Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

  • melbaboutown
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    1 year ago

    I’m feeling helpless about how shit the world is getting. Not only war and climate change and nazis/fascism rising again. But things like food and housing are becoming so unaffordable, and there is very little that can be done about it by the people it most affects.

    There is small scale stuff like pitching in to community food gardens, rewilding, cleaning off swastikas, or volunteering with Food Not Bombs but it seems naive and useless in the face of the sheer scale of cunts continuing to fuck everything up. At a certain point you just cannot pick up the slack.

    Also my mental health is tanking and I’m literally not able to do much physically. I guess I just stick my head in the sand to try and care for myself the the best I can?

    • Gibsonisafluffybutt
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      1 year ago

      I think your last paragraph is the best option when you feel the way you do.

      I take breaks from the world for self care when it gets too much and I feel overwhelmed.

      We aren’t built to take in so much information so quickly. I little media blackout while you deal with your health is always a good idea.

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        Unfortunately it’s hard to deny things affecting you directly and causing it. But attempts will be made

        • just_kitten
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          1 year ago

          Not reading ! = denying, it is easy to feel that way but it is definitely possible to take a hard media break for a week at least and not miss out on anything that will immediately and directly affect you.

          Because honestly most of the time these days even if you find out about it ASAP, does it actually, concretely help you prepare better? Personally I find it does it the opposite by getting me down due to its relentless nature and the biased opinions that crop up without having time and space to process and see things in perspective. Media is not your friend

          • melbaboutown
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            1 year ago

            This is wise. I wish there was something I could do but right now there isn’t.

    • fullkitwanker
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      1 year ago

      Do you watch a lot of reels / consume short media? Like the other commenter said, we aren’t made to process so much information so quickly. Definitely try some apps that help with black out or ween off insta / twitter completely for a bit

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        Not really actually. It’s more how it’s intruding in concrete ways and preying on my mind.

        ie Being affected by the cost of living, especially food. Substandard and unaffordable housing. Antisocial behaviour in my neighbourhood rising. Fretting about actions that aren’t eco friendly - then remembering it’s pointless because renewables are being used as a political football and our plastics aren’t even being recycled. Knowing that as temperatures slowly rise my cheaply built flat will become intolerable.

        But seeing stuff reflected in the news (ie. around housing climate and food, like it really is that bad) doesn’t help. The Gaza news is also harrowing.

    • PeelerSheila
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      1 year ago

      I used to be a bit of a news junkie but unsubscribed from a whole lot of stuff about a month ago. Now I focus on funny stuff, and I didn’t realise how much I needed it. I get what you’re saying about how futile it feels to do your bit of goodness for the world while multinational companies are busily screwing the planet over with impunity. Still do your little bit, and know that others of us are doing our bit too, and together we count even though it feels small sometimes.

      • Taleya
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        1 year ago

        Tumblr is great for this. Absolute batshit, but in a good way.

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        It really does feel useless when the rot is coming from the head. I do have ideas about things that are better than nothing but my body is deteriorating

    • Taleya
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      1 year ago

      It sounds horrible, but yea. Shrink your circle of concerns. No one can take care of everything, that way lies madness.

      Also put in some work curating / limiting your SM. It’s designed to keep you panicked doomscrolling.

        • Taleya
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          1 year ago

          Tumblr’s some fun batshit if you’re so inclined :)

          • melbaboutown
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            1 year ago

            Maybe just for the memes

            backs slowly away from Tumblr ‘discourse’

            • Taleya
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              1 year ago

              stick to the smooth sharks and you’re good lol

    • Mittens_meow
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      1 year ago

      Self care. Seems like the best thing anyone can do in these times…

    • SituationCake
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      1 year ago

      I don’t know how to help but I can sympathise. I also struggle sometimes knowing the world is full of arseholes. Reducing media might help but for me personally it doesn’t, I know it all still exists. But there are good people too! Lots of them. People trying to make a difference. Diseases are being cured all the time, social progress is being made with thing liken same sex marriage, inclusivity is more visible in media and art, renewable energy sources are growing, etc. I think we can only accept that the world is the way it is, and know that you yourself are a good person doing the best you can.

      • melbaboutown
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        1 year ago

        Thanks. I try hard to stay positive. Just the stress of the arseholes (on a personal and a global level) is making me sick.