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I am suffering with a horrific case of trumpression. It's affecting my health. Have developed high BP and can hardly sleep or concentrate at work. I've tried to quit watching the news, with temporary success. I don't want to offend anyone on here, but he is insane and nothing more than " trash with cash". I don't know what advice I need or will get. I just feel overwhelmed with anger at him and the slow system.

Duchess 7 Mar 1
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11

I won’t pretend to know the answer but I can tell you that you are not alone. It is extremely stressful.

Thank you

10

You aren't alone. My anxiety has increased markedly since his inauguration...and it isn't just him, it's his supporters as well. I feel exasperated, overwhelmed, angry, at times hopeless. Self care tells me I need to turn off the constant feedback at times, but I also feel I have a moral and civic duty to speak out about the injustices...and there are new things every. Damn. Day!! It would be a lot easier if I didn't care...

Thank you

I so relate. I sometimes find it difficult to balance staying informed enough to be able to be effective, and being way too down about news to want to hear another damn word !

9

With the constant barrage of media input from every direction - one can easily go mad ! I've had my moments as well.
You may have to do more than just "try" cutting down on the input - might be best to cut loose from all of it for a while - or at least get on a very strict, minimal diet of news.

Depressing crap in ... depressing crap out (of you) !

@silvereyes I do too.

@RavenCT me three..

Thanks

Ive never really watched or listened or read the news much cuz it was always either boring or depressing...and now I try to avoid it entirely.

9

I watch YouTube videos to escape the mad, sick, violent country and world we live in. Search for 4K videos, sit back, relax and lose yourself in the wonder and beauty of this planet. Many other choices to consider: travel, music, etc. Good luck and I wish you well.

Thanks for the advice and good wishes

7

You are not alone. Many of us feel very sad that so many in our country have endorsed someone who promotes hate, bigotry, xenophobia, bullying. The increase in hate crime, the fears of groups who are being targeted, the instability of having an impulsive narcissist in the White House, it is all very stressful.

I work in suicide prevention and we noticed an increase in positive depression screenings after last year’s election. Correlation, of course, doesn’t prove causation but many of us believe they are related.

You are not alone. You are not crazy. It is ok to back away as a measure of self-care, so that you can come back ready to fight.We have to keep working, keep resisting.

Thank you

7

Most towns have a support group for this sort of thing, they are called bars.....JK
I have found that it helps me if I increase time and focus on one of my hobbies, AKA distraction.
We are here for you.

Thank you

7

I turn off the news, pay less attention to social media, and occupy my time with other things. It's limited what we can do, other than vote.

A couple mondays ago, i went to a clean energy jobs lobby night to try and help persuade senators and legislators to co-sponsor the bill. And we made a difference (: I can't remember exact numbers but I believe we (my group) helped convince atleast two people.

7

I'll be the first to admit that most information I see from all over the world is very depressing. I have to wonder how much is simply spin from media companies. Whether things are bad or worse, it doesn't affect how I use my day. I still do the little things I can do to shape the world closer to the way I want it.
I make as much contribution to that future as an individual coral polyp did towards making the Great Barrier Reef, but I still do it. I also enjoy each day, I finished yesterday with a long late night beach walk, full moon, and began today with a walk up the beach and a swim home on the high tide. Turnbull and Trump can kiss my arse. I hate them, but I won't let them ruin my days.

Yeah. Turnbull believes whatever he thinks the room he's walking into wants to hear. I don't think there was ever a principle he believed in that lasted longer than the time it takes to leave that room. And Trump believes whatever the last person said to him with the most flattery. Good pair.

6

Work towards bringing other voters to their senses and hope that Mueller finds the smoking gun.

5

I can agree with your every word. Along came tRump and all the rules went out the window. The man was no good at Reality TV. Now the White House and all of America is Reality TV. The entire world must be laughing at us. I'm ashamed and embarrassed. Racists and white supremacists have come out of the woodwork after 8 years of Obama, and all because they seem to be allowed by this Orange Clown. I'm stressed, bothered, and seriously worried. It's like suddenly I wake up in a world that has went insane and it threatens to take me with it. Help!
The current battle is for each party to convince you that they are actually the other party. While this is being done the NRA and gun manufacturers want to redefine the 2nd Amendment. The second thing going on here is to finally give America the Jesus that it always wanted. Why not? Everybody else already has theirs. The powers that be are trying to do these 2 things while they steal us blind. Even Trump says "everybody will be happy." Well, NOT ME! None of this is "my salvation."
I'm an activist but starting to believe that the best advice I can give is to turn off the news, don't watch TV, and don't give a damn about nothing. On an individual level that move may save our health. We need it coz they are also trying to take our healthcare.

Thank you for your great reply.

5

It's hard because the media spends ninety percent of their time going over all the dangerous and crazy nonsense he says and does. It probably won't work for you, but I have gotten heavier into watching my sports teams. It lightens my mood. I also use humor, late night comedians and donuts.

@Gwendolyn2018 Yah, it's hard to get away from hearing about the narcissistic man child

Thank you

Thanks

4

Can't remember how I got to this point, but I looked back at my FB posts one day and it hit me. Dude...you're getting -WAY- too carried away. The amount of vitriol I was spewing wasn't relative to the amount of change I would be able to effect. Plus, how many people are you really going to hold sway over? You're only going to be able to present a successful argument that may change someone's thinking to about 5 out of 100 people, and those will most likely be moderates. So I discovered Congressmen's and local state politicians contact info in an attempt to cut out the middleman -and aggravation- of FB.

I signed up with sites like Credo that compile info and the info about what Congress is up to. Then they email forms to you to fill out with your comments, and forward them en masse to make our thoughts known directly to our constituent politician where they would do more than get a bunch of 'likes' and simply fall off the timeline. Once I had a system of receiving these politicians' emails and being able to respond to them, I deactivated my FB account and started a new Twitter account where I only follow fun and interesting things instead of politics. We can't allow the Marmalade Messiah to harm us any more than he already is.

Thank you for your wonderful reply.

That's not a bad plan.

I actually told someone the other day (online) "You know you aren't going to change my mind and I'm not going to change your's - right?".

I don't know how people came to believe some of the crap they do - but being constantly inundated does not help. I pick a battle once in a Blue Moon (Gees those happen often?) and that's it.

I avoid news. I will glance at items posted here and elsewhere if I think I missed something important (I also have friends who know I do this and they will fill me in if something I actually need to know happens).

At this juncture after my 'scorched earth' style of posting, the only 'friends' I had left on FB were other liberals and progressives anyway...so the only thing I was accomplishing was preaching to the choir. When I send a letter to my politicians, they send back a confirmation email of receipt, so I know it at least made it to somewhere in their vicinity. @RavenCT

@Highway-Starr Yes I do that email thing too. My Politicians are pretty liberal anyway.

I never got rude - but other folk got there so fast? I'm still stunned by it because I'm a polite person - even when arguing.

I think this is why I need to avoid what goes on. It does still stress me out. But not all day every day.

Lol...my next tattoo will be 'Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing'. That's how I roll...so I 'get' there in these 'discussions' with some urgency too! But slowing down long enough to realize what I was doing and changing my behavior was a victory bigger than the argument. Win win. I've got first term parasite Cory Gardner R-CO to pester. Heard they did a DNA test on him...and it came back 100% weasel. @RavenCT

@Highway-Starr Are you old enough to remember Frank Burns from MASH?

Yes. @RavenCT

4

Day of the Jackal

4

I feel you. Him and his supporters bring out this violent rage inside me and I fear doing something regrettable. My mother warns me I come of as a genocidal maniac when they start pushing my buttons, and it's true. When they start talking I just want to destroy the planet. It's becoming a serious problem. I've never been really a violent person, but they bring out the most hateful and evil parts of me.

I try meditation, calming sound waves, drugging myself to a vegetative state...whatever I can to keep myself from accidentally murdering someone in a fit of blind rage.

Oh my gosh!!!. We are twins separated at birth! Mentally at least LOL. Thank you

Back in 2016, I spent a lot of time on Facebook reading political posts. Reading them made me feel upset and angry often, and even got me depressed. Now I mostly avoid the political stuff when I go on Facebook. That works a lot better for me.

I enjoy reading news on the NPR website. These seem more serious and intelligent than CNN, Fox, etc.

@LadyAlyxandrea Been dealing with rage and depression all my life, but as an alternative to depression, I'll take rage any day of the week, Neither are any good for me or anyone else, so have mellowed out and try to stay objective in all things.

3

Always look for the humor in the stupidity. Remember, it could be worse we could have a competent asshole instead of an incompetent one. America has survived worse. As Churchill one said"one can always count on America to do the right thing. They simply need to try everything else first."

3

I'm letting the situation motivate me to make my best effort to help the world become a better place the way I want to see it. See what way you can work towards this.

3

My first advice is just remember that it will all come crashing down for him eventually.
The second is remember that even if it doesn't it won't last forever. We did one year and we'll do the rest.
Third, I mean that face. Gah. Remember that people have to look at that IN PERSON every day. Truly we are the lucky ones.
Fourth, there's venting 🙂
And finally 5th is the distractions. Whether its TV, games, jigsaw puzzles, drinking copiously, whatever you do that's fun. It may seem like the world will end because of him and hey, it might. But until then we do our thing.

I don't know if it makes sense, but I was struggling trying to "deal" with the situation with our mango messiah, our orange orwellian, our tangential tangerine, our sad flop with the hair mop, and finally our manchild from the mansion. But then one day I stopped trying to deal with it and kind of..moved around it? It's not something you can deal with directly, nor is it something you can completely ignore. While I would never say its not a big deal, because his insanity is a big deal, the best way to survive is to try not to dwell on how serious it is. 2/3 Distance, 1/3 Distraction. I don't know if that helps, but at least I got to think of a few nicknames for our seedy citrus sadsack. 🙂

BEST REPLY OUT OF 30 ! You're a smart and funny young man. You're awesome. Thank you

This is well said.

@Ersomething you are so right! I would have to say though it is important to keep abreast of the news, write your congressman, be active in voicing your opinion and concerns. Much is beyond our individual control, the best we can do is speak out and have others follow suite. Don't let his administration have power over your emotional state, he may have the Presidency now, but only YOU can allow him to directly affect how you feel. Be angry, be mad, but try not to be "trumpressed". That is amongst the worse things you can allow him to do to you.

BTW I think you have coined a new medical condition, you should publish...

2

I have to be careful what and who I watch or I can get soooo depressed. Definitely stay away from stuff like Fox News and even mainstream media. Unfollow any friends on FB who post too many political things. If anything, follow progressives in the media like Robert Reich, Rachel Maddow, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, et al, just to give a sense of levity. Otherwise I can go out of my mind.

2

I look at it as we are learning what happens when 'some guy' get's elected as president. All these things we thought were safe, were just safe because of decorum and respect for the office, not inherently safe. So, people I thought were just horrible like Reagan, and the Bushes, were just very awful....and on that bright note:

Every sperm is sacred every sperm is great if a sperm is wasted gott gets quite irate

2

Save some of your anger for local politicians who would force you to stay pregnant or women you know....fight for secular rights and peace through green jobs

Will do. Thank you

2

And no one of the symptoms you describe affects him the least.

1

As humans we are at a bit of a disadvantage in this universe. Everything around us of import seems to have a much longer lifespan than our 75 years. So we evaluate things on a much smaller scale than a truly objective view would likely entail. We look at things in relation to a few years or maybe a generation (20 years) while geologic events are viewed in thousands of years, global ones in millions and cosmic ones in billions. In this instance we're evaluating the effects of a Presidency and culture shift on America ... and that likely would require a view over decades rather than a few months.

My point is step back. Separate yourself from it and get an objective viewpoint. The battle between liberalism and conservatism in our country is best viewed as a teeter-totter that overcompensates one way then another vice just staying balanced in the middle. View the balance instead of the extreme swings. Know that the factors that make it swing to the left or the right are the things that make us sweat it - but the balance will eventually come. The right's horrid acts will spur more activity from the left and they will rise up to overtake the right. Then they will swing it too far and the reverse will happen. And if it causes the country to change its' form then that is also the teeter-totter of yet another balance between democratic values and autocratic ones.

Gain a better perspective. Thats the true solution.

1

Here is your zen moment. Just breath. Still some beauty left on the third rock from the sun.

1

Your instinct is correct, ration the media diet carefully. Find yourself some Melatonin, take as directed. He is the worst we have ever had and hopefully ever have.
Find the things you used to do that gave you the most satisfaction before all this crazy noise started. You are not alone in your concerns as well as symptoms.

1

Haha. I swear ya just can't make this shit up

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