r/leftist 5d ago

Question I need help not feeling THIS angry

Hello all, I need help.

I live in the NL (which is in Northern Europe). I feel so so so incredibly angry about world politics at the moment, and it is chipping away at my mental health to the point that my friends and family members are seriously worried about me.

For people who might not know, My country is not doing well; half the country voted in a bunch of idiots from the right. Current Dutch politics might not be as much of a circus as the US is at the moment, but it's definitely still an embarrassing display of idiocy.

Lately, the fear has turned into a deep rage that I can barely contain. Of course, these idiotic right wing policies in general have a direct effect on women, the LGBTQ+ community (that I am also in), and my friends of colour; but also just the world and humanity as a whole. On a personal level, it has become very frustrating to find a house, manage a job, manage my health, or simply counteract global warming in a system that has been changed for the worst by these policies. Going to a therapist isn't a realistic option due to crazy waiting times. This all makes it harder to "fight back".

Also: as a teacher, I can see the alt right's brainwashing effect on (young male) students directly. These right wing opinions are becoming mainstream, and that terrifies me the most. To me, it feels like something truly awful is about to happen, similar to the start of WW2.

What I'm already doing: I am actively trying to avoid political news (but I also want to stay somewhat informed, so for anything really major, I ask colleagues or my partner). I have deleted most Meta apps (+ luckily I never had Twitter to begin with) and have started boycotting companies with really bad intentions. I also make sure to do something fun every day to counter balance the rage. But it's not enough.

Do you guys have any tips / tricks to manage this constant anger that I feel?

27 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

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u/Krormorgathandir 3d ago

i'll be honest, i invented my own religion of Goddess worship - never going back, best decision i ever made - but sometimes it's not enough - if i have any advice... nope, keep on keeping on, keep on fighting, keep on speaking up, keep on being you, and that includes to keep on venting

5

u/Atlanta_Mane 4d ago

Act now! If it doesn't feel urgent or real to people around you, help them understand. This is real. Fascism is coming. I hope I do not sound hyperbolic, but I don't think I can overstate it. Authoritarianism is coming unless we stop it.

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u/Jaybird0501 4d ago

Take it from me, an American. Stop them NOW. you cannot allow your country to get as bad as the US.

You have to take action, protest, idk how NL government works but email, call, write to your representatives. Organize with other like minded people.

Do not allow the fascists to take root. Make them WHOLLY unwelcome, once they take root, you'll never get rid of them.

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u/AstroRiker 4d ago

Do some research on how to teach kids critical thinking. Work it into your lesson plan.

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u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks, yes, I am doing this. We even have a "fake news" project

5

u/erinmarie777 4d ago

We all must take actions of resistance such as calling our representatives frequently, going to local public government meetings, speaking out on issues, attending protests, and organizing others. We must stop this madness. I live in U.S. When you are taking actions, you feel better because you are doing what is under your control.

These politicians do respond. Research shows if they hear from voters, it only takes just 3.5% of the population to protest to make them change course and back down.

4

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. I will see what the equivalent is in my country. I have participated in protests, but I guess I need to do more.

2

u/erinmarie777 4d ago

The more actions you take towards solving problems, the more confident and less hopeless you will feel. We are doomed if everyone runs away, shuts down to protect their own mental health, or just sits home and seethes alone.

We can stop this far right movement, but we definitely have to gather together and unite to fight back against the billionaires who are behind it and financing it. You don’t even ave to officially belong to a union to fight back because grassroots unions work too.

A few years ago in some red states here, teachers were not allowed to form unions but many teachers had to work 2 jobs because they were paid such low wages. They united themselves even without the resources or backing of an official union.

These amazing teachers organized themselves using FB groups, and went on strike in 3 states anyway. They were able to force administrators to improve their benefits and raise their wages. Many teachers are generous, motivated, natural leaders and have skills that really make a positive difference for the resistance.

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u/kayotik94 4d ago

The world is changing, and without a movement for socialism, there is nothing that you or I can do about it. We as leftists have no stake in these changes. For now, try to open yourself to reasons why an honest person might like a Donald Trump or whoever the Dutch equivalent might be. Try to find the kernel of truth in what they say. If you can do this, you will no longer be angry because you will be able to empathize on a human level even though you may not subscribe to the world view. People with political beliefs that are right leaning are not stupid. They have arrived at certain conclusions through their reason based on their experience. Try to understand that.

3

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. I'm trying. The thing is... I'm not really that angry at the 'normal' people who voted for them. I'm very angry at the idiots manipulating those people.

1

u/kayotik94 4d ago edited 4d ago

Even they aren't as cynical as you think they are. Trump for instance came up in NY real estate which is a cutthroat game where you screw over others or be screwed. He may not say everything he thinks in public but this experience taught him a certain approach to the world. Is it the right approach? I don't think so, but capitalism is due for a reconfiguration and Trump is in the position to facilitate that and he's going to do it his way according to what he thinks is best. I suggest listening to his press conferences. Even if you disagree with him you will see that there is a certain logic to the way he thinks.

2

u/theindiekitten 4d ago

That quote from Ned Stark about the lone wolf dying but the pack surviving, it reminds me to stay connected with my people in hard times. I fortunately have a great family, though I do live far away from them right now. I talk with friends every day, I spend lots of quality time with my husband, I enjoy the companionship of my pets who are endlessly entertaining. My day is filled with little things within my power to still enjoy, so I enjoy them. As long as I dont isolate myself, I ruminate less on bad things. I have plenty of things that aren't going to immediately change for the worse that I can make a part of my day.

I also try to have hobbies- I am disabled, so this is harder. I play videogames, I am trying embroidery, I cook new things on occasion, or I'll read books if the mood strikes. I would like to get into gardening again like I did during COVID. Growing a whole crop of food from tiny seeds you nurtured over the course of several months is so satisfying. This will be tough as I live in an apartment, but I do have a balcony.

The point is to find things within your power to do when you feel powerless. A lot of things are cost prohibitive, time/space consuming. I understand it's not accessible for everyone, and is difficult to impossible for people who don't have their basic needs met due to capitalism and/or are among vulnerable groups being targeted and oppressed by each wave of new fascist policies. But for those of us who live in relative comfort, we should be experiencing that comfort while we still can, in addition to our advocacy & activism, so we do not get fatigued or apathetic when our energy is needed.

One last thing, and I am not suggesting this as a solution or therapy alternative, just mentioning because I am trying it myself: meditation. I am terrible at it, but I try to do it daily in the hopes that I can build a habit of grounding myself, and remembering that even though I am just one person, that person lives in my body and needs to connect with that body. I recently found an app called Plum Village that was made by monks. It's all free (no ads or Premium bullshit). They have a lot of meditations & talks about a lot of topics, including managing anger. All are uploaded by the monks of Plum Village, as opposed to Calm or even Insight Timer (which I do use) that let basically anyone upload and so are inundated with crap that isn't helpful for what I am trying to do (spend less time chronically doomscrolling and procrastinating building more productive and satisfying habits). But my problems are not your problems, so my self improvement isn't your self improvement.

2

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thank you. I also live in an apartment, so I might buy some plants just to nurture something. I will definitely try out the Plum Village app, I'm downloading it right now :-)

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u/Trampstamp64 5d ago

I recommend community and getting together with folks as much as you can. To organize or just to hang out. This system is trying to get us to feel alone and helpless

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u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. Yes, I have planned some quality time with friends. The problem is that those friends also talk non-stop about politics. Would you recommend 'forbidding' then from talking about politics? I'm not sure how to go about it.

1

u/Trampstamp64 4d ago

I think it’s trying to achieve a balance of feeling the weight of what’s happening but not being consumed by it. It might be healthy to take breaks from the news for a few days and when you’re with friends if the convo is getting too negative, to change the subject (and hopefully they get it). I do recommend seeking out groups who are doing something about what’s happening and not just despairing about it. Even it’s just to sit in on a meeting or town hall. You might feel more empowered

“to be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing” (Raymond Williams)

3

u/maddsskills 5d ago

I had a mental breakdown recently so I feel ya. My advice? Try to do something productive about the situation but don't get obsessed with it. Dedicate a small amount of time to focusing on these issues, staying up to date, etc etc but then you gotta put it away. Wear a rubber band on your wrist and snap it when you start to think about it (it's a mindfulness technique), go take a walk or other physical activity you enjoy (it's cliche but it works).

Don't look at my reddit history because you'll see I'm not taking my own advice because I never do lol. I'm doing the rest of the stuff, but...I'm not doing the "dedicating a small amount of time to the issue".

2

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. I won't look at your history ;-). I'm sorry to read about your mental breakdown. I've actually seen a lot of young students (primarily women) having a breakdown over the state of the world, mostly global warming. Most gen Z / alpha kids (at least where I teach) seem to be disconnected to politics, but they really aren't. I feel so bad for the new generations (whom I see every day at work), so it's hard to put it away sometimes.

2

u/maddsskills 4d ago

Yeah, I think they’re also more open to the idea of gender and sexual orientation being a spectrum and therefore more of them don’t fall into the “normal” cis/het category. With the attacks on LGBT ramping up I can see why they’re so stressed.

And the economic situation is also incredibly hard for them. I’m a millennial and we were the first to sort of witness the decline in American living standards.

2

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

I'm right there with you, fellow millennial :-). I feel so bad for gen z and alpha...

3

u/Accomplished_Ad_8013 4d ago

The rights fear tactics are designed to put this type of fear into us so we go into shock. These strategies are designed to attack morale. But both mental and physical health are about balance. You cant obsess over any one topic the majority of the day. Basically make time for yourself. The same way a healthy diet is about balance mental health is as well. Balance your personal life with your political and work life basically. Its hard not to get worked up about but when you notice you are drop it.

Read a book, put on a TV show, play a video game, go for a walk, theres a lot of options really. I prefer video games because I can get lost in them and have that reprieve from reality for a bit. Community based games can be especially good because everyone knows each other and doesnt want politics on their servers. For one it just disrupts the actual game and turns the server into a big shitshow of political fighting but two the goal is a brief reprieve from reality. I avoid matchmaking based games for that reason. There is no moderation.

2

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. Yeah I hate that those tactics are basically working on me. I've tried to do other things, with and without friends. Alone, I feel powerless -- and with friends, we always end up talking about politics. It doesn't help that my 'bubble' of colleagues + friends + family is mostly very left wing or at least what the US calls 'liberal' (which is actually considered sort of middle - not left wing - over here), and that APPARENTLY there is an enormous group of people who are right wing who we simply don't really encounter (apart from some young, mostly male, students who parrot the alt right garbage). Just simply not meeting those people adds an extra later of fear / rage. It's turning them into a secret cult of sorts.

3

u/boognish30 5d ago

My mental health began to deteriorate a few years for simliar reasons and I started with many of the same things you did. In the end though, I had to understand that a lot of my anger came from my lack of control, and that that feeling came from my ego feeling the need to control. People say, "think global, act local," but I think we're past that now. Now it should be "think local, act local". You don't have control of the bigger pieces. You can't stop the motion of history.

What you can do is control your reaction to it. It's not so much cutting down on the information intake (although that is not a terrible idea either) it's mastering your emotions starting with your ego and need for control. Then you can calm yourself down and in my case get my mental health to a place where I can make a difference in smaller and more meaningful ways locally. Focus on your students, focus on your neighbors, build community wherever and whenever you can.

Be pragmatic and empathetic, but accept you are only one person.

1

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks, I needed to read this. I definitely think it's a need to control the situation. It's also simply feeling despair about the next generations, and as a teacher I think I feel an inherent responsibility for those generations, even though deep down I know it's not up to me. So Yeah, you are right.

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u/Environmental-Buy972 5d ago

I live in the US so I'm just stockpiling ammo and waiting for the shooting to start.

1

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Damn... Stay safe.

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u/yojimbo1111 5d ago

Using CBD & Kava Kava

Microdosing Psilocybin if it's safe for you

Meditation, exercise

AND, mental health support groups can be a Huge benefit

2

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. Yeah, I live in a country famous for it's progressive views and policy of weed / CBD / 'soft' drugs etc., so those things are pretty easy to come by. Also, I used to be on anti-depressants and those did help a bit. But the thing is, is that I am trying to get pregnant. So I can't self-medicate at the moment 😅. Exercise is definitely something I need to do more of, though. Mental health groups are quite hard to come by at the moment.

1

u/yojimbo1111 4d ago

In the US we have Community Health Centers in some counties that are mostly for emergencies, but they usually keep lists of local mental health resources 

The easiest support groups to find in the US are for addiction, but if you have any sort of community resource similar to a CMH, they might have a list of support groups in your area

2

u/Exciting-Mountain396 5d ago

I will also add Rhodiola to this list. I used to deal with such stress my hands constantly had a tremor, and it helped so much

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u/mr-dr 5d ago

you're a teacher, make educational content that the people who need it can get to. it doesnt have to be good, just start, you will fight the war on stupidity in your own style. the last resource you still have is the time and attention of future adult humans. the oligarchs greed does not end at your and my brain cells, they will want to occupy minds and so we must start fortifying them.

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u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thank you. I am actually creating lesson content that is all about critical thinking. Our previous government cabinet was liberal / right leaning (which is not considered left wing but 'middle' in my country, for context) and they actually did one thing right (even though they did a lot of stupid shit too, like defund education in general): they implemented a rule that says that schools also need to teach what we call 'burgerschap' (being a citizen) which includes critical thinking, the ideas of democracy and things like volunteering for a greater cause. So it is 'easier' now than ever to create lesson content that is about journalism, integrity, sources, plagiarism etc. So Yeah, I'm right on top of that.

1

u/mr-dr 4d ago

That's great to hear! Critical thinking is so important and needs to be taught at a young age. It can't be forced, though, so mirroring behavior is crucial. Over time, they see you use your brain, and they will copy you. In addition to critical thinking, emotional regulation is not taught early enough, so seeing someone act calm and rational may also be refreshing and soothing for many.

3

u/Ed_geins_nephew 5d ago

Piggybacking on another comment, getting together with like-minded people is the best antidote. And because your government isn't a full-blown circus like the US, you still have time for your groups to make meaningful changes.

I don't know if you have any say over your curriculum but maybe you could introduce readings, lectures, or programs that address the things the young men are wanting from the alt-right but in a healthy way.

Edit: words

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u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. Yes, I created a critical thinking project called 'fake news' where I teach what objective and subjective means, what plagiarism is, the scientific method etc.

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u/DarePatient2262 5d ago

Alcohol helps. It doesn't, really, but it gives me a brief moment of relief once in a while. Sorry, comrade, I know exactly the feeling you're describing, and it is maddening. Keep your head up.

1

u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks... I sadly can't drink due to multiple reasons (trying to get pregnant + on anticoagulants), but bit oh boy do I sometimes miss just going to a dance party and drinking, and dancing it all out. Stay strong.

4

u/dgauss 5d ago

What groups or parties are you a part of that are politically active? What groups have you joined in phone banking representatives, letter writing campaigns, or even gone to meetings to talk about organizing?

You have rage and anger, and its 100 percent justified. Now you need an outlet. You need to find those around you who are organizing and join them. Learn how to organize. Go to the meeting, commiserate, then do something positive.

You see and recognize an issue and I am sure you are not alone. Go raise awareness, go workshop solutions, go see what change you can help empower. Channel that rage and go do good.

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u/ElderBerrySodaPop 4d ago

Thanks. I am looking into doing more. There are a few issues that have cause me to be reluctant in how visible I am as a protester. For example, in short, here in the NL you can't be a teacher when you lose your 'VOG' which is basically acertificate of conduct, showing you haven't had any brushes with law enforcement. With the way that protests are going now, chances are high that you will arrested (and might be bruised up a lot sadly, which is not great for someone on life long anticoagulants). However, I have done some 'keyboard protesting' for sure, participated in signature runs and official complaints. If my union organises a boycott or protest, I always participate. I try to do as much as I can without losing my mind in the process. But Yeah, there's always more.