Lived Experience Forum

[chibam]

How do you block out the things that really strongly suggest that continuing to live is not the best course of action?

It's become aparrent to me that the only way to put up with life is with a great deal of ignorance. But sometimes the world is so in-your-face, you just can't help but be struck with how horrible it really is. How are you supposed to block it out?

[CheerBear]

Hi @chibam. I think this is a really interesting question and it got me thinking this morning while I was doing my usual morning coffee and forum thing. I can understand why you might be feeling like the only way to get through life is by trying to ignore the sometimes horrible reality of it all.

I don't know if blocking and ignoring things is the answer to doing life, at least for me. Ignoring all the reasons to quit that life has given me, definitely doesn't make them go away. Ignoring all the bad that is out there also doesn't change that it's there. Acknowledging that these things are there and getting to know and understand them, allows me to do things to better live with and around them.

If I stop and think about all the bad for too long then it can be overwhelming, so it's a tricky balance between facing things and moving along. Finding this balance is the hardest part for me I think, and it's likely to be a lifelong journey because it seems like it is so fine and can be so difficult to get right.

I can't choose the hand that has been dealt to me, but I need to believe I have some control over how I play it. I think I also need to believe that for all the bad, there is always good. I'm on a mission to seek it and add to if/when I can.

I'm not sure if that's very helpful to hear. When I'm in a place that feels so stuck in bad, the good seems so so far away that it feels impossible to ever reach. Things have always changed, even in the tiniest way though, and knowing things always change is sometimes the only good that's there for me.

I'm really interested in reading what others might have to say and add to this. I hope you're able to find some answers that might help.

[utopia]

Hi @chibam. I agred with what @CheerBear has said.
Personally I choose not to watch the news. I avoid international news as much as possible. As sometimes it's just too distressing.
Living with a mental illness can be tough. So it's really important to celebrate the good bits. Think of something good that happened that day & think about how that makes you feel. Relive the good memories, not just the tough ones.

[Lunar]

Hello @chibam

I can really see how becoming ignorant is virtually impossible, especially these days when we are so much more exposed to all the fear in this world through media, and if you are someone who is senstive and caring of others, this is not necessarily a bad thing, that is a good quality, but it does mean you may have to be more aware of how much negativity you allow into your life.

For me, I have to almost ban myself from watching the news more than once a week, and try not to read everything on facebook, etc. Most of it is negative and things that I have little control over, so it is not helpful to fill my head with those unhelpful thoughts, however sometimes knowing about such horrible things pushes me to advocate for social justice and change, so that is a big plus for me, I like to be informed to make better decisions for my future and help others.

It is a tricky balance though

Lunar 🙂