How to deal with world negativity

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Hello humans who inhabit this Earth, After being inactive in this amino for months I finally came back to talk about something that I think it's very important. I'm talking about mental health, more specifically how to take care of it in the situation that the world is currently in. So let's get to it.

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Content warning: Anything that revolves around mental health, LGBT+ issues or the current situation of the world.

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ᐷ What do I mean by world

negativity and why I decided

to make this post

ᐷ Tips for navigating social

media without letting

negativity get to you

ᐷ Letting the anger out, my

personal method

ᐷ Staying safe from the virus:

the basics

ᐷ Important reminders

ᐷ Crisis resources

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What I mean by world negativity is the negativity that our society has been facing this last couple of years; a lot of political issues, a global pandemic, grief, many intolerance and having such a biased and divided society.

I wanted to make it clear, this post isn't to get political. I'm not here to start any debate. I'm just here to talk about the effect this has had on our mental health and how to take care of ourselves. Please do not take this as a political post. That's not my intention.

Lately I've been reflecting on myself and my mental health, I've been having many negative thoughts regarding the situation our world is in. I've caught myself being very down, angry and sad about everything. I've felt really powerless over everything but I've come to the realisation that I shouldn't let the world affect the way I feel and perceive myself.

I believe that the first step to having a better world is working on yourself first. And making sure you are calm, health and ok. So I came up with ideas that have been helping me cope and feel better. So I thought I might share.

Most of these are more focused on helping lgbt+ people, since this is the lgbt+ Amino. But this can also be helpful for anyone.

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So many times it happens, that you're just wandering the internet and minding your business when all of a sudden you come across a homophobic or transphobic comment. You try to ignore it but deep down, you feel angry about it. I've been there, I feel you.

I cannot make all of these comments go away or magically make them not get to you, but I can give you some tips that can help you avoid this situations or cope with them:

Sometimes, your first instinct when you see a hurtful comment is wanting to rant and tell them how they're wrong. It's normal. But , you do not need to justify yourself or your ideals to anyone. Yo do not owe random strangers on the internet any explanation.

Most of these people are just trolls or people who want to project their own insecurities onto other people. Some of these people are thirsting for a heated answer. They don't care about how good your point is, no matter what you say you won't be able to convince them. So why even bother with them?

I get it, many people want to raise awareness and advocate for something. But you need to prioritize your own wellbeing. Do these trolls really need a 180 word essay? Do they really need your time? No they don't. Don't give them the attention they are craving. Instead, don't answer. Just report their comment or what gets us to the next tip:

Yes, do that.

You see someone defending something messed up?

Block them.

You see someone making hateful comments?

Block them.

You come across a creator who is spreading hate and negativity?

Block them.

Your auntie is posting damaging and radical conspiracy theories on Facebook?

Block her too!

You do not need to put up with people's hate and negativity. If you don't like a certain type of comments or posts. Block those people. There shouldn't be any shame in not wanting to associate or come across people who make you feel bad.

I mean this in the most literal way. Go outside. Turn off your phone for a while and go do activities that benefit you. It can be going for a walk, drawing, going to the gym, watching a good movie, reading a book. Do something outside of scrolling through social media.

Of course these things don't solve every single issue, but it does help. It will help you to actually connect with yourself. It will make you think about yourself and what you like instead of what others want or think. It's healthy to do other stuff.

I went outside for a little walk a day I wasn't feeling too well mentally and I realized how much better I felt doing something that isn't checking my phone.

One of the biggest struggles when coming across negativity only is feelings of loneliness. You feel as if nobody understands you. Or that the world is against you if you will. But the truth is you are not alone. There are many people who are going through exactly what you're going through right now.

Sometimes, finding online safe spaces can be beneficial for you. There are many online communities for many of your interests and even identity. Just make sure they are regulated and actually safe!

It's sometimes good to see that you have people that understand you. Even if it's through a screen.

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Feeling angry and irritated with the situation of our society is totally normal and fine. It's fine to feel your emotions. Sometimes you need to feel them for you to be calm.

There are three methods I use to relax this anger and that are actually very helpful for me. One of them is more emotional, the second phisical and the third one is a bodily one.

This is something my therapist taught me and I really found helpful. This isn't like the typical journaling of keeping a notebook with a lock on it. This is slightly more aggressive and satisfying.

You will need a piece of paper and something to write. All this simply consists of is written anything on your mind down. No holding back anything. Write it all. All your anger, words and just anything that makes you upset or angry. Feel free to draw.

Once you're done you simply get rid of that paper so that nobody finds "the evidence". This will help you be able to vent your thoughts to something that will not judge. It sounds weird at first but when you do it it actually really helps.

This one can be done right after the last one. Grab that paper and a pair of scissors and destroy it. Leave no word visible. Sometimes a phisical response to anger can be satisfactory.

Just make sure you don't accidentally harm yourself in the process.

This one is very helpful. It's a body relaxation techique that I came up with when I was a child and it's always been helpful, specially to help me be relaxed before sleeping.

This one is done best laying down in bed. Specially with a blanket on. I recommend laying down with your body facing the ceiling. You need to be comfortable.

What you will do is just close your eyes and strongly focus on one part of your body (it's best to start from down, your feet) and you need to picture and imagine it melting as if it were sand. If you're not used to this repeat in your head "melt" as you do it and it will help.

You will start feeling very relaxed. Do it one by one with every part of your body.

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Just as your mental health, you also need to care for your phisical health and the ones around you.

This is just reminding basic information to stay as safe as possible from the virus.

1. Wear your mask. Make sure you're wearing it correctly, specially in crowded spaces. Change them every 3-4 hours. If you take them off before that time, fold them and save them in a clean place. Don't touch the inside with your hands.

2. Wash your hands regularly and make sure you are washing the entirety of your hand not only in the palms.

3. If you don't have it yet, look where you can get vaccinated in your area and make an appointment. Make sure you follow the instructions from your doctor after the vaccine. Rember, as much as people try to make it a political thing it's not and it will never be political to get vaccinated.

4. Make sure to stay at home and your doctor if you're experiencing symptoms.

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These are some important reminders that you might need to hear in our current world status:

You might feel alone in this, but you aren't. Many people want you to be good and healthy. This is not just your fight. Many people are as well not going through a good time. Your experience matters and you matter.

Your own well-being goes first. There are many things in the world to be fighting for but that doesn't mean that you have to if that's affecting your mental health. You can't help others if you aren't well. So don't feel pressured to engage in discussions if you're not mentally well to be having those.

This situations can feel like the end of the world. You might think that things aren't going to get better but they will, life always has it's ups and downs. But eventually things will get better. It's important to keep a positive mindset.

It's ok to feel upset. It's ok to feel upset or even offended at other's comments. These are all natural human reactions. We all do it wether we it it or not. Feeling your emotions isn't and will never be a bad thing. Specially during these times, it's normal to be sensitive.

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Crisis Hotlines:

List of helplines

Other resources:

WHO page

WHO - mental health

(The images I used for this posts are from the chainsaw man manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto)

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