COPING WITH "POLITICAL" DEPRESSION - NEED SOME TIPS

[revree]

As a New Thought minister and counselor, and author, I am often asked by spiritual political warriors best ways to cope with the absolute depression and anxiety often felt when trying to deal with what is going on today - government corruption, no one in power to trust, trying to deal with possible stolen election, etc.

I would like to know from you DU'ers ways that you all have successfully coped with your activism, and feelings of hopelessness and despair, anger, fury, rage at Bush, etc...

I am looking for some specifics, like meditation? Detachment? Not watching news?

Thanks so much. The information will be used so I can better help others learn to be spiritual warriors for truth, without destroying their own peace and happiness in the process.

[demnan]

1. Political involvement

marching, activism, participation, canvassing, writing to Congressmen and to news publications.

[sui generis]

2. just get out and do something

You can't change the world by yourself, and you can't let politics and depression and anxiety about the world keep you from your life and family - there are other important things too.

Commit to doing what you can, do it, and be satisfied that you did / are doing your part by caring. Don't let it eat your life though.

[lectrobyte]

3. it's a tough problem, but here are some ideas:

1) Not watching news works for me, or at least being more selective in my news sources. Missed CNN for about a week, never turn it on now. More likely to watch C-SPAN or go online to the BBC etc.

2) Try to be involved more at a local level, that is, town or county politics for me.

3) What's that saying about courage to change the things I can change, acceptance of those I can't, and wisdom enough to know the difference?

4) Try to work on a sense of perspective.

[revree]

4. This is awesome! Can also use some book suggestions...

Any good books that help empower people trying to change world, that kind of stuff.

Thanks, DU'ers. You are all the best.

[Athame]

12. By far, the best book I have on this topic

is Starhawk's Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery. It may be a little witchy for some, but she is honest about the personal toll activism takes and suggests many ways to deal with it, including humor, ritual, building community and especially, knowing and respecting oneself.

I have found that taking breaks, times for personal renewal, gardening, art, retreats, allows me to come back effectively and not resent the effort I am putting out. The work we are doing is endless. It is going to be there when we get back to it--always.

One analogy I use with the groups I work with is that of the emergency instructions on an airplane: In an emergency the oxygen masks will drop down. If you are traveling with a small child or someone who needs your help, secure your own mask FIRST before you take care of the child.

This is a good question and one we need to focus on much more than we do.

[LearnedHand]

26. Changing the world is a REALLY tall order

...and pretty overwhelming to consider, especially now. In fact, that's what BRINGS ON depression, many times; I feel as if it's all too big for us, that we'll never get our country back.

Empowerment, however, is a very different thing. I sometimes think of the Jews imprisoned by the Nazis and how they must have struggled to retain a sense of self and a sense of belonging to the world and a sense of the right. Now THAT'S empowerment: when you can see these things in the midst of the intolerable.

BTW, I am a retreater; when I'm overwhelmed and depressed, I turn off the news (radio), stay away from DU (much as I love you guys), and concentrate on remembering the good in my neighbor humans. Listen to good music. Paint a wall. Dig some rocks out of the garden. Pet the cats. I.e., get grounded again.

[peacetalksforall]

15. #2 is really important on more than a depression fighting level...

"They" have been working at the local level for a decade or more - they figured out that there are victories to win and dirty tricks to pull - on every level whether it is with election officials, local judges, ag's, police chiefs, school principals and boards, county and state employees, media, journalism, and buying radio and tv air ownership throughout every little town and city. They are silentily taking over and receiving orders. Texas? Florida? Bible belt states? Only?

[Kanary]

human beings need other human beings

*ANY* depression is combatted by being connected with and supported by other people.

Being able to be yourself without criticism, being able to express your emotions with support keeps away the blues.

Something rare to find in this society.

Kanary

[hackwriter]

5. Compartmentalize

I find it helps to compartmentalize my life, so that I leave some space to turn my attention inward to myself, my spouse, our home, my friends. Obsessing on the political scene just gets too BIG.

Another thing that helps: Start a blog. This gives you a place to vent. Mine is at:

http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/

</shameless plug>

Get involved. Write letters. Donate money. Donate time. Do work that can have results. Don't get involved in pointless arguments with people whose minds you know you won't change.

And DO NOT watch network news, unless you want to in order to provide fodder for your letter-writing campaign.

[lapislzi]

6. Subvert the dominant paradigm

Overhaul your local democratic machinery. Many local orgs need fresh blood and will welcome your ideas with open arms. If the dems are not your thing, join the Greens, or start a Green chapter. Volunteer for something you are passionate about, like Planned Parenthood, or an environmental cause. Action is the antidote to anxiety.

Watch C-Span and browse (only browse) the headlines in LBN. All other networks will just make you crazy.

And anger is a gift. How you put the gift to use is up to you.

[gpandas]

7. time and patience...

as one du sig line says, the truth will always win. this admin. shall pass. what goes around comes around. good triumphs over evil.

[revree]

8. AND HUMOR!

I imagine we must keep our sense of humor, or we would ALL commit hari-kari over what we see happening!!!

[gpandas]

13. humor is also the best weapon...

to use against repukes.

[Plaid Adder]

9. A few tips from the past 3 years of my life...

1) Cut the cable.

Seriously. I don't have cable and no longer watch TV any more except for sports. I stay caught up on the news by reading the LBN forum and listening to NPR. If you spend too much time watching cable news you will come to the conclusion that the world is a seamless echo chamber in which no voice but O'Reilly's resounds...and that is just not true. There are not that many people out there who watch cable news as assiduously as a lot of DU folks do, and although these things do some damage, they will do more damage yet if you let them destroy your morale.

2) Do something.

I started going to marches; if you don't like marching you can donate money or serve in some other way. As soon as you take action you are empowering yourself and that helps with the despair.

3) Express yourself.

If you're afraid to talk to your family or co-workers about politics, find someone you CAN talk to and do it. It really helps to know you're not alone. The Internet is great for this but it helps more to have people in real life that you can commisserate with; the feeling of support you get over the Web is just not the same.

4) Allow yourself to hope.

Whenever anything good happens you can rely on a certain number of threads being started at DU painting it as just one more trick in the GOP arsenal and warning everyone against allowing themselves to hope that things might be getting better. I understand that this comes out of genuine pain and despair, but there's a point at which trying to pre-emptively disappoint yourself becomes tremendously disabling and counterproductive. It is necessary to be hip to the Bush administration's shit, but it is not necessary to tie yourselves in knots trying to explain an obvious Bush administration blunder or defeat as a manifestation of the All-Powerful Evil Conspiracy.

5) Related to #4: remember, nobody is invincible, least of all these guys.

The Bush team is not all-powerful, all-knowing, or all-pervasive. Yes, we have a big problem with GOP and corporate control over the media, and yes, Bush gets away with murder a lot of the time. But when you come right down to it, these people have a certain amount of cunning and a lot of money and even more ruthlessness--and that's it. They are not really that smart, and they have been deluding themselves for so long that they don't know how to address actual real problems. They know how to play one game and they play it well. Anything else is beyond them. They can be brought down--in fact, I would be willing to bet that historians will one day say that they brought themselves down.

From a certain perspective I think a lot of people find it comforting to believe that the Bush cabal is more powerful than in fact they are--because at least then SOMEONE would be controlling all the hell we're living through. My personal opinion is that nobody is in control right now. These idiots started something without thinking about where it would end and now it is rolling along on its own momentum. They don't get to decide how the war in Iraq will end; it's not up to them any more. And they don't get to decide when the next terrorist attack on America will be either. On the one hand, this is scary because it means that there are no limits to what can happen. On the other hand, it means they can--and, I believe, will--be defeated.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Eurobabe]

19. yikes, what about cable modem access?

couldn't do #1. Need life support. EOM

[havocmom]

10. Take actions you can and learn as much from history as possible

The only thing that gets me through some days is perspective. Context and perspective really help me not give up and I am clinically depressed to start with! It is good to learn history and see that the pendulum does swing.

I keep in mind that most depressed people are actually more aware of reality. It makes the depression easier to live with. I see and smell rot but that helps me appreciate gardens full of roses.

Action and the acknowledgment of small forward steps help me fight the tendency to be overwhelmed by the sheer mass of world problems. Celebrate the days which go well. Be content sometimes that at least today was a bit better than yesterday.

Balance keeps me breathing. Meditation, some easy yoga, time alone to just listen, music, birds, kids playing. Music is my drug of choice. I find what I include in my immediate environment really makes a difference in my energy levels, my balance and my ability to do good things. When I do not include some beauty and peace in my day, breathing becomes shallow and rapid. I have learned my brain serves me better if I take the time to ensure it gets oxygen!

Time to laugh. Time to give in to the sadness and just let it bubble out of me, be acknowledged and then put into the whole instead of festering and overtaking the whole. Time to laugh again. Entertain the silly because often it is the parent of flashes of brilliance and creativity.

Trust and faith. Ah, that was the hard one. Finally learning to trust in another after terrible betrayal made it easier to learn to trust others in general. There are many evil people out there. There are more idiots and dolts who are just beyond help. But there are islands of wisdom and sanity in the sea of humanity. I trust that I will encounter some of them in my life journey. I learned this trust by examining my history. There have always been islands of wisdom and sanity, when I took the time to look beyond the immediate and see the bigger picture. I take my rest and inspiration from those lovely people who are like island refuges.

Integration: add to my consciousness that which I admire and see as positive in the long run even if it is uncomfortable in the short term.

I am worth much. You are worth much. They are worth much. We have the tools to make heaven. We have the free will to use those tools together or not.

Heaven or hell is in our hands.

Namaste

[ramapo]

11. A constant battle

I have an unhealthy obsession with current events, politics, and in general the whole f***ing mess we find ourselves in.

I had a VERY difficult time with Selection 2000 and found myself battling rage, disappointment, disbelief and finally depression. My first treatment was to stop watching cable news, the talk shows, etc.
Basically if it raises my blood pressure, I don't watch.

Of course, I did watch again for awhile after 9/11, up until the All-Anthrax, ALL-the-time coverage during which I gave up any hope for the media.

I handled the '02 election debacle fairly well. I rationalized that I do what I can, donate money, volunteer where I can and realized that like it or not, I have basically no influence on the world.

I continue to read the newspaper every day, scan Newsweek, and get much of my info from DU and various internet sites. I at least look at the CNN site to get an idea of mainstream spin. I try not to torture myself by reading the pro-Bush stories that are all too prelevant. However, my non-fiction reading list is enough to depress anyone as I have become all too familiar with the incredibly serious economic, environmental, social, and political problems facing us.

Having watched this scene for most of my almost 50 years, I find our lack of progress (or should I say the remarkable regress) to be most distressing.

I have considered just shutting off the whole thing and playing music during my spare time. Taking the detachment route, after all that is the basic position of most Americans but it is also what has gotten us into this mess. You know, ignorance is bliss. But it's just not in my nature.

I find myself far more concerned about the future than ever before. I think that's saying quite a lot as worrying about nuclear holocust, especially during the '60s-70s, wasn't all that much fun.

I often feel inadequate, thinking I should do more, something big and important. But I never miss a vote, I write letters, give money, and help out where I can. It is tough to really feel like you're making a difference but we must realize that as a group we sure do.

To make a long post short, my suggestion is to limit the input to what you can control. That means turn off the TV! You can decide how much to read, you can just read the headline, scan the story or read in-depth. Here and there, I'll watch a CSpan Kerry rally or speech and that'll make me feel good for a time.

Aside from that I try to walk everyday, and hike or bike regularly. I walk dogs at the local shelter.

I don't know if I can handle a Kerry loss. I am fairly confident but realize that Bush and his gang are absolute masters at propaganda, and that is what controls our country today.

Maybe we need a DU support room?

[revree]

23. Thanks for this - it really does get to the heart of the matter...

trusting and having faith that things will progress on some level. I read a great book called POWER VS. FORCE and the author lays out in detail how we as a species only evolve in tiny increments when it comes to emotion, maturity and spirituality, yet we evolve quickly technologically, and that is our downfall. Very enlightening book.

[Eloriel]

14. Well

to be honest, Howard Dean lifted me out of my many-months-long depression. I felt hope -- and a pretty enduring case of it, esp. as compared to my state of all-encompassing depression -- for the first time since the Selection.

But there are other ways --including some realizations or understandings, some of which I believe fit into the category of universal truth:

1. Our job isn't to overly concern ourselves with outcomes. Our job is to do the work we see needs to be done and let it go (surrender). We literally cannot see all the results of our efforts, and sometimes not even any of those results. My life has been changed at times by total strangers making an off-hand remark that ended up having a profound impact on me. Do you think any of them had any idea of the impact they had on me?

2. Trust (Faith). We are all here for a reason. I believe we each have a part to play. I also believe that whether we realize it or not, we are exactly where we are supposed to be, which for some (incuding me at times) has meant being where we are (which may include feeling a little stuck or stagnant) until we wake up and (are ready to) take the next step. Sometimes it includes others getting ready as well. I do believe there is a Plan, and I also believe (horrors) that George W. Bush is part of that Plan -- something that hasn't always been my undertanding, I'll admit. After all, look how many people he has awakened -- not to mention "united"!!!! LOL. In one way of looking at it, he is showing us as a nation our Shadow side, and giving us a choice as to whether this is really what we want.

3. I know from experience that there is an answer and a resolution for everything and that miracles can and DO happen. To a certain extent, the more we insist on OUR version of "what should be" or how things should shake out, the more we may actually delay or thwart the miracle(s) that could happen. IOW, for example -- yes, pray for peace. But don't get too hung up on HOW peace should happen. We have all seen miracles occur -- the Berlin Wall coming down, Mandela's release, and others. If we do OUR parts, without undue focus on desired outcomes happening in specific ways, we can facilitate those miracles with consideerably more efficiency.

4. Quotes and writings of some of the spiritual warriors of the present and past are very helpful to me. For example, this quote from Gandhi always brings a smile and lifts my spirits:

First they ignore you
Then they laugh at you
Then they fight you
Then you win.

The value of that quote is also in helping one see that opposition to one's just cause is a GOOD thing -- it's a demonstration that you're on the road to victory.

5. Think -- just think (contemplate) the tremendous event back in February when millions of people around the world, some of them in places I'd never even heard of before, came together to demand Peace from their political leaders. On that one day, unprecedented in all of history, the world united in joyous celebration, the brotherhood of man. Just thinking about it again brings tears to my eyes. I felt then, and still do, that it was the birth of something very big. Time will tell.

6. Another quote from Gandhi --

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall, always.

And one from Chief Arvol Looking Horse:

Each of us is put here in this time and this place to personally decide the future of mankind. Did you think you were put here for something less?

I like this one because it at once describes the GRAND purpose we each have and how important we each are to the cause, but it also focuses us back on our personal decisions, which takes me full circle back to my first point: do what we can, the work that presents itself to us, the work that makes our heart sing ("Follow Your Bliss") whatever it is that we can personally decide and effect, and we will be fulfilling our mission, our individual Purpose.

Namaste

[elehhhhna]

16. It sounds ridiculous but when I'm really nuts or sad & obsessing, I...

say (yell, if I'm alone or in the car) "Get Behind Me, Satan!"

I worked with a crazy catholic-baptist-cajun woman who was serious about doing this when she was upset. It makes me smile EVERY time I do it. Ya just can't get though it without giggling to yourself.

Try it.

[peacetalksforall]

17. Ethereal and practical

On the ethereal side, I keep thinking about what I've heard about this time period and wanting to believe in it some way. According to some, we're supposed to be moving from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius with a rough transformation to pass through.

On the practical side, we've been blessed with all the people who have had an opportunity to wake up and learn.

We've learned incredible amounts of information without much effort about the law - from the OJ trial to the Clinton impeachment to the endless focused attacks on people that news corporations decide they want to target as moral aggressors with assumptions of guilt and an all out attempt to convict - Kobe Bryant, Scott Peterson, the California congressman - can't even remember his name right now. Police brutality cases supplement the learning about personal rights and have allowed us to see what has happened to our police forces and their training, brain washing, and supervision and agendas for some of them. We've learned a lot more about our prisons. We have an opportunity to learn about the technology that sublimators want to use on us.

We've learned incredible amounts of information about the inner workings of our congress, FBI, CIA, and Supreme Court because of the right wing attempts to take over everything. Some people could have grown up and never learned about the atrocities of Kissinger politics (to name one), Iran-Contra, Vietnam. Stupidly, the same group of people keep trying to rule the world and there history of involvement in dirty deals and thefts and betrayal-revenge helps us analyze what is going on now.

The books that have been written are incredibly revealing. We can be so thankful that there are brave people who write them for us. We can be thankful for cameras and technology.

My depression stems from the fact that I've lived a life of ignorance and have been a victim of subterfuge and ill intentioned corporate and foundation agendas and living with the fear that they will succeed - whether directed at us, other countries, or the earth and atmosphere.

I believe that spotlights on the crimes and workings of our government will possibly work. Our only hope is leadership that honors all humans on this earth and the earth itself. Private and corporate wealth and sublimation and elimination of the masses of people will never work unless we're totally ignorant. Interest, digging, analyzing, and demanding is essential - the absence of education might lead the way to success in creating something even worse than 1984.

[Eurobabe]

18. get involved in making change happen

try not to take everything personally, and remember to cultivate non-political activies. Nature reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously...

I do not watch network news. I only watch C-SPAN for about 15 minutes in AM.

Listen to peaceful music everyday.

I get depressed when I feel like I have no options, or am not advocating changing the system in some small way.

[CBHagman]

20. I'm struggling with this right now, but here are some ideas.

Cognitive therapy seems like a must for many who are discouraged by the constant taking of our political temperature (polls, news stories, etc.). Try any of David Burns's books ("Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" is a good one) for an overview of cognitive therapy.

Why do I recommend cognitive therapy? BECAUSE IT TEACHES YOU TO STOP TORTURING YOURSELF. Become acquainted with the different types of cognitive distortions (e.g., maximizing, minimizing, disqualifying the positive, etc.). Learn to talk back to the inner pessimist or inner depressive, and give yourself some perspective.

Taking a break from the news is also a good idea, not so that you become an ostrich but so that you stop yourself from panicking over every poll or slanted news story.

Reading some accounts of past struggles is also an excellent idea. It's very humbling to read John Lewis's "Walking with the Wind," which describes his training in nonviolent resistance. I wish I were one-twentieth of the person John Lewis is; it takes tremendous self-control and courage to do the work that he has done.

And when all else fails, remember the slogan "Failure is impossible," as per Susan B. Anthony.

[Athame]

30. "Failure is impossible," as per Susan B. Anthony

:hi:

and remember that her cause took more than 75 years. She did not live to see it happen. What we do now, each act, is like planting a tree, a gift to the future.

[havocmom]

21. Sending link to this thread to my daughter and other dear ones

because we all need to stop and hear our wonderful hearts offer nourishment to each other.

There are many wonderful hearts here and much to nourish us on dark, lean days.

Read a thread in Meeting Room about crop circles. It evolved into a discussion of the Mayan calender and the coming end of the present world (Dec 2012) Not the end of the world, the end of the present world, the world of materialism. There was a post with a link to a fascinating read about what the Mayans believe will be the important element of the coming time/world. It said that element was ether. I laughed out loud and my heart sang. Ether, that lovely, odd, unexplainable place ... like when we type on our keyboards and send messages out into... the ether.

We are blessed at this time with this incredible medium. We can share ideas and inspiration, facts and tragedies. We can find souls out there we can resonate with. We can learn and teach. We can dream and we can manifest dreams.

So maybe the epoch of ether is coming. There will be much change and change can cause havoc and terrible disruption. But we can use the ether to guide each other and the changes.

I love this place called the DU. I fight with some of you and get exasperated with some. I cry for the things I learn and change what I can. The ether has brought me the world and has brought me to the world. We are parts of the whole and we have value. We must never accept any force or agenda to deny us or make us feel devalued.

Namaste

[revree]

24. This is so moving...

thank you. It is so inspiring.

[kaitykaity]

22. Air America Radio 24/7.

Also I watch news programs on PBS only. NewsHour, Washington
Week, NOW w/Bill Moyers, McLaughlin, and (guiltily) Tucker.

[proud patriot]

25. For me it's staying away from the details of 1 issue

1) I cannot follow the endangered animals and
habitats issue in a detailed in depth way.

The details really really depress me .

I do what I can through politics and belonging
to wildlife alert email actions etc..

but when I read the numbers and other such details
I find it too overwhelming to function effectively .

[LearnedHand]

27. Oh, what is...

...New Thought?

[Citizen Daryl]

28. What I Do.

Get a notebook and vent.

Mock the process creatively.

Avoid it like the plague (sometimes).

Rent a few mindless films.

Go out for a coffee.

Make maryjane brownies.

[LizW]

29. Thanks for the lovely posts

havocmom, Plaid Adder, Eloriel and others. I desperately needed this thread tonight. I returned a while ago from a local school board meeting that was just horrible. People were awful and hateful to each other and nothing was resolved. I came away feeling the urge to either pack up my kids and flee this city altogether, or just crawl into bed and sleep for about three years.

Needless to say, I couldn't bear to even turn the television on. I don't think I could stand to see a second of the RNC coverage tonight.

I didn't think I would be able to settle down and become peaceful enough to sleep tonight, but your beautiful posts have helped me so much. Thank you. :hug:

[wovenpaint]

31. I know how you feel

My ways of coping are:

1. no TV-I canceled cable
2. Creative projects-(I'm a weaver and this is very therapeutic for me}
3. Hang out with like-minded friends (like here)
4. The best thing that's helped me in my darkest moments is to watch Jimmy Carter's speech from the DNC. If he can remain optimist, so can we!

Don't despair!

[TrogL]

32. Step away from the computer, put a coupla rounds through the TV

Take a breather for a couple of days, maybe until after the Convention is over.

You'll come back to the fray refreshed and recharged.

[WilliamPitt]

33. TURN OFF THE FUCKING TELEVISION

[LearnedHand]

34. amen

n/t

[AgadorSparticus]

35. one of the best things i did was to turn the TV off. i get all my news

online now. the other 2 things that really helped me are DU and AAR. I found DU back in February and it blew me away. For almost 3 years, i thought i was alone and kept quiet. it festered badly inside. i wished i had found DU sooner. it was like a whole new world opening up. it has helped me feel safer knowing that i am not alone.

The other thing that eases my stress is listening to Air America. It comforts me knowing that we are getting voices and that there are people working to spread the democratic fire.

[LearnedHand]

37. I don't watch TeeVee either, progressive...

...and I get most of my news from DU, online newspapers, and radio (npr, unfortunately). Nevertheless, I feel REALLY overwhelmed sometimes and take a news vacation. I figure that the news will happen whether I know about it or not.

Edit: clarification

[nomatrix]

36. Jon Stewart and The Daily Show

I cannot tell you how many times I have watched that show on Comedy Central and laughed hysterically because he was so right on. Please laugh. There are very few things to laugh at.

[The Straight Story]

38. Turn it into a game

A detective game. I go out looking for information that won't be popping up anytime soon in the main stream (or if it does, barely mentioned or misunderstood). I often pass it onto to others for their development, but what I enjoy in the whole thing is the thrill of the hunt - it is soothing.

I try to only use government sites from http://www.google.com/unclesam (and others I have book marked) and do a drill down on items and sub items. It keeps me mentally working and feeling like I am doing a service - plus I am learning new things along the way.

On a spiritual side, gave up on governments being run by mankind a long time ago. I don't think they are evil and bad, but I don't expect much good from them in the long run due to human nature. It's like surfing, you ride the waves up and down and get a rush coming and going. Bush is in, we get out and do something nice for someone you don't know. Go to an old folks' home and say hi to someone. Realize that good is something you do, not something you wait around for others to do.

[AmyDeLune]

39. Look at the Trees and Not the Forest

The big picture can get pretty overwhelming, so I focus in on doing little things in my corner of the world.
It can be something as simple as giving a homeless person a cookie, or picking up and disposing of litter on the sidewalk/street.

Smile at a stranger and say hello.

Tell someone to have a good day and really mean it.

I like to do something tangible and constructive with an immediate payoff-- like cleaning, yardwork, arts, and crafts.

and as just about everyone else has suggested-- turn off the news!

I can't fix the whole world, but I can do my best to make the bit of the world I live in a good place for myself and those around me.

---Amy