You’re not crazy
Nope, you're not crazy. Everything’s really hard right now. According to President Camacho, shit's real fucked up. Even Timothy Chalamet thinks it’s tough to be alive now. Your ability to recognize that and acknowledge that life has become terribly disorienting is an appropriate response to what you're seeing around you in our nation and on our planet. People are enraged and/or numbed by what they see on social media and that leads to real-world consequences. We have done research and we know that this causes people harm in the form of mental disorders, low self-esteem, and increased risk for suicide and self-harm.
If you're like me, you're finding yourself distracted more than ever; restless more than ever. And you probably get frustrated nearly every single day. But if you're also like me, you are witnessing the beautiful art that people are creating and the commitment people are making to reaching out to our most vulnerable. A lot of people are trying to make a better world for all of us. That is beautiful and joyous. The world can be exhaustively confounding and also wonderful at the same time. It can be both. The trick is to figure out the math that works for you. You might be a 50/50 person. I'm definitely not. I probably need it to be more like 80/20, or, ideally, 95/5.
Everybody makes choices. We make choices about with whom we spend our time, to whom we give our money, and what really matters to us. I make choices about where I will or will not shop. I make choices about what I will or will not eat. I'm doing that because I want the world to be a better place. I want to be healthier, I want to be happier. I want the people that I love to be healthy and happy. But let’s be real: it is really hard to have hope right now. Sometimes despair shows up and you think it's mental illness. But sometimes being sad is just one of many normal human experiences.*
Try and find ways to bring joy into your life. Spend time doing what you love and what you're good at. Spend time with people who love and support you. People who make you laugh, and make you think. But protect your peace from bad actors and trolls.
*You might also have a depressive disorder. If you’re really going through it, text HOME to 741741, to speak with someone at Crisis Text Line.