Is DU becoming too hostile / negative for you?

[Ladyhawk]

It's starting to get that way for me. If it isn't the flame wars going on in GD, someone is getting pissed at me for sharing tales from my home life, then telling me how I should be running my home life. If I'm not involved in an argument or some flame war, I run into threads postulating that we'll all die by global warming, nuclear war, peak oil or some other horrible calamity within the next twenty years. DU is becoming a depressing place.

I just posted a question in the lounge and it was treated like a complaint, probably because of the way I phrased it. I was only trying to make the question witty, yet people took it as a complaint and were rude.

I'm starting to not like it here very much. DU has been a complete downer since the election and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I feel like DU is bad for my mental health lately.

[DemExpat]

1. Whenever I feel fed up, disgusted, angry, or down

at DU, then I know it is past time to take a nice break from it.

I am fairly certain that many other DUers have this feeling about the place at times.

:hi:

DemEx

edit:
It might well be tougher around here for awhile in the face of 4 more years......things will change imo. :hug:

[stillcool]

2. I had to come here tonight.....

My reality is expanding and it isn't pretty. The more I learn the worse it is and I feel the doom and gloom of a world gone mad. When there is a post regarding 2008, I can't even contemplate that.
My perception of the world is running a parallel to that of my life. These times seem to compact my issues in relation to victimization. these I am always in a state of vigilence to guard against slippage, which at times seems to magnify everything and resolve nothing. I have the is it me or is it real. I also feel ashamed to even discuss this on such an open forum, and am not even sure if I'll post it. I just love the delete button. Does any one else feel their voice muted because of their 'issues'? Like you have no right to an opinion because you have not always been on solid ground.

[DemExpat]

3. What is solid ground anymore?

I am older now, and have lived all of my adult life with issues, but just because a person has mental health problems doesn't mean they can't see somewhat clearly what is going on in the world.

I learned to be real "tough" about accepting and trusting myself as I am, learning to try to discern between my perceptions and feelings from within and my perceptions of the world and other people.

Yeah, is is pretty impossible to completely separate oneself from one's perception of the world, but this is true for everybody imo......

I wouldn't doubt that many more people are wondering about their "sanity" watching what is going on in the world now - especially in the USA - if you ask me....:crazy:

:hi:

DemEx

[Ladyhawk]

7. One more thing, DemExPat...

"In an insane world, the sane man must appear insane." That's from Star Trek Don't ask me which movie or which episode because I got it second-hand from my counselor and he can't remember, either. Hehe. We were both Trekkies in our youth.

I think the mentally ill are symptoms of society's disease. Sometimes I believe that it is we who see clearly and that society is living the lie. Everything seems out of kilter. I don't believe we are living the way human beings were meant to live. This industrialized corporatism / capitalism seems so far removed from the plains of African where Homo sapiens evolved. No wonder many of us feel heartsick. Perhaps humankind must evolve into a creature that can survive modern society...perhaps. But I don't like the idea. Why have we removed ourselves so far from our historical niche?

Regardless, I am not evolutionarily fit to survive in this new environment. My gut tells me that something is really, really wrong with the way modern people live.

We're all getting too fat, too sedentary. Homo sapiens is supposed to be an active species that spends time in the sun, walking, hunting, gathering. I enjoy computers and sedentary time, but a summer of hiking and snorkeling showed me part of what is missing in my soul: N A T U R E. We've removed ourselves from nature and are suffering the consequences.

[DemExpat]

8. I would agree with you, Ladyhawk....

and am addicted to having a dog in my life for the connection to nature that I experience living with an animal and taking at least one good walk a day in the wooded parks here or along the beach.

Without this I really do feel I am going off the deep end.

Somewhere inside I do have hopes that people will learn that nature cannot be denied - and that a more natural lifestyle will evolve out of all of this - hopefully not after catastrophic global tragedies.

In Europe, at least, people seem to be developing alternative visions that we all can build on for our futures.

DemEx

[Ladyhawk]

4. Yeah, I feel like that sometimes.

Is it my problem or is it theirs or is it both? One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm extremely sensitive. So on important things I have to give myself a day, a week, sometimes more before making a comment or a decision.

Another thing I've learned is that if I give myself that amount of time, consult with my counselor and still feel there is a problem, there probably is. At that point, I can consider that the other party is mostly to blame and take it from there.

If, however, I start feeling really guilty, there's a good chance the problem is partially, mostly or all my fault. I have to watch the guilt, though. I suffer from what Bradshaw calls "toxic shame" and I have to make sure that the guilt or shame I'm suffering is not due to Depression, OCD, PTSD or toxic shame. If it is, all bets are off and I have to re-evaluate.

My feeling concerning my earlier post (post-laundry...hehe) is that everyone is still keyed up due to our losses in November. They are ready to treat any post that doesn't smell right as an affront. It probably would have helped had I worded the question differently, but I still don't see much wrong with what I said. It was supposed to be a joke. Granted it was a lame joke, but this place has me believing that everything I say has to be intelligent and / or witty...so I even have to figure out clever ways to ask simple questions. WTF...next time I'll just ask the stupid question.

Take a break from DU? I think so. I think I'm also going to take a break from all the "global warming, peak oil, giant asteroid, nuclear war, sky-is-falling" posts. If any of those things happen, there isn't a hell of a lot I can do, is there? I'm barely holding my own life together. I can't hold the world together, too. I'll still sign petitions, write e-mails, etc., but if I get too involved, I might as well jump off a cliff now and save global warming, peak oil, giant asteroids, nuclear war, etc. the trouble. Homo sapiens as a whole must wise up or die.

[ernstbass]

5. I'm fairly new to DU

but at times posters seem most intolerant of anything thye disagree with. I found myself getting very angry yesterday so I've decided to spend more time in these smaller rooms.

[Ladyhawk]

6. I just get the feeling everyone is right at the edge of losing it.

I'm including myself in this analysis. Sometimes I feel like almost anything could set me off. My counselor noted that I have a lot of anger. Well, duh!

Anger is a secondary emotion. It's a response to a primary emotion that is not being solved. First we get hurt, then we get angry. Anger can be a signal to us that something is wrong, but if we can't fix that something, we dwell in a state of anger.

The shrub...it doesn't look like we can fix that particular problem, does it? So, we dwell in anger.

At various times, especially since Nov. 2, this whole forum has felt like a giant powder keg.

[Ladyhawk]

9. Remind me to stop reading those apocalyptic threads.

Geez, I really need to stay away from this place. Apparently, humankind isn't going to make it through the next four years.

[undergroundpanther]

10. I feel the same way Ladyhawk

But if yer bored you can write me anytime!!
*Panther* tries to imitate Ladyhawks pretty feather ruffles by making his fur stand up...But he decides it sends the wrong message,he looks like a big crazy halloween cat..so he purrs in kindness to her instead..

[Ladyhawk]

11. You see, that's what humankind needs. More purring. :)

:hug:

I've decided not to think apocalyptically. It's too draining. Besides I'd rather have purrs and hugs.

Bugger global warming, peak oil, nuclear winter and the lot. There isn't a damn thing we can do.

SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

- Robert Frost

[TrogL]

12. Nothing new on DU

We're always squabbling about something.