How Can I Avoid Being Dragged Down by a Depressing World?
Dear Dejected,
Let me start off by saying, I hear you! I actually recently noticed that watching too much news was getting me down a bit, too. I cut back and shifted my focus to other, more uplifting things and I feel some relief. That may or may not work for you. It seems like you are haunted by this on a deeper level and feel a strong sense of duty to be well informed about the world around you.
I wonder if at least part of the answer for you could be getting more involved. You mentioned knowing that there are good people doing good things in the world, but you indicate that you aren’t really exposed to them. Is there an organization near you that you could get involved with that works on a cause that you feel strongly about? There are many different options. You could volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, work behind the scenes in fundraising or public relations, or get involved in activism on a grassroots or legislative level. Contributing to the betterment of the world and surrounding yourself with people who are also committed to that cause might help you to find some much-needed hope and inspiration.
I also find myself feeling curious about what else is going on in your life. Are there other things, on a more personal level, that are getting you down? Sometimes when we are unhappy with our own lives, it can be even harder to endure the tragedy and injustices of the world.
At some point, sadly, all of us need to come to terms with the fact there is much suffering and cruelty in the world and we’re largely powerless to change the balance. There is so much love and joy, yet simultaneously so much pain and misery. In the same way many of us are compelled to face our own mortality, we also have an opportunity to find some meaning in the face of all the suffering. Along the lines of Viktor Frankl‘s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he wrote, “What is to give light must endure burning,” you might benefit to see that there is silver lining of sorts to all this suffering. If it were not for suffering, we would not grow and become more evolved beings; likewise, joy could not exist without its counterpart, pain.
You are clearly a sensitive being, like many of us who don’t have defense mechanisms strong enough to keep us happily oblivious and in denial. Therefore, it’s even more important for you to do your deeper work to identify and truly care for the “weight on your soul.” Doing this will help you find some meaning in it all, keep you persevering, and give you some sense of hope.
Partnering with a therapist to explore your thoughts and feelings about the world, and your place in it, could be helpful in sorting some of this out. Engaging in therapy might help you to create some positive changes in yourself and the world around you, and I suspect that would make you feel much less dejected—maybe even happy (or happier).
Kind regards,
Sarah
Sarah Noel
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Bianaca
March 7th, 2015 at 11:15 AMyou could try focusing more on the things that are good in life instead of so much on the bad
the world can be nasty place but ultimately we are the ones and our actions and beliefs are what will allow it to be that way for us
Gracie
March 7th, 2015 at 2:51 PMI agree that cutting back on all of the news programs had a profound impact on me and my family. There is only so much of the heartache and terror that you can take on a daily basis and when I saw how it was effecting me as well as our kids, I said no more, and I only watch occasionally, not on a regular basis anymore.
Matt
March 7th, 2015 at 5:24 PMWhat helps me is getting an abbreviated form of the news. As a highly sensitive person, I get incredibly overwhelmed very easily.
The personal is indeed political and it always helps to lead by example. Take things day by day, strive to be a good person, and try to cultivate your own sense of well being. Send positive vibes out. God knows we all need them!
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