing. Sadly it won't help world affairs! Those are out of our hands.

I feel that the world is going to hell in a hand basket but I personally can’t effect any change globally. So, I will do the best I can in my own life and try to help others when I can. I learnt many years ago that it is not helpful to worry about something you cannot change. I hope you feel better for venting here today.

MaizieD

HousePlantQueen

Sarancyn, I completely understand your worries, I too have had the 2am lying awake thinking that this is a dangerous time, and calls to pull yourself together are patronising at best. We are living in challenging times.

Quite.

And telling the poor woman she is mentally ill... 🤔

Sarahcyn. Totally agree. You are hardly mentally ill, it is a very clearly intelligent and well-constructed posting… I totally agree with all that and the link you post, tho I would have to add that I don’t think Trump is as demented as he thinks, he’s as wily as a fox too!! Just read his neice’s book about his upbringing “ Too Much and Never Enough”.
I have been avidly following all that’s been going on in the USA for years now and am as worried as you but NOT to the extent of keeping me awake at night…other things do that! I’m so sorry that all this has gotten to you badly - as others have said ther is nothing WE can do about it - but you have to have hope that all these dire things in the world will eventually work themselves out for the good of humanity. You don’t say how old you are, but you are on Gransnet so I have to assume a reasonably elder age. I am, British and 78 this year and over 2 years ago I nearly died. I was always terrified of dying, but after that I became relatively flegmatic about it - there is /was nothing I could do about it -if I died I died - all the petty and material things faded into insignificance…. So now I am avidly following all that is happening in the US and globally, most of it is horrible…but THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT any of it … I have chronic kidney disease, and loads of other medical issues, but overall am OK if I keep stable… again it’s not a reversible disease, so little I can do about it either. So I concentrate on the day to day, doing things I love, reading, watching films/TV, talking to family (both sons and family live far away), going out to the odd group when well enough, still working from home part time (tho it feels like full time) and generally keeping occupied, or just slumping when a bad day is upon me - I don’t sleep well at night,( sleep much better during the day!!). Maybe try a bit of that - I get angry about all the things you mention, to the point of mentally spitting in that pouty little Trump face when I see it. But realise there is Nothing I can do…. Try just doing things for YOU and try to forget the outside world - mentally curse and rave at the perpetrators when you get riled…then realise nothing can be done by you and sigh and read a book, watch an escapist film, go and cook or sew or whatever is your ‘bag’. Join a group, the local U3a might be right up your street? You don’t say if you live alone? If so - as above, if not, SHARE your worries with someone/DH or? The old saying a ‘Worry shared is a worry halved’ is VERY true. If you are so down about all this that it affects your daily life badly do go and talk to a doctor, you might be clinically depressed ( not mentally ill) and MAYBE there is something else at the bottom of these worries which you are projecting on to the worlds crises? All the very best - glad you were able to vent here just doing that might help?

My DH had this when covid hit. He was sick with worry. We agreed he shouldn't watch or listen to the news more than once a day and set the limits on what Facebook and other social media he partook in. It helped enormously.

Luckygirl3

I think you are wasting your breath suelld - there are some posts worth ignoring.

I do agree, though I could not stop myself responding

I think you are wasting your breath suelld - there are some posts worth ignoring.

Cillafan

Donald Trump is a good man, he knows what's right and what's wrong, hope he is elected potus, things will get done, he is not afraid of anything or anyone, defender of the free world

Oh for goodness sake pen your eyes Cillafan - can you actually READ? Read both sides, research, & you will find that Donald Trump is as wily as a fox and will become an authoritative dictator just like PUTIN whom he admires. VERY FAR from being “a Good Man” he is a LIAR, Adulterer, Rapist, Grifter (remember the recent hawk of Trump Gold Sneakers’), and thoroughly NASTY, almost Evil Person. He cares NOTHING for the American people, just for himself. He’s only running for President on the Lie that the election was stolen (it wasn’t) to escape the Law which should be fast closing on his many frauds, lies and deceptions - and in case you think as he so often shouts, that the DOJ has been ‘weaponised’ against him, remember his Trump University (a con and closed down and fined) he’s been bankrupt a few times, his money was not earned by hard toil, but he was left billions by his father and he has lost most of that trying to run Casinos, etc, which failed (how do you fail with a Casino!) - and all this was PRE Presidency. he has had numerous affairs with sleazy people, this latest Hush Money scandal proved he slept with a Porn Star just before his son Barrons birth….I could go on and on…and THIS weasel is who you call ‘a good man’- you could not be further from the Truth! He’s a snake-oil salesman!
Oh and I’m in the UK, and have NO axe to grind in your election. My views are probably those that most of us outside the US can see from a distance EXACTLY WHAT a CON-MAN he is!

I think that any postulated force for good is very hard to find and I entirely understand the challenge that sarahcyn is facing. I do not think the answer is to search for something that isn't there.

The only answer as far as I can see is to simply be BE that force for good within our environment of friends and family and local community. Trying to take on the mammoth task of absorbing all the truly awful things that go on in this world is a recipe for misery, and that really helps no-one at all.

Human beings are both wonderful and awful. There is little we can do to change that. But we can change how we go forward with our lives. We can dwell on it and rant against our total impotence to make things better; or we can concentrate on creating happier lives for all around us.

Now and again we get a blip of power when we get to vote for our government. All we can do is to use that wisely for the good of everyone, not just ourselves.

I hope that you can find a way to rise above the forces that are pulling you down at the moment. You do need to develop a strategy for coping with this, as nothing is going away. We must each keep on keeping on in our own ways.

Sending a dollop of strength your way.

Saracyn, basically I feel that you need a big hug, so I am sending you one now. I agree that positivity is the key to surviving life. We didn't make ourselves, we came here with nothing, but I believe in a Good Force who will look after us all. Look at how Britain came through the terrible days of WW2. We are all here still, and will be, with the help of our Maker and an overriding positive outlook. Who are Putin, Trump and other evil doers in the face of Good? Yes, they hurt, but they do not win.
A great big hug for you, Saracyn.

Turn off the news and don’t listen to it. Read a book you enjoy, listen to music and get out and walk in nature where everything carries on regardless of people.
You can’t change anything except your own thoughts and happiness and life is just too short to spend it worrying about what might happen.

Septimia

The world is in a bigger mess at the moment than it has been for a long time, and it is worrying.

However, sarahcyn, it comes back to that prayer (and you don't have to be religious for the sentiment to apply): God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, Lutheran theologian (1892–1971))

It might help you to feel a little better if you can work on some of the things you can have an influence on, even tiny things like smiling at someone and brightening their day, giving to a food bank or phoning someone you know is lonely. We can't change the whole world by ourselves but we can make the world close to us a little happier.

Ah, this 100%. Such a good post, Septimia, thoughtful and addressing the issue without condescension (as I found some other posts).

I don't think it helps to not watch the news; I thought keeping myself abreast of issues would allow me to be informed and educated. I'm now more choosy about the news channels I watch - the bias on some channels is mind blowing! I watched 30 minutes of Al Jazeera on Saturday (I don't find that channel biased) and their coverage of Gaza hit really hard. Trump - oh man .... People relying on God (in whatever form they believe her to take) to make things OK is a concern to me.

It could be worth talking to your GP about anxiety tablets. Take care and be kind to yourself.

I don't listen to news or read newspapers. I don't worry about anything. I have faith in God and feel better for it.

sarahcyn, I am beginning to feel exactly the same as you. I feel as though I am taking it all in and others are taking 5 and 5 and coming up with 7, or worse, laughing about it as though it's all a joke and if it isn't happening in their own backyard then why worry? But it could be, couldn't it. It doesn't help that at 3a.m. to stop me worrying I turn on the radio and sometimes I find it traumatic. I feel I have to keep up with news because we don't have a television. Heavens above.....if I had to watch the news too I think I would be having apoplexy.
I really feel that I need to pull back and start laughing again.....maybe turn on something different on the radio, or listen to a light hearted podcast. I've recently joined a gym to see if I can get obsessive about something else. So far, I haven't been able to drag myself away from these dark thoughts about the world, so rest assured, you aren't alone.

Biden or Trump is a dire choice, but I don’t worry about it.

Life will do as it does, and very little changes that.

Carpe diem….🥂

HousePlantQueen

Sarancyn, I completely understand your worries, I too have had the 2am lying awake thinking that this is a dangerous time, and calls to pull yourself together are patronising at best. We are living in challenging times.

Quite.

And telling the poor woman she is mentally ill... 🤔

Sarancyn, I completely understand your worries, I too have had the 2am lying awake thinking that this is a dangerous time, and calls to pull yourself together are patronising at best. We are living in challenging times.

I know we're not supposed to criticise other posters, but there are some barking mad posts on this thread!

Quite agree, a good post, Cossy.

Curtaintwitcher

^Why all this focus on Trump? If he gets elected again, it will be the best thing for America.
It's Britain we should be worried about. The streets have been surrendered to the mobs, we have millions more immigrants adding to the population. We now have apartheid in theatres.
This year there will be a General Election, but which party will get this country out of this mess? None, they will all make the situation even worse.^

To Curtaintwitcher

Firstly, I’m really struggling with your comments? Whoever is elected as US president has a huge impact in most of the rest of the world, including little old us, and why on earth would it be the “best thing for America”?

Secondly, I don’t recognise the streets where I live being “surrendered by mobs”, I have no clue what you mean by “apartheid in theatres” I visit the theatre regularly both in London and locally, I simply have no clue what this statement means?

You simply cannot judge what a change of govt would do, we’ve had the same govt for 14 years, surely it’s time for a change and how are they going to “make things worse”?

Cossy

Cillafan

Donald Trump is a good man, he knows what's right and what's wrong, hope he is elected potus, things will get done, he is not afraid of anything or anyone, defender of the free world

So, Cillafa, I’m trying to decide if :-

a) You’re American and deluded
b) You’re American and a comedian
c) You’re neither of the above and raving mad
d) You’re stirring the pot and are a complete wind up!

Whatever you are, I respectfully completely disagree with your statement!

Good post Cossy.

Why all this focus on Trump? If he gets elected again, it will be the best thing for America.
It's Britain we should be worried about. The streets have been surrendered to the mobs, we have millions more immigrants adding to the population. We now have apartheid in theatres.
This year there will be a General Election, but which party will get this country out of this mess? None, they will all make the situation even worse.

Cillafan

Donald Trump is a good man, he knows what's right and what's wrong, hope he is elected potus, things will get done, he is not afraid of anything or anyone, defender of the free world

So, Cillafa, I’m trying to decide if :-

a) You’re American and deluded
b) You’re American and a comedian
c) You’re neither of the above and raving mad
d) You’re stirring the pot and are a complete wind up!

Whatever you are, I respectfully completely disagree with your statement!

The world is in a bigger mess at the moment than it has been for a long time, and it is worrying.

However, sarahcyn, it comes back to that prayer (and you don't have to be religious for the sentiment to apply): God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, Lutheran theologian (1892–1971))

It might help you to feel a little better if you can work on some of the things you can have an influence on, even tiny things like smiling at someone and brightening their day, giving to a food bank or phoning someone you know is lonely. We can't change the whole world by ourselves but we can make the world close to us a little happier.

Well. They do say that 'ignorance is bliss'...

When Trump was elected the first time I was drawn in to the
CNN v Fox News coverage for the next 4 years, drama after
drama.
When Biden was elected and the following mayhem in January
I switched off from the news channels and have lived happily
without them since.
Switch off from the news it only thrives on drama.