Things that keep existential dread and the sense of impending doom at bay.

[Mirabeau]

There's too much bad news being heaped upon the peepz.
There's plenty of threads dedicated to the bad side.
Stop hitting me with those negative waves dudes.

So, what little thing makes you think and feel that life isn't that bad right now?

[CelticRambler]

Dancing!

Scientifically proven to release bucket-loads of endorphins; and also helps stave of dementia (at least the proper kind, where you and your feet need to be in a specific place at a specific time).

[DeletedUser]

My dog!

[isha]

My family are the most important part of my existence, being there for them, knowing they're there for me. My children especially.

I like creating art, knitting, baking, making stuff generally. If I'm not making something, anything, I get depressed. Art, archaeology, history, geology, movies, more art...just keep it streaming at me and I don't feel doomy. I make short films - they don't do anything except exist and it creates meaning for me just to make them.

Curiosity about everything, literally everything, keeps me occupied. I need to know about everything.

The sea. Anything that I do near or in the sea makes me feel love for existence.


I put in about fifteen years where I ploughed the fields of existential dread, horror, daily endless doom and terror - there were no crops worth reaping there. Do ANYTHING rather than that. Take a strong dose of DMT on a mountain top in Ladakh rather than succumb.


Yeah, so, ya know, general stuff I'm lucky that I am generally easy to please. Other than the long blip in hell - but even then I made jokes.

[95438756]

Watching YouTube videos about Wojak the doomer. I guart yourife us better than Wojack's

[678904673]

Lashings of alcohol

[DeletedUser]

Lashings of alcohol

Well if you insist …!!!!

[678904673]

Well on a slightly more serious note, crossword puzzles. Keeps my mind off things for hours

[DeletedUser]

Well on a slightly more serious note, crossword puzzles. Keeps my mind off things for hours

Doing a puzzle as we speak - my dad had dementia before he passed away, as I near my mid 50s I do what I can to keep my mind sharp.

[Hairy-Joe]

I find a few things work for me. Going for a cycle, sitting on a rock looking at the sea and wandering around historical sites works for me.

I've spent a few weeks volunteering in Africa a few years ago. That put a lot of my "problems" in perspective. I look back and surprisingly, a lot of problems are inconsequential compared to their daily grind.

[8760976543]

A tug twice a day...

[mmercedes84]

Books , Audiobooks.

Keeping busy. Sitting idle is probably the worse thing really.

[CelticRambler]

Doing a puzzle as we speak ... as I near my mid 50s I do what I can to keep my mind sharp.

From what I've read on the subject, crosswords are of limited value in that respect if you start them "young". Apparently, once you've got into the swing of them, you use different neural circuitry that doesn't actually involve any "sharpness" (akin to formula 1 drivers literally not using their brain for most of their drive). You need to regularly take up new mental and spatial challenges to stave off cognitive decline.

[CelticRambler]

An elderly friend has just come back from an extended stay in Spain. Before she took off on her next adventure, she dropped in for a chat and mentioned that coming back to France played havoc with her sense of impending doom - because she tuned in straight away to all her usual sources of news and whatnot. While she was away (three months) and living amongst the Spanish, she just didn't hear all that "stuff" so wasn't bothered by it.

At the end of the day, that's the simplest solution: tune out. At least tune out of any forum, blog, TV station, YouTube channel or whatever that over-hypes the bad news.

[Jack The Stripper]

It’s fine to say tune out and all will be well and it’s the Walton’s 2.0 while your community fills up with ex uk criminal fakeugees. You need to be tuned into the real world.

[CelticRambler]

... while your community fills up with ex uk criminal fakeugees.

The UK "fakeugees" have been coming here to rural France since the 90s, and we were seen in the same light till we emphasised our Irishness. But Brexit has put the brakes on immigrants from the Neighbouring Island.

On the flip-side, like in rural Ireland in the 80s-90s, it has been mainly the German, Dutch and British immigrants that have maintained something akin to a local economy, along with traditional arts, crafts and generally more "authentic" rural practices than the young natives who just want to get out of the place as fast as possible.

Besides, "tuning out" doesn't mean cutting yourself off from what's really happening in the world, instead of looking for threats and malice every time you open your browser and/or front door.

[DeletedUser]

From what I've read on the subject, crosswords are of limited value in that respect if you start them "young". Apparently, once you've got into the swing of them, you use different neural circuitry that doesn't actually involve any "sharpness" (akin to formula 1 drivers literally not using their brain for most of their drive). You need to regularly take up new mental and spatial challenges to stave off cognitive decline.

You’re on the ignore list for a reason - talking bollocks there and giving unwanted advice.

[Mirabeau]

I was thinking more along lines of little things in life that people give people a bit of joy.

For example, I started this thread after watching my dog encountering a plant he never saw before. He was completely fascinated by it.

[Diamonds of Frost]

I don't have any existential dread regarding the state of the world. I will feel sad for those impacted and sometimes cry but it's for them and not me. It doesn't do anything negative to my own wellbeing.

It's that wellbeing and the lives of those I love that creates the dread. Death (gulp) getting old, illness... it's worse the older I get of course. When it hits I concentrate on being grateful for all I have now. So many things make me happy and easily so. I bought these twinkly lights for the tree outside and I'm going to keep them up all year round. Despite my darker worries I'm quite a jolly soul.

[CelticRambler]

Little things? The motorist that gives a "thank you" blink on their hazard lights when I pull over to let them pass my camper as I crawl down a mountain road.

(Having taken time out from the cares of the world)

[KHD]

Switching off the Internet and the radio and going out for a walk and realising the majority of living things on the planet don't give a fook about anything other than where their next meal is coming from.

[marhay70]

Switching off the Internet and the radio and going out for a walk and realising the majority of living things on the planet don't give a fook about anything other than where their next meal is coming from.

Funnily enough I was thinking along much the same lines as I sat and watched the birds in the garden on Christmas Day, This was just another day for them, get up get out and look for food and try to avoid getting eaten by something bigger. Just like yesterday was and tomorrow will be.

[CelticRambler]

realising the majority of living things on the planet don't give a fook about anything other than where their next meal is coming from.

And having unprotected sex.